Premont, Texas, residents were asked Thursday to get out of survival mode.
It's time to start thinking long term, Premont ISD's new superintendent said to residents during a community discussion about a $10.6 million bond proposal to build a new elementary campus. The district regained state accreditation last year after meeting academic standards for the first time since 2011.
"Premont has had two closure notices. This district has been in a mindset to keep your head above water with no planning for the future," said Steven VanMatre, who was hired in January. "This stops that ... We're going to be here 30 years from now and so is this building."
The audience of more than 50 Premont residents erupted in applause.
The Premont Independent School District board of trustees called for a bond election in February. The bond would provide for a new elementary school, and ideally, minor improvements to the district's secondary campus and athletic facilities.
The rural town of more than 2,600 people is about 70 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. Residents were invited to the Thursday community meeting during which an architect, the district's financial adviser and VanMatre detailed the scope, potential design, and financial impact of the capital improvement project. Attendees also toured the primary campus.
Premont ISD rescued itself from closure the first time in 2011 by dropping several sports programs. The bond proposal on the May ballot was crafted based on an expectation that varsity football will be reinstated by fall 2018. A new football stadium is in sight.
Premont's projected interest and sinking tax rate increase is about 33 cents per $100 valuation if the bond is approved by voters. Interest and sinking taxes are used to pay off school construction bonds. For the average home value in Premont -- $28,503 -- the annual impact would be an increase of about $94.
The last time Premont residents approved a bond proposal was in 1998. A portion of the $3.2 million debt is still outstanding, which was the only comment made publicly during the about two-hourlong meeting that resembled disapproval for the proposal to build a new school.
Ninety percent of Premont Elementary students come from homes that are considered to be economically disadvantaged, according to state data. VanMatre pleaded the case that the elementary campus is in "worse shape than some of the houses they live in."
Two out of four Premont ISD campuses are in use -- the high school and a primary campus. An abandoned dilapidated elementary campus sits along U.S. Highway 281. The junior high became the new primary campus after a newer elementary was vacated because of low enrollment.
Premont native Cynthia Gutierrez, a substitute teacher who works in the Pre-K through the first-grade wing, said in the meeting the former junior high campus is not fit for small children.
"Nothing is reachable for them," Gutierrez said. "It's hard. Especially for a little boy learning to use the potty."
VanMatre said improvements will not only be cosmetic. The building does not adhere to some Americans with Disabilities Act standards, VanMatre said.
Gutierrez attested to that. Her daughter, Olivia, broke her leg in November after falling down some stairs at home. She said no student restrooms were accommodating to her full leg cast, so she's had to use the teacher restrooms. They also bought an extra ramp and handicap place mat for parking at the school, she said.
"For several months we've been going through this," Gutierrez said. "It's really shown me how hard it can be for someone who is disabled."
