Edinburg school officials start construction process

EDINBURG - A $112 million school bond voters passed in May is already being cashed in.

Members of the Edinburg school board and a committee of school district residents are gathering qualifications from companies interested in managing and constructing six new Edinburg schools and renovating four others.

Their hope is that the state will reimburse construction costs, but a decision on that isn't expected from the Texas Education Agency until August.

This is the first time the Edinburg school district has organized a residents advisory committee to oversee the school board's decisions on how to spend the money. Several of the 16 committee members said the move was necessary, considering at least three previous attempts to pass bonds over the past decade failed because of the community's mistrust of the school board.

Bryant Morrison, a history teacher at South Texas College and the University of Texas-Pan American, is among those serving on the committee. In past years, school district residents questioned the school board's choice of contractors and the quality of their construction work, he said.

Although the committee doesn't vote on how to spend the money, the members do sit in on construction discussions and provide feedback.

"We bring issues to the table ... public interest to the table," Morrison said. "We have not taken the place of the board, but we certainly are a sounding board."

The district plans to build four new elementary schools, two new middle schools, convert one middle school into a high school and add performing arts centers at each of the district's three high schools.

The McAllen school district - using a $98 million bond its voters passed in 2005 - built five elementary schools, one middle school and a food services and maintenance building, in addition to upgrading heating and cooling systems, electrical systems, plumbing and roofing.

But that hasn't stopped Edinburg school board member Carmen González from worrying that her district's $112 million won't cover all of its projects.

"Everyday we get more uncomfortable with the crisis that the whole nation is in, and the cost of construction seems to be growing every day," she said.

"We don't know (how the dollars will stretch). We do know the sooner we build (the facilities), the more we are going to be able to build."

The school board plans to begin prioritizing construction projects and determining timelines once the Texas Education Agency announces its reimbursement decision and chooses a project manager.

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Jackie Leatherman covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4424.