By Becky Brewster
At the regular meeting of the Culberson County–Allamoore ISD held on March 21, a concerned citizen requested that the School Board remove PROPOSITION ONE from the May ballot pending further research and due diligence. PROPOSITION ONE is for the $30 million bond issue to finance a new mixed campus school. John Clark addressed the Board during open forum with a five minute presentation to state his unease at having the tax payers of Culberson County on the line to the tune of $30 million. Mr. Clark referenced his letter to the editor of The Van Horn Advocate published the last week which cites data from the Texas Transparency.org website. “The average cost of construction for a mixed campus is $167/square foot,” said Clark, “…and an average of 143 square feet per student.” He stated that based on these figures, the benchmark for a school for 500 students should be about $11.5 million. “We are asking for $30 million; that is excessive,” declared Clark. Clark then pronounced that this is the single biggest decision the school board has to make which is why he requested that the District pull the proposition from the ballot for the May election and do more research into the construction estimates. Clark assured the Board that he supports the construction of a new school and stated that the students deserve it. Clark concluded with admonishing the board to be financially responsible as listed in their Board goals that were itemized at the start of the meeting, stating that $30 million is not financially responsible.
The Board then recognized the UIL State Debate teams comprised of Cami Uranga, Kyle Seyffert, Steven Urias and Ashanti Garcia with their sponsors Pam Young and Marcia Crowley. The team of Uranga/Seyffert proudly displayed their silver medals. Coach Pam Young expressed pride in the teams and stated that these students are “examples of who students can be if they work hard and really put in the effort.”
Next, following a brief executive session, the Board approved a one-year extension to the administrative contracts for Julie Uranga, Kittie Gibson, Brian Gibson, and Debbie Engle. The Board then ratified the appointment of the following citizens to the School Health Advisory Council: Jessica Bermudez, Debbie Engle, Becky Brewster, Marie Borrego, Terry Chacon, Martha Corrales, Mary Lou Corralez, Gerald Donovan, Oscar Espinoza Jr., Eric Lopez, Esteban Urias, Tina Urias.
In other business, the CCAISD Board members:
• Reviewed the Board’s Vision/Mission/Values/Goals
• Approved the by-laws of the School Health Advisory Council.
• Participated in a Board member training session following the meeting.
