Brownsville ISD campus renovations proposed in Proposition A

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Brownsville Independent School District has two propositions on an upcoming November ballot: Proposition A and Proposition B.

Proposition A has a $385 million price tag, which includes renovations to 39 schools, a career and technical education center, and a transportation administration building.

Proposition B has a $75 million price tag, which offers a new performing arts facility, with up to 1,800 seats for both district and community use.

At Egly Elementary, you can hear the sounds of parrots.

These birds live in the trees on campus, but also in holes they have made on the school's roof throughout the years.

BISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez said that soon these birds may need to find a new home. Egly is one of 39 schools that is proposed for major renovations.

The school is up for a $15.7 million facelift as part of Proposition A.

"Part of that relates to the wood that we have," said Chavez. "Which again I'm going to go back and say that wood is probably 48 years old, and so when a bird starts chipping on a 48-year-old school and the wood that old as well, a hole is made."

Aside from roofing, items at the top of the list at Egly Elementary include parking lot renovations, a new fire alarm system, HVAC, and windows.

"You can see this is fiberglass. This is not glass. It is very thin," said Chavez. "I bet you these are originals from when the school was built 48 years ago."

Chavez said Egly is long overdue for air conditioning renovations.

"Here, I know in the beginning of the year we had several A/C problems where one of the units went down, or several units went down, and it was uncomfortable for our students," said Chavez.

Chavez said the last time the district proposed a bond project was 18 years ago, which is why he believes some major renovations have been postponed.

"We have waited 18 years, so my suggestion moving forward is do not wait that long," he said. "Take a look at where you are at the end of this construction, it may be that another eight or 10 years down the road, there is another bond election that is necessary to continue to make sure that we keep our schools at an appropriate level."

If the bond does not pass, the district will continue to maintain its facilities through regular maintenance, but major capital projects and construction will not happen. As far as things like roofing repairs, HVAC, that could be addressed through the district's annual operating budget. Meanwhile, the district says it will limit funding from other educational programs.

Check out the full list of schools up for renovations here.