Jim Ned CISD

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Vision 2023: Bond Information

Vision 2023 - Accommodating our Current & Future Growth

On behalf of the Jim Ned CISD Board of Trustees & administration, thank you for your support in passing Proposition A of the 2023 Bond Package. Proposition B, which was the additional funds needed to build the Jim Ned CISD Auditorium, did not pass in the 2023 Bond Election, so we have formed a Fine Arts Stakeholder Committee to help provide direction forward for how we can meet the needs of our JNCISD Fine Arts programs moving forward.

To our Jim Ned community, we want you to know the vision the board has for facility & program needs in the district, particularly as our enrollment continues to grow. The board developed this vision of our facility needs in a variety of board meetings & strategic planning sessions with our administrators & current partners in Jacob-Martin Architecture & Engineering firm as well as Collier Construction.

As a reminder to our community, the previous 2020 Bond of approximately $34 million dollars included 2 propositions: a) Proposition A included about $26 million & included the new 4th-6th Grade Intermediate School along with several other smaller projects. Of the smaller projects, due to serious cost escalation after the pandemic, we were only able to afford the MS classroom additions & MS Cafeteria. That, coupled with the new Intermediate consumed almost all of the $26 million dedicated to Prop A. b) Proposition B was $7.8 million towards a new Auditorium & we want our JN community to know that we still have that money. We chose not to sell the $7.8 million in bonds since we knew we could not build an 850 seat auditorium for $7.8 million in today's commercial construction market. But, in the 2023 Vision, the District intended to build an auditorium using the $7.8 million & then add $4.8 million in 2023 Bond Funds in the 2023 Proposition B. Proposition B of the 2023 Bond did NOT pass. Therefore, the District has developed a Fine Arts Stakeholder Committee to determine a path forward for Fine Arts.

Below represents a culmination of months of meetings & several discussions about various facilities needs in Jim Ned that spanned from March 2023 through August 2023. Mainly, thanks to the 2020 bond, our next relief valve that we anticipated for our ever-increasing enrollment is our High School. Current cost projections are included below for a total of $28 million forecasted for the 2023 Bond:

As mentioned above, relief at both elementary schools & the middle school has arrived in the form of Jim Ned Intermediate (4th-6th grade) on Hwy 83! This campus opened in August 2023 & has generated space at the 3 campuses mentioned above. For several years, we should have adequate space at the new Intermediate;
High School North Academic Addition. As we predicted, our biggest need right now is accommodating students & staff at our growing High School. The board will add 12 new classrooms, including 2 new science labs & a new Life Skills room for HS students, at a projected cost of $6,260,738;
Fine Arts: Auditorium in Prop B = $4,862,217 (to be added to the $7.8 we still have from unspent 2020 Prop B bond funds). Proposition B of the 2023 Bond did NOT pass, but this needs remains in the District. We have formed a Fine Arts Stakeholder Committee to determine a path moving forward.
Career Technical Education (CTE). Our community will remember approving this project in the 2020 bond. However, we had to cull this project due to the inflation in the construction market. A 10,000sf facility in today's dollars will cost about $5,384,016 & will house HS Ag Classes & other courses to be determined. Other courses will include a Medical/Health-related Course Pathway for HS students. The existing Ag building will then house Middle School CTE/Ag classes, focusing on woodworking.
Ag Education: New Show Barn & Animal Barn = $1,000,000.
Renovate & upgrade our Family & Consumer Science Classroom (formerly Home Economics back in the day) = $500,000
Interior Hallway Improvements at JNHS = $1,008,776;
HS Cafeteria Renovation = $600,000;
Existing Restroom Renovations for All Restrooms at JNHS = $488,786
Locker Room Addition (this project was also in the 2020 bond but was culled due to inflation) = $2.332,679;
Campus Parking Lot Circulation Improvements = $1,462,562;
New JNHS Entrance/Updated Elevations = $1,134,648;
Parking Lot Expansion = $356,702
Middle School: Parking Lot Improvements = $500,000
Support Facilities: a) Demo Current Bus Barn & Show Barn = $217,229; b) Paving at Demo Site = $245,216; c) Build New Bus Barn Office, Wash Bays, & Fueling Station on 10 acres near softball field = $1,000,000.
Intermediate School - Locker Room Addition: When the Intermediate School was being designed, we had to cut the Locker Rooms we had planned for 6th grade Pre-Athletics due to cost escalation in that building. The board sees a need to add Locker Rooms for our students to more fully utilize this facility & for us to accommodate volleyball & basketball tournaments as we had originally planned = $1,000,000.

The total costs of both propositions is $28,342, 491. However, only $23,480,274 was passed by voters in the 2023 Bond Election. This was Proposition A of the 2023 Bond Package. Our current bonding capacity is much higher than $28M, but the board only desired to meet our needs & not max out our tax rate. We know that our community appreciates that.

We will keep our community posted on facility needs as we move forward &, as always, we greatly appreciate your support of our Jim Ned students & staff! Roll Tribe!

The District hosted two Town Hall events where they presented our needs & the facts concerning the 2023 Bond Projects. The first Town Hall was held on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at 7:00pm at the Jim Ned High School Cafeteria. Since much of the expansion & improvements will occur at the High School, we hosted tours of the high school after the Town Hall for those who were interested.

Then, we hosted Town Hall #2 on Sunday, October 15th at 3:00pm at the new Jim Ned Intermediate School. This Town Hall was essentially a repeat of the first Town Hall information-wise, but those who attended this Town Hall were able to tour our brand new Intermediate School that opened this August.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for 2023 Bond Consideration

General Questions

When is the bond election? The bond election will be held on Election Day, November 7, 2023 with Early Voting from Monday, October 23rd through Friday, November 3rd. We will host Early Voting at the Jim Ned CISD Administration Building located at 441 Graham St, Tuscola, TX 79562. Election Day voting will be hosting at the Tuscola Community Center located at 1202 Turner Lane in Tuscola.
Is this bond “all or nothing?” There are 2 separate bond proposals being considered: Proposition A will include all projects except for the auditorium (i.e. high school additions, the CTE facility, & any Ag facilities, etc.). Then, Proposition B would include the additional money needed for the Fine Arts Auditorium. As a reminder, the district still has the full $7.8 million approved by the voters in the 2020 Bond. We just cannot build the auditorium for $7.8 million in today's dollars (compared to 2020's economy). So we will need addition funds to couple with the $7.8 million to build the new auditorium.
Why did the district separate out the Performing Arts Auditorium on a separate Proposition? The district had no choice in this decision. By law, the state of Texas requires that performing arts facilities are placed on a separate proposition. Likewise, athletic facilities & natatoriums (aka aquatic centers) also have be placed on separate propositions. If anyone is wondering why the 2 locker room facilities associated with our Proposition A are not on a separate proposition as athletic facilities, these locker room spaces are used for instruction during the school day; therefore, they do not qualify purely as athletic facilities. The district partners with a law firm who specializes in school bonds & this bond attorney guides the district to adhere to all state law in this process.
Why isn't the board choosing to do smaller bond packages more frequently (as opposed to bigger packages less frequently)? In the fall of 2022, the board formed networking groups comprised of multiple Jim Ned community members (over 40). One of the questions they posed of their groups was to gauge their preference on this topic. Overwhelmingly, the networking feedback said they preferred larger bonds less frequently than smaller bonds more frequently. Their preference was to get what we need now so we don't have to go back to the voters in another year or two with another bond. The board has developed the 2023 Bond Package accordingly.
What happens is the bond does not pass? There are 2 propositions that the community will vote on. If Proposition A does not pass, the high school students will be served in additional portable buildings as needed & the students will have not access to several items. To mention a few: No additional Career Techical Education (CTE) facility; no renovations at the high school; no Ag Farm or additional Ag facilities; etc. If Proposition B does not pass, then we will not be able to build the new Auditorium. We would continue to have the original $7.8 million from the 2020 Bond for the Auditorium, but we will not be able to build a new auditorium for that amount. We would need the additional $4.8 million to build it.
Can the district use money from the bond on things like teacher salary increases? Bond money cannot be used for staff raises. Bond money will be dedicated to the expansion and improvement of our facilities per state law.
Are the numbers padded? The projected costs are good planning numbers and take into account a variety of fluctuating factors to allow us to accommodate the costs.
What plans does the district have to get Life Skills at the high school out of portables and into the main building? Having our Life Skills programs in portables has been a temporary solution. With 2020 bond funds, we were able to get our Middle School Life Skills classroom into the Middle School. With the 2023 Bond, the district will get our High School Life Skills students out of portables and into our main building.
What is the timeline for the completion of these projects? TBD, but essentially over the next few years.
Do most bond packages get presented to the voters without a proposed building design? Yes. We will have some renderings & projected costs, but we won't have the architects fully design facilities until we have secured the funding of the 2023 bond.
In Town Hall #1, the following feedback from Jim Ned residents was provided:

I enjoyed hearing from most of the board members as opposed to hearing from one person. Your time & effort is evident & this boosts my confidence in your leadership.
Clear presentation of data & financial considerations. We are new to JNCISD so this was very informative.
Good presentation. School future growth line was interesting. Get ready to expand & consider buying additional properties [for school facilities]. Consider expanding the west side of the main HS gym seating capacity as we prepare for larger crowds as we grow.
850 seats in the new auditorium is a concern; don't feel it's enough with the number of high school students. Answer: Jim Ned currently has 465 HS students. We assume this concern is considering placing multiple HS students in this space along with parents & other family members who would be observing an event. Administration would have to strategically plan out the various events to accommodate the group. Abilene Wylie's new auditorium accommodates 900 & they are considerably larger than us. So, administrators will just have to navigate this concern with good planning in advance.
Question: After the 2023 Bond, is the remaining bond capacity going to be enough to get us through 25 years. Answer: The board made their decision to only pursue a bond election on $28 million instead of maxing out what they could have pursued. The remaining capacity, since it will be untapped, will not be associated with any bond projects. But it could be considered for a future bond election assuming we continue to grow or our needs substantiate another bond election.
Appreciated the in depth explanation of what projects the bond being proposed will address. Would like to see the community more involved.
Excellent presentation. I like all the CTE emphasis. All the Ag additions are a must! The community has already spoken approval of the Performing Arts Auditorium.
I appreciate the time it took to put this presentation together. Question: Besides a new HS or MS, what other courses of action were considered? Answer: The board's consideration of a new High School or a new Middle School were the primary solutions considered to accommodate more students at the secondary level. However, both of these solutions were too expensive (New HS=$65-$70 million; New MS=$35-$40 million). We could not afford a new HS at all. But we could afford a new MS with our current bonding capacity; however, we could not address other district needs at this time AND stay under the board's self-determined threshhold of the bond election staying under $30 million. Question: What designs of a new MS were considered? Answer: Our architectural & engineering firm, Jacob-Martin, LLC., provided cost projections on a new MS with typical items associated with a MS involving 7th-8th grades; however, they did not design a MS facility. Question: What acreage of a new Ag Farm is proposed? Answer: That is undetermined at this time. The district does intend to involve a committee comprised of staff, parents/community members, & board members to design the Ag Farm & facilities on the Ag Farm.
What information did you like? a) Noting the projects completed since 1992; b) the finance report; & c) Ag Farm/Program. Concerns: a) Losing the benefits of [the new Auditorium] in Proposition B [from the 2020 Bond] even though this was already passed in a previous election, but was decided to be culled -- why is it being voted on again? Answer: The auditorium was never culled from our list of projects. We simply chose not to sell the $7.8 million in bond funds since we knew we could not build the new Auditorium for $7.8 million in today's construction market. So the district still has the $7.8 million & we stand ready to pair it with the additional $4.8 million the district is asking for in this 2023 Bond Election to then build the auditorium. Question: Why are the locker Rooms in Proposition A? They are not considered education related? Answer: The locker rooms are considered educational space since they are an essential part of our general curriculum offered on a daily basis in PE courses & athletics courses. Statement: I am disappointed that the Fine Arts Auditorium is set in Prop B alone. This makes it much easier to lose voter support. This item is education-related. Answer: See # 3 above for the answer to this concern.

12. Town Hall #2 Feedback: Question - "Are new houses which cause our growth taxed the same as other houses? If not, can the district tax new homes at a higher rate to accommodate for new facilities?" Answer: Jim Ned CISD does not tax new homes at a higher rate; they are taxed at the same rate as existing homes.

Please continue to let us know if you have additional questions or concerns. You can share your questions with any administrator or board member and we will provide an answer as quickly as we can. Also, feel free to email our superintendent, Glen Teal, at gteal@jimned.esc14.net with questions.

Roll Tribe!!