Belton ISD is taking steps to advance the district’s long-range facilities plan.
The school board held their first meeting Monday since voters approved funding for a new high school, a new elementary school and two other projects.
In the meeting, trustees voted to certify the results of the May 6 bond election which voters authorized the district to issue up to $149.7 million of bonds with 1,916 votes cast in favor of the proposition and 1,520 against it, officials said.
District officials expect to sell the bonds in two phases with the first $100 million sold this summer. A financial advisor has begun preparing for the sale and trustees could expect to set the parameters for it in July.
School board members also authorized the purchase of more than 19 acres to expand the high school site to the west with a price of more than $400,000.
Belton ISD Superintendent Susan Kincannon said while they already have enough land for a high school, adding the additional space will give the district more flexibility in the future.
“For example, this year at Belton High School, we’ve added an outdoor workspace for construction trades and an automotive technology shop,” she said. “While the new high school is being designed with our current programs in mind, we don’t know for sure what spaces future programs may need.”
The new high school would be located near the intersection of FM 317 and FM 2483, the 385,000-square foot building will have capacity for 2,500 students. To work with the topography of the site, the main entry for the two-story building will be on its upper level.
According to the Belton ISD spokesperson, the design currently includes career and technology shops for agricultural sciences, welding and construction trades as well as lab spaces for health sciences, culinary arts and digital programs. The building has competition and auxiliary gyms and an adjacent athletic complex featuring an eight-lane track, turf field, press box, ticket/concessions building, and grandstand seating for 2,000 spectators. Fine arts students will have access to a 600-seat auditorium and dedicated spaces for band, orchestra, choir, dance and visual arts. The library/digital learning center is envisioned as the building’s hub.
Trustees will take action on the high school’s schematic design next month. However, they unanimously approved the schematic design submittal for the new elementary school.
The elementary school will have 82,300 square feet and a capacity for 800 students. It will be located near Carriage House Drive and Poison Oak Road, it will be similar to but also reflects lessons learned from Tarver, High Point, and Chisholm Trail Elementary Schools.
Board President Randy Pittenger said it is exciting to see the bond program enter the next phase.
“We’re a fast-growth school district. We’ve known for some time that the students are coming,” Pittenger said. “After the bond election, we knew that we’d have schools for them. And after tonight, we know even more about what these campuses will look like and what they will offer our students.
Belton High School announces leadership changes.
For the 2017-2018 school year, Jill Ross and Chris duBois will serve as co-principals as Belton High School, according to District Spokesperson Kyle DeBeer. Ross is currently the principal of Belton New Tech High Schools @ Wasow, and duBois has been principal at Belton High School since 2013. Ross has been at New Tech since 2014.
Superintendent Kincannon said in order to meet the needs of Belton High School, which has been growing and will continue to grow until the new high school opens, they are adding some additional support.
Principal duBois announced that he would be retiring at the end of the school year and Kincannon said the advance notice of his retirement allows for an extended transition and will provide greater continuity for both students and staff.
Ross said in many ways she begins the transition with mixed emotions.
“Belton New Tech is an amazing school with an amazing staff, students and parents,” she said. “As our seniors are discovering, it isn’t easy to leave a place like this no matter what lies ahead.”
Ross said she is excited to serve the staff, students and parents of Belton High School.
New trustees Sworn in
Janet Leigh and Ty Taggart were sworn in Monday night as the newest members of the Belton ISD Board of Trustees. Voters elected both to serve three-year terms as at-large members of the school board.
Leigh is the mother of two Belton High School graduates and was also an alumna of the school. She also has previously worked at Miller Heights and Pirtle Elementary Schools and been actively involved with the district in various committees and boards. Taggart has served as the president of the athletic booster club for the past three years. He has three children who currently attend Belton ISD schools. Taggart began his career in public education and is currently the owner of Chisholm Trail Flooring.
