HISD bond would rebuild schools

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- HISD is unveiling plans that would change the look of high school for almost every Houston student. And if approved, it will change residents' bottom line for decades to come.

The plan calls for $1.9 billion, and no matter what you spend that kind of money on, it is a lot of cash. The school board is proposing spending that money to renovate dozens of schools. It's mostly targeting high schools, with $1.3 billion of the money spent to rebuilt 14 high schools.

If voters agree to increase their own taxes for decades to come, a number of high schools will soon be history. Lee, Yates, Sharpstown, the High School for Performing and Visual Arts and four others are all set to be torn down and rebuilt. It's part of a nearly $2 billion bond program Houston home and business owners will soon be asked to pay for.

HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier said, "This is a good investment. This is good for Houston. When you start replacing this number of high schools, it can change an entire city."

HISD says its aging buildings are too old for school. A consultant hired by the board says Houston high schools are eight years older than the national average, and the rest of the schools are right at it.

Susan Zoeller with Parsons Engineering said, "You have aging buildings. 1925 I think is the oldest one? Tthings have changed since 1925."

At the same time, the consultant admits this is a huge proposal -- maybe a little too big.

"Few school districts in the country would take this on," Zoeller said.

"I'm pretty concerned by the size of this," said former tax assessor collector Paul Bettencourt. "I question in an economy that's soft, even certainly nationally, why we're going for such a huge amount of money all at one time."

Already there is some opposition, not necessarily to the need, but for the size of the program. The $1.9 billion is twice what the district asked for just five years ago. For an average $200,000 home in HISD, that's $91 in extra school taxes every year for decades.

"If you have a brand new school, the value of your home goes up," Dr. Grier said.

Your choice -- $100 for 30 years for a new school in your neighborhood. Voters will likely be asked in November. A poll commissioned by an outside group for the school district said about 48 percent of Houstonians already support it.

View a map of the school campuses HISD proposes to have completely rebuilt, partially replaced, renovated, converted and expanded.

The proposal calls for $1.67 billion to be spent on improvements at 42 schools. According to HISD, this would cover: (Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more In Focus »

houston isd, in focus, ted oberg

View the original article here

Children rebuild playground destroyed by wildfire

  MAGNOLIA, TX (KTRK) -- The tri-county wildfire raged through Grimes, Montgomery and Waller counties last September, scorching thousands of acres, burning down homes and forcing mass evacuations.

A playground in Magnolia's Ranch Crest subdivision was part of what was burned to the ground. On Saturday, some of Montgomery County's youngest citizens came together and led an effort to rebuild it with Project HOPE.

You notice the devastation first -- scorched trees and grass. But look farther and you can see a little bit of hope.

"The park was all the bad things in the world, and when we rebuild it, it's going to be like hope brought back into our community," Noah Bryson, 11, said.

Magnolia ISD middle schoolers who are part of Project HOPE (Helping Others Play Everyday) were planting trees, spreading mulch and even shoveling dirt.

"It's the right thing to do, and I just want to help out my community," 10-year-old Logan Purbis said.

And he had plenty of help.

Parents and volunteers from local businesses and the Texas Forest Service were getting their hands dirty as well.

The kids earned a $15,000 grant for Project HOPE and collected $20,000 in donations to help pay for new playground equipment, benches, picnic tables and landscaping for the park.

"They need someplace to be a kid. So when we saw this park was burned, we saw the playground and we knew that we had to do something," 11-year-old Emily Ashlock said.

What once was an active playground serving children in several neighborhoods was left with a melted red plastic roof and a scorched play area. You can still see the charred and burned trees -- reminders of wildfires that swept through the area for three weeks last September.

Firefighter James Bryson helped contain the flames. Now he's watching his son, Noah, volunteer to rebuild the park.

"I had no idea what this little guy could do," Bryson said of his son. "Him and a bunch of his friends, a bunch of sixth and seventh graders. So, to me, it was a little bit overwhelming coming here."

"These kids have been an inspiration to me to not quit, to not give up," Cherrie Edwards said. "Adults tend to kind of become so mature or jaded and just not believe that dreams can really come true, and the kids have taught me that it can."

The participating students meet each week after school to participate in the Community Problem Solving Program, which is a branch of the Texas Future Problem Solving Program funded by the Texas Education Agency. Project HOPE is in the running for several national community service awards.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here