Last minute scheme

December 23, 2014

Word is going around town that our non-elected EPISD board of managers is going to try to close some schools, tear down others, and yet build new ones before they leave office after the May elections.

One of the suggestions evidently is that they tear down two high schools and build a new one in their place.  The schools were built in the 1960’s and according to the report that the board commissioned are in bad condition.

How does a school get in such bad condition that tearing it down and building a new one is the most economical option?  The simple fact is that our school board has not been allocating money to maintain these buildings.

Some of you might argue that buildings do not last forever.  Without providing a list of many of the nicely maintained buildings that are in El Paso that are older than these schools, let’s just consider  El Paso High and Austin High as examples of schools that are considerably older that are not being considered for destruction.

We should have some say in this issue regardless of what the board tries to ram down our throats.  The district will probably have to try to pass a bond issue for the construction projects.

Somehow we have to find a way to make these people protect our assets.

We deserve better

Brutus

8 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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Why pay bonuses to public officials?

December 1, 2014

Does our chief of police get an annual bonus?  How about our fire chief or the commanding general of Fort Bliss?

Why is it that the institutions that we are having the most trouble with (the county hospital and EPISD) pay bonuses to their chiefs?

The county hospital CFO and COO (chief operating officer) evidently have received bonuses also.  The CFO of the city regularly gave us wildly inaccurate forecasts and instead of getting a bonus she is no longer with the city.  Should the same thing happen at the county hospital?

Why is it that the rank and file workers do not get bonuses for doing their jobs while some of our chiefs do?

Yes I know that some businesses pay bonuses for specific performance.  Personally I would rather be paid a fair wage to do my job and get fired if I don’t.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

10 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, Federal Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

EPISD smoke screen

November 29, 2014

I got the tip for this post from one of our blog readers.  I hope that you all will continue to feel free to point things out to me.

While you are busy filling out your EPISD facility option surveys the school district has already decided what to do about their central office.

The city owns the land that the central office sits on now and wants the district to move.  District administrators have told us that the move will probably cost $40 million.  With the former chief financial officer of the city now on the district’s appointed board of managers we should all wonder what the $40 million will turn into.

The city doesn’t need the land, it just wants it.  Don’t be surprised if someday we learn of another sweetheart deal relating to the land.  In the meantime the school district’s taxpayers will just have to pay for the expense of moving.

The district would have us think that with the expected drop in enrollment and the possibility of closing schools maybe the central office people could be moved into one or more of the closed schools.

Not when they’ve already made up their minds

The district recently issued request for qualifications number 15-027.  The RFQ seeks statements of qualifications from architects.  Submitting a response to this RFQ will cost the firms both time and money, so no one will be happy if the district decides not to build the new building.

As far as re-using old buildings, the RFQ instead specifies:

Construction of new administration building with site improvements.

Location: 4900 Woodrow Bean Drive, El Paso, Texas 79924.

Legal Description: Being A Portion of Lot 5, Block 6, Castner Range Subdivision #1, City of El Paso, El Paso County, Texas

Land Area: Approx. 28.0 Acres

Proposed Personnel Capacity: 500 employees

Proposed Building Area: 120,000 Sq. Ft. (Approximate); 2 Floors; Separate Police Services Building.

So they evidently have decided to build a new building instead of using old schools.  They have decided where the building will be and how big it will be.

The district does not have to hire an architect or build the new building, but if the architectural firms spend the money to go through the selection process and the district does not build the building the district will have wasted a lot of private firm’s money.  People will not be happy.

The district evidently thinks that the central office needs 500 employees.  I suspect that many of the teachers would like to see that number closer to 200.

And as a loyal reader/commenter pointed out the other day the RFQ does not tell the potential architects to make plans for moving our existing planetarium.  The planetarium is an educational facility.  I guess that can just be torn down like the city did Insights.

In the meantime fill out your surveys so that you can be ignored.  Moving into old schools or acquiring one of El Paso’s many vacant warehouses evidently is not in the cards.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

6 Comments | City government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Thanks

November 27, 2014

On this Thanksgiving day I would like to express my appreciation for the regular readers and commenters on our blog.

With people who care enough to stay informed and active in local situations we have a chance of making our local conditions better.

It takes commitment and time to stay informed and active and I appreciate those of you who do.

Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Brutus

6 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, Federal Government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Times still out of touch

November 16, 2014

The November 6, 2014 editorial in the Times spoke of the fact that our former EPISD superintendent is now out of jail.

The Times wrote “Garcia’s criminal enterprise — steering a $450,000 no-bid, little-work contract to his mistress, implementing one of the nation’s worst school cheating schemes — was facilitated by a complacent school board.”

Later they wrote “But EPISD’S failures, and other recent El Paso corruption cases, must be a constant reminder of the need for an informed, engaged citizenry.”

I agree.  Part of the process of having an informed citizenry is having a newspaper that provides such information to it.

Our post EPISD purchasing pointed out that our current appointed board of managers has approved allowing our current superintendent to may buy board purchases of up to $250,000 each year for each vendor he chooses to do business with.

The Times says the prior board was complacent.  Is this board now to be called complacent?

And what about the Times?  Complacent?

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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