The following is the second in a series of questions being presented about the upcoming DeLeon ISD bond issue that will be on the May 12 ballot. The response for the questions will be provided by Dr. Randy Mohundro, Superintendent of Schools for DISD.

Question – “Everyone would like a new home, car, church, school or whatever. Other than a newer facility, what would we get in a new high school that we do not already have?”

The current high school is a facility that does not meet the facility standards that have been set by the Texas Education Agency. The state has prescribed what school facilities should look like. In particular, they have set standards for the size of classrooms and the number of students that can be accommodated in those classrooms. The current high school, particularly the original structure built in the early 1950s, is composed of classrooms that are too small - based on state standards to accommodate the students that attend classes in those rooms.

Additionally, there is a gain in the number of classrooms for the district. The new requirements by the state, to teach four years of science and four years of math, requires the district to have more classrooms to accommodate this requirement. Particularly in the area of science, labs are needed for science instruction, not only at the high school level, but also at the lower grade levels beginning with fifth grade. Students beginning at grade five, then at other grades past fifth grade, are required by the state to take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills (TAKS) test in science.

A major component of the state’s science curriculum is that students should be spending approximately 40% of their time doing actual lab work. To meet this requirement will take more lab space. The new high school would add two additional science labs - that in the past have been shared between the middle school and the high school. The existing high school labs would become dedicated middle school science labs, exclusively for the use of middle school students, while the high school would get labs that would be exclusively for their use.

Please note also that none of the existing labs meet state standards for high school science labs. They do meet standards for science labs for middle school students.

The community would gain a facility to accommodate various community functions of groups up to 500 in an assembly format and 250 at tables and chairs. Currently there is no facility in DeLeon that can handle an event with 500 people, except for the new gymnasium with chairs placed on the gym floor.

This facility is being planned with the community in mind. One of the benefits of this building would be an exterior door for direct facility access to the library. Such access will make it easy for community groups to use the district’s resources, such as the distant learning lab for training sessions, while maintaining the security of the remaining portions of the building.

Energy efficiency is also gained as a benefit of a new facility. The high school currently uses a wall pack heating and air-conditioning system that is one of the most expensive systems to operate in a commercial building. A new building would contain more energy efficient systems. Additionally, the district would install an energy management system, to insure that the building is heated and cooled in the most efficient manner as possible.

“Our school enrollments have been shrinking for several years. If our student base is declining, how could we possibly be out of room and need new construction?”

Actually, the enrollment of the district is up for the current school year. Last year during the spring semester, the district’s enrollment was 650 students. This school year the district’s enrollment has been as high as 695, and the average monthly enrollment for the first semester was 686 students.

Parents and students are considering DeLeon when they come into the area and look at school districts. Quality instructional facilities are one of the things that is looked at when making that decision. A strong enrollment is important to the district and the community as a whole. Each new student that enrolls and attends school in DeLeon increases the amount of state funding the district receives by approximately $5,000. A strong student enrollment allows the district to continue to offer the various programs that the community wants to be offered.

The issue of classroom size is another factor that has pushed the district to become strapped for space. The current high school has no space that meets the requirements of the state mandates. The state is also requiring districts to offer more and more classes to students as a requirement for graduation.

Approximately 25 years ago, in the early 1980’s, a student only needed 18 credits to graduate from high school. The new requirements from the state have pushed that number to 26 credits. Schools are required to offer more classes than ever before.

The issue is very similar at the elementary level, with the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten grades being hit the hardest. Too many students have to learn in too small of a space. Kindergarten students should have classrooms, based on state standards that have a minimum of 800 square feet. Our students currently attend class in rooms that have an average of 673 square feet - which can accommodate only 18 students - but they are currently occupied by twenty students in each classroom.

While some would say, “just keep your classes small, and hire more teachers,” the district is running out of classrooms, even those that are too small, to solve the problem in such a manner. This solution is also very expensive over the long term. The average cost of a single teacher is approximately $50,000, per year. For the long term fiscal stability of the district, hiring more personnel to deal with a facility issue will hurt the district more than it will help.

Additional questions have been submitted, including some from our readers, that Dr. Mohundro will be addressing in coming weeks.