At the Nov. 10 regular meeting, the Tomball ISD board of trustees approved multiple items concerning district construction plans and advocacy priorities for the upcoming 90th legislative session.
The gist
TISD Secretary Michael Pratt provided a brief overview of the priorities the district will be advocating for at the upcoming legislative session, including addressing rising costs.
“The current basic allotment of $6,215 is creating a bit of a struggle as 87% of our budget is for the employed,” Pratt said. “The ultimate task of the board is to not just throw money at it but address the rising operating costs.”
Pratt said they are spending a lot of money out of pocket for what the district calls “unfunded safety mandates.” Currently, TISD is spending $1.5 million more for safety and security, according to Pratt.
While Pratt said they love the school resource officers on campus, the mandatory cost to keep them is simply more than the money the state provides for them.
Alongside the high security costs, TISD is also spending $5.3 million more than the state provides for its special education sector. TISD offers transportation to students within 2 miles of their campuses; however, recent transportation costs have risen to $9 million more than the state can provide.
Pratt said that TISD will also be advocating for more local control over the state district improvement scores; TISD has been able to secure an A rating from the state recently. However, recent changes to the grading system in order to address faults in other districts statewide have caused some concern for TISD officials.
“I say all of this because we need help for funding and we need help with continued local control,” Pratt said. “Up until we cannot demonstrate that we are an A-rated district we want to be separate and distinct in order to excel.”
Also on the agenda
Also at the meeting, the TISD board of trustees approved the use of 2025 bond funds for two separate construction contracts. Hellas Construction will oversee athletic improvements at Creekside Park and Tomball Memorial High School with a total construction cost of $5.19 million and a contingency budget of $650,000.
The board approved a $4.95 million contract for CFI Mechanical to install heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment at Tomball Elementary, Timber Creek Elementary, Creekside Forest Elementary, the maintenance shop and the carpentry shop, with a $200,000 contingency budget.
Lastly, the board approved a contract increase for the new Tomball Innovation Center Building #4; the construction cost will rise from $2.54 million to $2.93 million using Bond 2021 funds.
