Friday, February 3, 2012

Bossier School Board decides on two new facilities

The facts and figures that I have came from The Times article on the Board’s plans.
Putting together a growth plan for revenues from the $210,000,000 bond issue that they are proposing for this spring, the Bossier Parish School Board has determined so far that two new buildings will need to be constructed.
First, a new Haughton Middle School, which will cost $36,000,000 and house 1,500 students.
Earlier talk had been about moving it from the present location. I don’t know if that is still the plan or not. $2,500,000 will have to be spent to fix the drainage system at the current middle school. I don’t know what plans the board has for that building.
The Board had been looking at moving Rusheon Middle School to Bossier High School and combining the two, and using the Rusheon facility for a new Vo-Tech school.
Board president Tammy Smith said that it doesn’t make sense to renovate Rusheon for that purpose, and that it makes more sense to build a new building. She didn’t say why.
The board is going to come back and look at consolidating Rusheon Middle and Bossier High School. That isn’t off the table as is the plan to use Rusheon to house vo-tech. The question then becomes what would the Rusheon facility be used for?
I’m not arguing the facts, because I don’t have them. It may be more costly to renovate Rusheon than to build a new building.
Now that the Board has someone to handle public relations (which is a good thing, because they have done a terrible job of it in the past), perhaps we can get some facts and figures to explain this decision.
Again, I’m not disagreeing with it, but people want to know what led to the decision.
I think a vo-tech facility is a great idea.
Here’s another idea. Use the $7,000,000 that the board is planning to use to rent space at CIC toward the new building, and house the STEM program there. That would not mean that the facilities at CIC couldn’t be used at all, but perhaps something could be worked out that would cost less than $700,000 per year.
The cost for the new vo-tech building and for renovations at Bossier High School carries a price tag of $25,000,000. Will additional costs be involved if the board does decide to move Rusheon to that campus?
Of course, this is just a part of the first phase of the plan. The Board still has plenty of decisions to make.
To recap, the questions I have are:
  • Does the $36,000,000 for a new Haughton Middle School include acquiring a new location for the school?  What will the current building be used for?
  • Has the board done a study to back up their decision that it would be more cost-effective to spend $25,000,000 for a new vo-tech facility rather than to renovate Rusheon and to locate the facility there?
  • What alternative plans have they considered to leasing space at CIC for the STEM program at a cost of $700,000 per year.
Hopefully, the board will have the answers.
Marty Carlson had a column in the Press-Tribune entitled Counting the Costs, that deals with the financial aspects of the bond proposal, and some renewals that will be coming in the next couple of years. Take the time to read it.

33 comments:

  1. Bossier Parish Schools need a magnet school, instead of all our kids going to magnet schools in Caddo Parish. We have some very smart and talent kids in Bossier Parish, why pay taxes in Bossier and the some of you talented students go to magnets schools in Caddo...just a thought..

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  2. It is my understanding that the former Plain Dealing High School is now a magnet school called "Louisiana New Tech". I don't understand why the Bossier Parish School Board would be responsible for building a Vo-Tech school. The Northwest Lousiana Technical College branch on North Market Street is supposed to be for Caddo and Bossier. If it is overcrowded, then a branch should be established in Bossier. But for the Bossier Parish school board to expand into vo-tech education, is just adding more places that the government will be taxing us to duplicate services. Do they think that they have made such a smashing success of primary and secondary education that they are the only agency qualified to provide vocational training?

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  3. Bossier doesn't need a Magnet school. And no, Plain Dealing's New Tech HS is not a magnet. Magnet schools take students out of their home school thus hurting the home school.

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  4. 36M to build new 1,500 student Haughton Middle School. Site previously purchased. Present HMS will be used as elementary school, grades to be determined. Princeton facility will be retained for possible future use pending additional population growth in area. 25M, total, to construct new technical school (NOT "vo-tech")and perform essential repairs/upgrades at Bossier High; 22M for tech school & 3M for electrical & plumbing repairs/upgrades at BHS. CIC proposal up in the air...At meeting Thurs. nite comment made that rep from CIC was to come to upcoming meeting to discuss matter.
    Urge "My Bossier" to meet with director of Tech School and learn about a phenomenal program serving students across Bossier Parish.

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  5. @8:21am, The Times called the proposed school a "vocational and technical school", and then later in the article referred to it as a Vo-Tech. If this is something different from what we have always known to be a Vo-Tech, then please enlighten us. In recent years the Vo-Techs are calling themselves "college", while the Colleges are calling themselves "university", so with all these changing semantics it is hard to get a grip on exactly what this school is supposed to be, and why a local school board would be responsible for building it. And this proposal to pay $7 million to the CIC is just completely off the wall. How many ways can they dream up to bilk the taxpayers?

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  6. The CIC should stand or fall on its own. I fail to see how MORE tax dollars from the School Board makes things any better for education in Bossier Parish. It seems like a way for politicians on the School Board to help keep the CIC from failing as quickly as it should. That helps show the continued "viability" of the CIC which helps keep the heat off the politicians who are responsible for the CIC.

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  7. 8:21 AM - Thanks for the information. As for the vo-tech part, it did come from The Times article. According to the article Kenneth Wiggins said "We have one shot to provide a vo-tech facility, and it should be the best it could be."
    Thus the confusion.
    It would really help if the school board would put something on bossierschools.org explaining the proposals so far.

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  8. Jim, I am SO WAY glad that I subscribed to comments on this post.

    I swear, you get more "spam" comments than any blog I know of.

    Sure, they don't show up in published comments, due to Blogger's spam filter.

    But, the last one was some link to "bed wetting" help.

    Nyuk...

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  9. Lord, it's crazy. I just deleted 49 spam comments, deleted 73 earlier this week. And yes, the bed wetting was the latest one.
    Give me a few more years and I might send that one on through, but so far we're good . . .

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  10. NYUK!

    Seriously, Jim...I get follow-up e-mails from years ago with spam comments on your blog.

    You're a spam magnet.

    It's your cross to bear.

    One word. DEPENDS.

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  11. Okay...another spam comment just came through the Globber subscription e-mail.

    Viagra v. Cialis.

    Seriously?

    Whatever happened to Boxers v. Briefs?

    Jim, this post is obviously hooked up to spam like a Sugar Mill Jackass to a wagon.

    I'm pretty sure it's gonna set a record...

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  12. Just deleted 3 more. This was one of them (without the link). Get a few of them every week.
    Соберем для вас базы мобильных номеров для рассылки смс, звонков, спама... нам пофиг, как вы будете их использовать. Тематики для выборки: Купля/продажа Знакомства Недвижимость Транспорт (Авто) Услуги Общество Бизнес Работа Спарсим любой регион России.

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  13. I knew your blog was BIG in Russia.

    Gooble Translate is pretty cool.

    "Build the base for you mobile numbers to send SMS, phone calls, spam ... We do not care how you use them. Topics for the sample: Purchase / sale Personals Real Estate Vehicles (Auto) Business Services Community Work Sparsim any region of Russia."

    Makes perfect sense to me!

    Kinda like spending 7 million dollars renting space at CIC.

    Just sayin'...

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  14. Wonder if CIC could keep the Russkis off my blog?

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  15. Can't help you with that one, Jimbo.

    You'd have to ask the guy that lives down deep in the secret chamber where the "Mind Eraser Machine" is.

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  16. Komrade Jim,
    We have been followink your Amerikan blog and think it is intrestink. We in da Kremlin are intrested in what da average Amerikan is talking about on lokal levels of their government. We find it interestink there is so many dissidents who voice opposition to the lokal Bossier politburo. In Russia the people are free to voice opposition too. We encourage opposition and have special villages to send people who oppose. Funny, when they return to where they're from they find what they had to say wasn't really that important.
    Anyway keep up the good work. We'll be keeping watch.

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  17. Proposed new school is "Bossier Parish Technical School." Wiggins' comment was nothing more than an unintentional misstatement. The "Northwest Louisiana Technical School" is what has always been referred to as a "vo-tech" school, and it provided classroom space to Bossier Technical School. But school has long waiting list to get in, plus accreditation requires "technical school" be moved back within parish. Go to Bossier Parish Technical School website and check out the programs it offers. Not your old "industrial arts" at all.

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  18. I think we should build all new schools, name, each of them after retired coaches and continue to hide the sexual activity taking place at these schools and then brag about how great they are.

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  19. Vote no to any and all new taxes! Maybe even vote no to renewal of current taxes! The BPSB is not thinking down the road. Jindel is out to destroy public education with his proposed voucher system and that means less money for the BP school system which means they will ask for even more taxes in the future. Look at Webster Parish and the mess they are in. It don't matter how much money you pour into the Bossier Schools as they will always be average or below average. Remeber the past with the BPSB and how they managed their bussiness such as air scandal, building new elementary schools that were too small from the beginning. It's time for the Bossier Parish voters to tell the School Board and other government bodies no more taxes and reduce the ones we have now! Tell them to do as you have had to do in these tough economic times! Do more with less! Vote NO!

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  20. Hey Bossier School Board and DC! I want a lot of stuff too like a new Corvette and a Harley. I could buy one of each but I would be so far in debt that I would just go under so I don't buy many of my wants. I just do without and stick to needs. I hope the Bossier voters vote no to any and all new taxes!

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  21. super Bossier Booster manFebruary 6, 2012 at 12:29 AM

    We have good people running Bossier Parish, including the school board, of course, and we just don't have to worry about them wasting any money. Bossier Parish has been granted most favored status from on high, and all of our officials have special insight and wisdom, and they can just do no wrong. All of you "Negative Nellies" talking all this trash about Bossier Parish, and making up stuff about air conditioning scandals and such, are just outsiders who are jealous of how wonderful we have it here in Bossier Parish. The only real problems we have are caused by people who should not be here in the first place. If we just play our cards right (and no better hand has ever been dealt) those people will move on out, and the right sort of people will be moving right on in. You sure can't compare Bossier to that mess over in Webster. Bodcau might as well be the Pacific Ocean considering how far Bossier is from Webster in every way except mileage. Let us rejoice that we don't live in Webster or Caddo or DeSoto or Lafayette County, and give the school board money to build a superior school system worthy of superior people.

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  22. 1229 "superior people" are you kidding me. Do you hear yourself?

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  23. I swear Jim, there must have been at least 20 spam comments on this post.

    You reckon they got a spambot at the CIC that's got wind of this?

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  24. 46 more overall Andy, just zapped them. Don't know why I'm so blessed.

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  25. It's the CIC. I'm sure of it.

    They NEED that 7 million, and want to shut you up.

    Ya' know...wear you down.

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  26. The fix is in DC delivered the propaganda to all employees at taxpayer expense last week.

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  27. Is there any kind of organized opposition to this school board taxation? One would think the Republicans and Tea Partiers would be all worked up over these new taxes and public debt.

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  28. I can see supporting what is necessary to meet current needs, but with with financial storm clouds on the horizon the extravagant spending is irresponsible.

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  29. The people proposing this are "republican" members of the board. Republicans are like Democrats they are only against spending proposed by the other group. Why this country in broke.

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  30. Yep..both sides love spending other peoples' money

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  31. Something that the school board needs to consider is putting the children who live 0.4 miles away from Greenacres Middle School (Timber Cove Townhomes @ 2138 Airline Dr) in the proper school that is NOT across town. This is terrible and there is no logical reasoning for this zoning besides the railroad tracks separate the townhomes from Greenacres. I have heard several comments that the "rich" people did not want our "ghetto" children attending Greenacres. Well, we pay a pretty penny to live in this community AND nearly all of us who live in community are working professionals. I am a 17 year Registered Nurse and despise the "ghetto" comment! Personally, I live there due to my health issues and the fact that my yard work is done for me!!!!!!!!! Thank you very much!!! So, while all of this work is being done, someone needs to bring this up in a meeting...why children who live 0.4 miles from a school must travel 2.1 to 3.3 miles to Rusheon and Bossier high on a hot/cold school bus?????????????? MAKES NO SENSE!!!!!

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