POTTSBORO, Texas -- While the board of trustees for the Pottsboro Independent School District continued discussions on the multimillion-dollar bond package Monday night, a final figure for the package remains under consideration.
"I don't have a real number; they haven't approved anything," Pottsboro ISD Superintendent Kevin Matthews said Tuesday afternoon. "There has been no approval on a bond number yet."
In February, the Community Facilities Team presented a $61 million bond package proposal for the district, which included a new elementary school, renovations and additions to the middle school and high school, a new multipurpose building for the high school, a new administration building, improvements to sports facilities and district-wide technology improvements.
At a special meeting held on June 13, which lasted about five hours, the board trimmed down the package to a possible $54 million, which included the new $27 million elementary school, a $15.6 million renovation of the middle school, $2.8 million in renovations to the high school and $2.5 million in district-wide technology upgrades. These numbers, however, continue to change as the cost estimates for the individual line items become clearer.
Although the board did not take action Monday night, the board delved into discussing the budget worksheets and went line by line on several pieces of the possible package. Matthews said the board didn't add anything or take away anything from the package though a few new numbers became available for items like the new parking lots. Some numbers on the line items were indicated as costing less as some appeared to increase.
Matthews did not provide an updated overall figure but noted the $54 million figure is no longer accurate. He said the board "really doesn't want any more numbers published until they make a final decision."
"It's given the wrong perception to our community because it may not -- obviously it's not going to end up at $54 million," Matthews said. "It could be under that, over that -- they have not made any final decisions, and it's just making it really difficult for us when those numbers are being posted out there like that."
Matthews noted that for the special meeting, the board did not have certain cost estimates for items, and they're still waiting for more numbers. So, he said, he feels confident the numbers will change again. He also noted a lot of the numbers the board is working with are based on projections from the December 2016 to April 2017 range.
"Between now and whenever they do decide, if they do decide -- they may not even call a bond, this is all discussion -- that number it could be above, less, I really don't know yet," Matthews said.
As the numbers continue to change and adjust, the board may make decisions on prioritizing different pieces of the package such as allocating more or less on certain projects.
Matthews said the board would like to have an updated set of numbers no later than the middle of July, as a decision must be made in August in order to call a bond election for November. If the board does not call a bond election for November, the next legally possible date would be in May of 2018.
