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Item I-6 for the 12.17.2020 Board of Trustees meeting is as follows: “Approval of Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) For C.D. Fulkes Middle School- New School Rebuild – Terry Worcester”
First, I believe that in its current state, CD Fulkes Middle School (CDF) falls short of the standards I have for RRISD middle schools. Students should have an equitable experience (including equitable facilities) regardless of which RRISD middle school they happen to be zoned to.
On 12.15.2020 at 10 am I met with Trustee’s Vessa and Weir as well as Dr Presley and Mr Worcester to discuss this project. There is a long history (notably starting with $8M in voter approved funds from Bond 2014 for CDF), conflicting information and multiple perspectives on how to address the parts of CDF that fall short of our standards as a community.
I considered offering what I know as the entire history here on the message board. But the circumstances are detailed, nuanced and I believe that the students at CDF and our taxpayers deserve for this new BoT to fully understand and appreciate this project as well as any alternatives that may better meet the needs of CDF students. I don’t think I can do that justice in a message board post.
In my meeting this morning, Trustee Weir said she would pull this item (I-6) off of the consent agenda and open it up for discussion and I appreciate that. But I actually think it would be better to schedule a workshop in January and have staff present a sort of history lesson on what happened with the Bond 2014 $ for this campus and why just four years later the project took a completely different trajectory pointed toward a tear down and re-build on the scale of $50M.
My concern about this project is rooted in the process…the how’s and why’s of the only proposal that the administration considered and brought forward for CDF. I am also concerned about the very minimal input from the CDF community on this project. Tearing down a school is a big deal and I am not confident that’s what the community wants. It may be the decision that reflects the values and goals of RRISD. But it’s hard to know that when other alternatives were not brought forward for consideration.
As always, I’m focused on student outcomes so these are some of my questions I’d like to discuss with all of you in a workshop: How does the only plan that has been considered contribute to student outcomes at CDF? What is the plan for student athletes during the 2-3 years that CDF will not have a track/football field? Might a meaningful renovation that keeps the beautiful and historic theater part of the building and needed upgrades to the track/football field better meet the needs of students by not forcing CDF student athletes off campus for sports participation be worthy of consideration? Can a renovation/expansion be done in such a way that students are kept safe and not going in and out of hard-hat areas? Do we as a community value CDF as a historic building (it’s the former Round Rock High School) and want to preserve it while making meaningful changes that students deserve? Would a renovation/expansion option reduce the cost of the project thereby allowing us to invest in other parts of the VLC of which CDF is a part?
My ask: Delay Item I-6 to a January meeting (separate workshop perhaps) in which staff can educate the new BoT with a history lesson on CDF and allow the trustees to discuss and ask questions. In the end, I need to be confident that the decision we make is driven by meaningful community input, a commitment to equity and fiscally responsibility. I am not there today with that confidence.
I agree that a workshop in January is the best way forward.
Thanks Trustee Weston for starting this discussion. I also feel that I need more education on the process that was used to get to the current point. I have recently asked about community input during this plan and was not fully convinced that the CDF community had enough opportunity to provide input in this decision that will dramatically impact their students. I would also like to know more about the almost $50M price tag and have asked for more information.
I think a Workshop in January is the best path with four new trustees and such an important decision.
I was also at the meeting yesterday and I actually left the meeting confident that I could vote yes. I felt staff answered pretty much all of Danielle’s questions above. I was grateful she raised them. And if it takes a board workshop in January to get all trustees to a place where they can support this project, I am fine with that. A one month delay won’t be the end of the world. That said, these are my answers to the questions she raised based on what Terry said and what I know about the school.
What is the plan for student athletes during the 2-3 years that CDF will not have a track/football field?
The kids really shouldn’t be using the field right now as it is. They have ceased using the field for actual football games because it is dangerous. It has a 2 foot sideline (I haven’t measured it, but it is very small). Then there is a concrete bunker before the track. This is not a suitable field to play on and I honestly wish they weren’t practicing on it either. The sooner we get the track and field replaced, the sooner we have equity at the school. Right now, what we have is a far cry from equity.Might a meaningful renovation that keeps the beautiful and historic theater part of the building and needed upgrades to the track/football field better meet the needs of students by not forcing CDF student athletes off campus for sports participation be worthy of consideration?
We can preserve the historic theater. That is part of this plan. However, as I stated above, the track and field are dangerous. Continuing to practice and play on them is a disservice to this community.Can a renovation/expansion be done in such a way that students are kept safe and not going in and out of hard-hat areas?
Terry clearly stated that they just couldn’t find a way to make this happen. Not only wasn’t it possible, even if it was, it would make the project timeline so long as to make it impossible to keep to the bond target.Do we as a community value CDF as a historic building (it’s the former Round Rock High School) and want to preserve it while making meaningful changes that students deserve?
If that is the priority, preserving the building (not just the theater), the campus would not be able to have a full sized track and field. That is certainly an option, as other middle schools in the district do not. Because the footprint of CDF is so small, you cannot preserve more than the theater without sacrificing a full sized track and field. Terry did a good job showing us this at the meeting. Whether preserving the original building is a community priority is more of an unknown. During the original surveys of the community, preserving the theater seemed to be the community’s focus. It appears staff have tried to solicit more community input, but the response has been minimal. What we do know from the responses, is that the community wants a middle school that has all the advantages that other middle schools in the district enjoy. We also know that there is great community participation in coming to the games when the games are on campus and easy to walk to. When the games are located somewhere else (which would be necessary if we couldn’t give them a full sized track and field), attendance may be impacted.Would a renovation/expansion option reduce the cost of the project thereby allowing us to invest in other parts of the VLC of which CDF is a part?
We can clearly see from other campus renovations that they are not less expensive than a rebuild. In many cases, they are more expensive. A good example is Westwood. I am fairly confident, with the amount of money that has been spent on the remodel, we could have torn the school down and rebuilt it and probably saved money. The 2015 study clearly showed that CDF is beyond a remodel. Why? Because to upgrade the campus to meet current requirements, is 1. extremely challenging, and 2. extremely expensive.All that aside, my goal for CD Fulkes is to give them a state of the art facility. I don’t want them to have something that is acceptable. They have had the worst facilities in the district for many years. I want this board’s legacy to be that they received the absolute best from us.
Let’s do a workshop on this in January. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow. I do believe that this deserves full focus and I personally would like to hear a bit more by those most closely impacted by this decision. If we schedule a workshop for January, perhaps we can move this off of the agenda tomorrow.
Thank you Trustees Harrison, Xiao and Bone for weighing in here. We are new and should fully vet a possible $50M expenditure.
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