Item J on the EPISD February 18, 2020 board of trustees meeting consent agenda reads:
Approval of Change Order No. 05 for EPISD Downtown Administration Building 1100 N. Stanton, CMAR #18-030, Project No, 17.634A, to HB Construction, for $428,537.00 (177X Maintenance Tax Notes)
The backup material explains:
The change order is for an Owner-initiated request for modifications to the floor plans on the second through the eighth floor. These modifications are a result of changes in the District’s organizational structure. This change order, if approved, will increase the contract sum by $428,537.00, or 1.9%, bringing the contract amount to $21,914,439. Prior change orders to date total $151,323, and are included in the contract amount of $21,914,439. Board Policy CV (Local) requires administration to present any changes for an adjustment of cost greater than or equal to $50,000.00 or changes in the aggregate above fifteen percent (15%) of the original contract value be taken to the Board for approval. The project includes a contingency of $794,852.09 of which $210,954 has already been used leaving a balance of $585,898.09. Staff is recommending this change order be funded from other project funding and not the contingency account as doing so would leave a balance of $155,361.09 in contingency for any potential change orders. Given that the project is approximately 28% complete, reducing the contingency to that amount is not recommended.
Organizational structure
We haven’t heard anything from the district about changes to their organizational structure. Yet they want to make changes on the second through the eighth floor.
It is in particular troubling to see that they don’t want to take the money out of the contingency fund out of fear that they will not have enough money left to make any more changes.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Well maybe Juan Cabrera needs more “Stuff” that he, EPISD Board will FORCE taxpayers to pay for. Maybe HE wants a Movie theatre, a guest apartment, a restaurant, a Bar, a PARKING spot waaaaaayyyyy up there, next to his office? Where HE, the “Board” are concerned there is NO limit to how much THEY will TAKE from the TAXPAYERS of El Taxo. THEY can always INCREASE TAXES to get MORE for HIM…
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He’s already getting a private carport and his own personal elevator.
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😬🤬🤬🤬
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Just another example of the plantation attitude among El Paso’s elite.
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The only elitist is the Superintendent because most of his minions will be working in spaces smaller than jail cells.
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I wasn’t not just talking about EPISD, but Cabrera’s fuzzy math CFO is also one of the local elite that rolls from one high paying government job to another and in every job she has helped to run up our debt and taxes.
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😬🤬🤬🤬
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Go watch the video from last Tuesday’s Board meeting. They memotioned a new department called Accelerating Schools. Reminds me of the old Priority Schools department that was the center of the cheating scandal.
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they have and will continue to come up with new programs as old ones prove ineffective. it is a shell game
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The change orders on the projects funded by the $669 million dollar bond issue have been flowing hot and heavy ever since construction has started. The architects and construction companies have been dancing with joy and anything presented is paid post haste. We will probably need another bond issue just to finish the first $669M one.
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