Alvin ISD in the news!

The Pearland Journal had an article published today about the Alvin ISD trustees reviewing design plans for the proposed new high school on the west side of Pearland.

Trustees review new high school plans

These plans will come to fruition only if the voters go to the polls on November 5th and vote in favor of the bond. Early voting starts Monday, October 21 and ends November 1. Election Day is November 5. Citizens must be registered by October 7. Applications for voting by mail can be requested after September 6 and before October 25. For additional information, visit www.alvinisd.net or call (281)388-1130.

Register to Vote!

Register to vote and learn more about the upcoming Alvin ISD bond election at the SCR pools this labor day weekend! Special thanks to Monica Martinez Morgan - she has arranged to have the Deputy Voter Registrars to be at the Diamond Bay, Reflection Bay and Biscayne Bay Pools this Saturday from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. We will also have flyers with information about the upcoming bond election.

Alvin ISD Trustees call school bond election

In a 5-2 vote, Alvin ISD Trustees called a $212,445,000 school bond election at a special meeting of the Board on August 8. Board President Tiffany Wennerstrom and Vice President Regan Metoyer, along with Trustees Cheryl Harris, Charles McCauley and Nicole Tonini voted in favor of the election.  Mike Lansford and Sue Stringer voted to oppose the election.  Bond projects will include investments in new schools, technology, transportation, facility upgrades and enhanced security features for district campuses. The proposal will go before voters on November 5.

Contents of the school bond package were recommended by the Citizen’s Advisory Committee consisting of parents, local citizens, and school staff.   David Becker, CAC co-chair shared, “we worked long and hard for about six months to figure out the best options to address the fast growth that our school district is experiencing.”

The recommended package consists of funds designated for the District’s third high school campus, which will accommodate 2,500 students; a new elementary campus (number 16), which would hold 800 students; a replacement of Longfellow Elementary, land and design for elementary number 17 and 18; a new junior high school in the Manvel area, which would hold 1,000 students; renovation and expansion of Alvin Junior High; land for junior high number seven; design and related costs for a new Career and Technical Education Facility, and a new Godwin Ag Facility, which will increase opportunities for instructional access. Campus safety and security projects, such as securing entrances on select campuses, upgrading communication systems and surveillance cameras would also be funded by the project. Additional school buses will be purchased, technology enhanced, along with upgrades for mechanical, electrical, HVAC and other campus improvements. The bond will also allow for land and design of a facility that would accommodate an additional District athletic stadium, a satellite transportation facility, and a District Natatorium which will be located separately from high school #3.

“The Board chose to allocate $8.4 million from available fund balance and $3.46 million from current maintenance and operations funds to cover CAC recommended projects with shorter life expectancy such as band uniforms, buses and technology,” stated Tommy King, deputy superintendent of business.  $28,095,000 of authorized, yet unissued bond funds, available from the 2009 bond referendum will also be utilized to fund bond projects.

“Student enrollment has been steadily increasing in Alvin ISD and according to Templeton Demographics the District should expect to see a continued increase of approximately 800 students a year for the next five years,” said Dr. Fred Brent, superintendent of schools. “We are a dynamic learning organization committed to excellence for all students and every program, and we must prepare for the continued growth of our District; in order to ensure that the students of Alvin ISD continue to receive the best educational opportunities possible.”

The majority of the Trustees vocalized their support for the election during the special meeting.   All of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee recommendations are included in the bond projects and a community survey administered by an Austin based company in June also supported the bond projects.  “Now it is up to the voters,” said Tiffany Wennerstrom, president Alvin ISD Board of Trustees.

Additional information about the bond election is available on the Alvin ISD website. In addition, information will be distributed to taxpayers and presentations will be conducted throughout the community in the upcoming weeks. Early voting will be available beginning Monday, October 21 until November 1 at several locations throughout the District. Applications for voting by mail should be received after September 6 and before October 25. 

In order to vote in the 2013 school bond election, citizens must be registered to vote by October 7, as November 5 is Election Day. For additional information, visit www.alvinisd.net or call 281-388-1130.