New Caney ISD’s board of trustees heard about the damages to campus facilities caused by the intense winter weather during its Feb. 22 meeting.
Surviving the storm
Blake Carroll, executive director of operations for the district, told the board every facility in the district was without power during the storm. In total, his crew has identified about 42 broken pipes as well. Most facilities’ damages were minor and repaired before Feb. 22.
“All of our plans go out when the power goes out, so basically, checking with every campus, every facility lost power multiple times during this last chaos,” Carroll said.
Two buildings had more severe damage: The natatorium boiler system was damaged, and the pool and building temperature control systems are down; the NCISD Annex building sustained some water damage from burst pipes. District officials said these incidents primarily affect district staff and should only affect a small number of students.
Carroll commended several staff members from across the district, from police Chief Troy Wooten to support staff to new hires who worked 10 to 12 hours through the snow and ice. Because the entire Greater Houston area is currently rebuilding from damages and supplies are running low, he said there is no clear timeline or cost for when the repairs will be completed.
Shifting staffing and new names
The board also made changes to its staffing as it named a new principal and approved a compensation amendment.
Bridgett Heine, the current principal at Woodridge Forest Middle School, has been named the principal of Comprehensive High School No. 3. The school is set to open in August 2022 with a capacity of 1,350 students.
In addition to Heine’s move, the district approved renaming New Caney Middle School to Pine Valley Middle School effective for the 2020-21 school year. Interim Superintendent Matt Calvert said the school is already in the process of changing its colors and mascot ahead of the opening of Keefer Crossing Middle School, and the new name gives it flexibility.
“If approved, [Principal Holly] Ray has asked me and I told her it was OK to change her mascot from the Sharks to something more appropriate to Pine Valley,” Calvert said.
The board approved an amendment to its compensation to add an additional $1,500 stipend for secondary at-risk tutors at secondary campuses and the Credit Recovery Center.
