The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees voted to limit the number of foreign exchange students district high schools can receive, and they discussed extending a contract with the provider of the district's crisis hotline. Board members also received updates about the 2014 bond package and repair work on Willowridge High School at a regular meeting Monday night.2014 bond updateOf the $484.1 million bond package approved in 2014, FBISD has committed $310.9 million to various projects as of July 10, including school construction, classroom expansions, repair and maintenance work, technology and security camera updates, and transportation updates, according to meeting documents.Work has been done on over 60 schools this summer, said Steve Bassett, FBISD chief financial officer. Newly built schools Donald Leonetti, James C. Neill, and James Patterson elementary schools will open for the 2017-2018 school year Aug. 22, while Ronald Thornton Middle School is scheduled to open August 2018, said Veronica Sopher, the school district’s chief communications officer. Money from the bonds was used to buy 150 school buses, including 30 that will be powered by conventional compressed natural gas, which are more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly than diesel-fueled buses, according to meeting documents. Willowridge High School mold problemSchool district officials anticipate the penicillium mold found in Willowridge High to be eliminated and the facilities sanitized by early or mid-fall, said Carolina Fuzetti, executive director of design and construction at FBISD.“We still need to do a lot more work within the building, paint and other initiatives we have for that building, so that date could be pushed back through September or October,” Fuzetti said. Work on the building has been taking place around the clock, according to meeting documents. As part of the remediation work, school officials are replacing ceiling tiles, carpet, parts of the air conditioning system, and furniture including cafeteria tables and desks, Fuzetti said. Total repair costs total $7.6 million.Money for the repairwork will come from a variety of district funds, Bassett said.So far no definitive reason has been found to explain the mold growth at Willowridge, said Oscar Perez, the district’s chief operations officer. However, high humidity and lack of air circulations are contributing factors, Perez said.Foreign exchange students limit soughtTrustees unanimously approved a motion to request a Texas Education Agency waiver that would limit to five the number of foreign exchange students admitted to each high school in the district. Setting the limit at five would help to ensure that no financial or staffing burden is imposed on the district, and that resident students would not have to compete with foreign exchange students for resources, according to meeting documents.Crisis hotline provider considered for contract extensionTrustees discussed extending a contract with Avail Solutions, Inc. for the company to continue providing its crisis hotline, TalkLine, to district students, parents, and staff members. District staff are also exploring options to include a feature that would allow students to communicate with the crisis line through text messages. “Very few people these days pick up the telephone and call anybody, but we definitely want them to reach out if they need to talk to somebody,” board member Grayle James said. “Text messaging is the way the kids communicate, so I’m really glad to see that we’ll take that seriously.”The total cost of this contract should not exceed $28,000 for the 2017-18 school year, according to meeting documents.
Renee Yan graduated May 2017 from the University of Texas in Arlington with a degree in journalism, joining Community Impact Newspaper as a reporter in July.
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