Ore City ISD proposes $8.5 million bond issue

By MAC OVERTON
Ore City schools are planning several activities to promote a proposed $8.5 million bond issue, which will be before voters in the district May 10.

The bond issue is for construction of a new elementary school campus, which would house grades Pre-K through third and serve up to 400 students, said John Markham III, chairman of a political action committee which is promoting the bond issue.

The activities and their times and locations include:

• Town hall meetings, 6:30 p.m. on April 14 and April 28 in the school library or cafeteria.

• Band concert, 6:30 p.m. May 1 in the cafeteria.

• Elementary talent show, 6:30 p.m. May 6 in the library or cafeteria.

The district currently only has one campus.

Markham said the school’s lone cafeteria serves about 900 meals a day, with the younger students starting to eat at 10:40 a.m., and the last high school group being served at 1 p.m.

“There is also a severe traffic problem with people dropping off and picking up children,” he said. “The new campus would take about 400 off the current campus.”

He feels confident the proposed bond issue will pass.

“The general attitude is good—very, very positive,” Markham said.

He said the bond proposal is “strictly for educational classrooms, not sports facilities.”

A brochure promoting the bond issue states that the project is proposed because the existing elementary school is an “overcrowded, aging facility” with “undersized classrooms providing inadequate instructional space” and with an overcrowded cafeteria.

In addition, portable buildings now house four sections of third grade as well as the computer lab and music room. While the new campus would initially serve Pre-K through third grades, grades 4 and 5 would be added there at a future date when district funds are available.

The new campus would have a 50,000-square-foot building and a cafeteria with a full kitchen.

There would be 19 classrooms, a music room, a computer lab, a special education room and a library. There would also be administrative and instructional areas.

The existing elementary school building would receive minor changes to meet needs of the district.

Vacated space would provide room for band storage and rehearsal rooms, as well as central administration. This would allow the current administration building to accommodate the future growth of the high school.

The proposed bonds, if approved by voters, will be sold in August.

A $.1518 per $100 tax increase would be levied in October, if the legislature extends the Existing Debt Allotment (EDA) program. However, if the EDA program is not extended, the tax increase would be $.3982. The legislature has never failed to extend the EDA program.



gilmermirror@gmail.com