Questions About the Proposed Elementary

10.  If we had a budget deficit in previous years, how can the district afford to spend $150,000 a year from the general fund to offset a tax increase?

• The budget deficit from 2015--16 was a purposeful, structural deficit.  The deficit was because of a temporary reduction of the Interest and Sinking (I&S) rate to reduce the tax rate for the local taxpayer and to use "excess" I&S collections from previous tax years.  I&S collections can only be used to pay existing debt.  By proposing a lower tax rate temporarily, the district set a deficit budget that forced the district to spend the "excess" I&S funds that can only be used to pay the debt.
• The district tends to spend less than the proposed budget through careful management of funds.
• In addition, during the 2017 legislative session, the legislature passed a bill revoking the small district adjustment (also known as the small school penalty).  This penalty provided less funding for districts with less than 1,600 students or less than 300 sq. miles.  It has been in place for 35+ years.  This penalty represents approximately $785,000 per year less that Danbury ISD received versus districts with 1,600+ students or more than 300 sq. miles.  It will be phased in over a 5-6 year period providing a little over $130,000 more per year until the district receives the full funding amount.

11.  Does the elementary garden go away in the proposed plans?

• No.  The elementary garden will remain where it is and is not affected by the bond plans.  This is an important feature and teaching tool for the elementary school. Designs for the new elementary school took this feature into account when plans were developed.

12.  Who were the committee members and how were they selected?

• The building committee was selected by the Board of Trustees to study the needs of the district and to determine if there was a need for the District to call a bond to allow a vote for new or renovated facilities.
• The committee was made up of business representatives, community members, parents, and school personnel.
• The members started meeting last fall and have continued to meet on and off through August of this year when the bond was called.
• Not all members stayed on the committee throughout the year-long process.
• Members included:  Bill Turnipseed, David Catoe, April Williams, Kay Harrison, Dory Mitchell, Celia Lewis, Jarrod Smith, Steve Thompson, Gerald Peltier, David Smith, Will Garrett, Derrick Dees, Clint Peltier, Disa Schulze, Daryl Peltier, Kristi Jones, Alicia Neubauer, Rhonda Wendel, Ace Filipp, and Greg Anderson.

13.  What is the change in the number of classrooms, teachers, and maximum student capacity of the proposed elementary?

• The proposed elementary school will add one additional classroom per grade level for an additional 6 classrooms.
• The maximum capacity of the elementary school will be 600 students at full capacity for each classroom.
• Teachers are hired on an as-needed basis. DISD will not hire additional teachers to fill space, but only as classroom capacity and student needs dictate.  Some grade levels are near the maximum student-teacher ratio as dictated by the Texas Education Agency.  If the number of students exceeds TEA standards, the district either has to get a waiver from the state or hire an additional teacher for that grade level.

14.  What does this increase do to the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) side of the budget? 

• The Maintenance and Operations (M&O) portion of the budget will need to increase as personnel are added to the staff; however, since the legislature has revoked the small district adjustment penalty, beginning next year the district will receive an additional $130,000 per year.  This increase will continue for the next several years until Danbury ISD receives the full $785,000 per year that DISD has been penalized for being a small school.
• The electrical efficiency of a new facility, along with a new five year lower electric contract, will also reduce costs and free money for the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) portion of the budget once renovations/demolition of existing facilities occurs.
• Careful management of the Limited Open Enrollment (LOE) program helps the district capitalize on adding enough students to pay for existing staff but limiting enrollment to reduce the need for hiring staff unnecessarily.

15. Is there a plan for renovating and replacing other school facilities and structures?

• There is not a firm and fast timeline for renovation and replacement of other school facilities and structures; however, as a part of the planning process for this bond, a master facilities plan was developed.
• The first phase of the plan called for completion of the second floor of the middle school.  That project was completed in April 2017.
• The second phase calls for the construction of a new elementary school.  The bond is set for November 7, 2017.
• The third phase will be the renovation of the high school.  (There are several smaller maintenance and renovation projects prior to the full renovation of the high school).
• Continual monitoring of the roofing system, HVAC system, flooring, and other facilities is ongoing and repairs and renovations are made as the needs arise.

16.  Are we trying to become a STEAM campus?

• The district has been increasing the number of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Mathematics (STEAM) options to all of its campuses for the last few years.  This proposed facility will have a dedicated maker space area (where STEAM projects can be performed), a science lab, and an art/music room.  The elementary currently works with students through robotics and has a strong science and math program.

17.  What other funding sources did the committee consider?

• The primary funding source as designed by the state is the passage of bonds by local taxpayers for new construction.
• Federal grants do not fund new facilities.
• The state only provides a small fraction of the funding for new facilities.
• Most businesses are not going to provide funding for school construction.
• The District cannot save enough money in fund balance to finance a new school.

18.  Did the District refinance the current debt to keep the Interest and Sinking (I&S) rate below a certain number?

• Bonds have certain time limits in which they can be refunded (the equivalent of refinancing a mortgage).  The current debt on the middle school was refunded in the fall of 2015 which reduced the interest rate of the current bond from 4.18% to an average interest rate yield of 2.03%.  The District was able to save the taxpayers $406,158 in interest cost over the remaining life of the bonds, which results in an average annual savings of $28,646. We are not able to refund the existing bonds again prior to their expiration.

19.  Are furnishings and technology included in the bond money?

• The bond does not include money for most portable furnishings or technology.  Items that are built in or are part of the technology infrastructure are part of the bond.  It would be impractical to pay for furnishings and technology using bond money that will be financed for 30 years when most of these items have a usable lifespan that is less than the 30 years.  These items would be paid for using Maintenance and Operations (M&O) funds or would be moved from the existing elementary to the new elementary school.

20.  Would there be a chance that high school or middle school students would use the elementary building?

• Because of the size and proximity of district facilities, all campuses have access to other district buildings as needed and as judged in the best interest of the students.  
• For example, within the last few years, we have had elementary students use the middle school computer lab when there was a scheduling conflict in their building and middle school students have used the elementary gym for basketball practice.
• In the proposed elementary, the gymnasium/multipurpose area will be built to meet UIL size requirements for basketball; however, the seating is limited in this facility as it is designed as an elementary area and not as the main gymnasium for the district.  It does give an option should the existing elementary gym become unavailable, although the existing elementary gym will remain the main practice area for middle school students.  Additionally, the cafetorium stage will be designed to meet the UIL One-Act Play stage requirements.  It will be the only stage in the district that meets that standard; however, the cafetorium is primarily an elementary venue.
• If the question is, "Will the high school or middle school take over the elementary school at some point?", the answer is no.  The proposed elementary school classroom space is designed to meet the Texas Education Agency standards for elementary instructional space.  The middle school and high school TEA space requirements are different.  The primary purpose of the proposed elementary school is for ELEMENTARY use.

21.  Will the glass depicted in the drawings of the elementary school present a problem living along the gulf coast?

• The pictures of the elementary school depicted in drawings and the video are concept drawings.  The actual building design may vary once the building is complete.The Board of Trustees can always work with the architect to redesign the entrances to the school if they feel this will present a problem.
• All windows in new school construction must meet current windstorm standards and must be impact resistant glass.  Even broken windows replaced in the District's current facilities must be replaced with impact resistant glass.
• The District's architectural firm has designed and supervised the building of facilities along the gulf coast with glass along the front of the building.  One such structure in Matagorda County recently survived Hurricane Harvey without damage.

22.  Is there a designated area for the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD)?

• Yes.  There is a classroom designated as the PPCD classroom.

23.  What will the school name be?

• Danbury Elementary School.

24.  Is there anything hiding in the bond proposal?

• No.  The bond proposal is for an elementary school.  The bond proposal is a conservative estimate of costs and estimated interest rates.  If bids come in lower than anticipated or all funds are not used in the construction of the elementary school, the Board of Trustees stated they plan to use those funds to speed up the demolition and renovation/repurposing of the existing elementary facilities and building of parking spaces.

25.  How can voters stay more informed on decisions made by the school? 

• The Board of Trustees meets once a month, usually on the third Monday of the month (unless that date is a school holiday).  The Board of Trustees meeting schedule is posted on the district website each September for the remainder of the school year.
• Information regarding the bond program has been discussed either in special presentations or during the facilities update section of the Board of Trustee meetings for the past year.  In addition, THE FACTS has occasionally reported on the district's efforts to work on the district's master facilities plan and elementary design.
• The bond was called during the August 21, 2017 Board of Trustees meeting (just prior to Harvey).
• Informational brochures were made available at the Project Grad spaghetti supper and the concept video was shown.  In addition, these items were also made available at the Danbury v.Tidehaven football game (and will also be available at the next two varsity home games).
• Building tours of the current elementary school and completed middle school and  informational brochures will be available on:
  • Thursday, October 12, 2017, from 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
  • Thursday, October 19, 2017, from 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
  • Tuesday, October 24, 2017, from 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
• The District will also mail informational material and send alerts in the coming days.

26.  Why doesn't Danbury ISD receive tax money from INEOS like Angleton ISD and Alvin ISD?

• The INEOS plant lies within Angleton ISD and Alvin ISD; therefore, they pay taxes to those two taxing entities.