The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees voted Monday to adopt a total property tax rate of $1.32 per $100 of taxable value for the 2017 tax year. School officials also reported heating, venting, and air conditioning problems at Willowridge High School, which will set the school’s reopening date back.

 

Property tax rate adopted

The board unanimously voted to adopt a property tax rate of $1.32 per $100 valuation of taxable value.

It is a 2-cent reduction from the 2016 tax rate, according to meeting documents. Of that $1.32 per $100 valuation of property, $1.06 of it will be used for maintenance and operations and the remaining $0.26 will go towards the school district’s debt service fund, according to meeting documents.

 

Willowridge High School reopening delayed

The board of trustees declared an unforeseen emergency at Willowridge High School, which was found over the summer to contain mold, and is closed for remediation. The emergency involves the building’s heating, venting, and air conditioning system. The board authorized emergency purchases and negotiations with contractors to fix this issue, according to meeting documents.

At least three chillers from the school’s HVAC system need to be replaced in order to prevent the mold from returning, FBISD spokeswoman Amanda Bubela said.

Willowridge’s reopening date will be pushed back, Bubela said.

 

Board approves several contracts

The board authorized administrators to renew a contract with the Houston Health Department to provide free vision tests and glasses to low-income students.

Last school year, 331 FBISD students received eye exams and eyewear, according to meeting documents. The school district would only be responsible for providing transportation to the designated site where students receive these vision services, according to meeting documents. The estimated cost for transportation is $2,500.

Board members also approved continuing an interlocal agreement with Fort Bend County and the Fort Bend Juvenile Probation Board for its truancy program.

Dubbed Saved by the Bell, the program calls for the county to assign six juvenile caseworkers to FBISD, who will work with school staff to examine factors contributing to truancy and to address attendance-related problems, according to meeting documents.

FBISD will share costs with the county, providing funding in an amount not to exceed $240,000, according to meeting documents.

School district administrators also plan to renew an agreement and partnership with nonprofit organization Cenikor Foundation to provide substance abuse treatment services for students.

The Cenikor Foundation will provide treatment resources to middle and high school students referred to the Ferndell Henry Center for Learning for drug issues, according to meeting documents. Treatment services will come at no cost to families or the school district, according to meeting documents.

The school district will also be working with SPARKS School Park Program, a nonprofit corporation, to construct new park facilities worth $110,284 at Mission West Elementary School.

SPARKS will commit $100,000, and FBISD and Mission West will provide the remaining $10,284, Bubela said.

Basic designs for the park include a concrete walking track, a play field, and a fabric cover to provide shade over existing play equipment, among other features, Bubela said.