STRATEGIC PLANNING PROPOSAL

Before the Jacksonville Independent School District Board of Trustees asks the taxpayers to approve a new capital bond, wouldn’t it be nice to see a long-term Educational Master Plan addressing phased construction, community forums and input, a technology assessment (and growth plan), and questions about how to make the tasks of improving our schools more economically and environmentally friendly?
While there appears to be a general consensus that the public use buildings of JISD are in need of repairs and, in some cases, replacement, there is little consensus on the best methods for meeting the district’s needs. The previous bond attempt was based on a concept that included redesign, repurposing, renovation and new construction, using conventional materials and labor sources. While many of the goals of the bond were acceptable, the means and expenditures were not acceptable to the majority of Jacksonville voters.
Following the untimely death of James Farmer, it was widely proposed that the building trades program at Jacksonville High School be reinstated. The building trades program, in years past, was responsible for completing one home per year in the city of Jacksonville. The homes were well built and the student participants came away from the experience with a sense of accomplishment and a valuable life-long skill set for future employment.
Several citizens have discussed the possibility of renewing this program with an eye toward students building for students – a building trades program that would contribute toward the renovation and new construction of space needed by JISD. In addition, the program could be expanded to include students at the Compass Campus and perhaps even Middle School. Student involvement in construction would give the students a sense of "ownership", and possibly lead to encouraging a sense of stewardship among the student body on the various campuses, resulting in proactive reporting of problems, such as inadvertent mishaps, and limiting intentional vandalism.
In addition, it has been suggested that the district research using environmentally sustainable building materials in new construction, to eliminate or, at the least, mitigate, the environmental and public health impacts of traditional construction materials. Other environmental concerns could also be considered, such as the use of high-density building materials such as straw bale to create super-insulated buildings that require significantly less energy to heat and cool, the use of solar energy to supplement traditional energy sources, and even water recycling options. One use for the JISD owned land adjoining the high school could be for the JHS agricultural students to grow either a wheat or oat type crop to supply straw for straw bale construction, or for growing grasses used in alternative construction as straw substitutes.
Finally, a proposal to integrate community participation with JISD goals has been suggested. The proposal is for volunteer community participation through partnerships with area churches, community groups and corporate entities, similar to Habitat for Humanity, to be garnered as a means of reducing overall expenditures. Civic participants would have the opportunity to either volunteer labor and/or sponsor material resources.
Many of the trustees and administrators seem to lean toward using Whitehouse or Round Rock as models for JISD. A worthwhile question for all to consider is, do the people of Jacksonville want their school district to be a clone of another town’s? Or do we want to put the "independent" back in "Jacksonville Independent School District"? The best route to the latter is to open the floor to a serious discussion of meeting our challenges with innovation, creativity and "out of the box" thinking.

PARKING LOTS OR ROOF TOPS?

Daaaaaah which way do we go?

During JISD Board meeting, Supt. Stuart Bird gave an estimated cost of building a new parking lot for Busses to use at JHS. This parking lot is suppose to provide a safer environment for loading and unloading children. The estimate given by Mr. Bird was $124,000. As the discussion went on it was then mentioned that these figures did not include other costs such as architect's fees, etc...I reminded Mr. Bird and the Board of Trustees that Mr. Bird was asked about the safety of our children at the beginning of this school year and Mr. Bird stated that JISD provided an exceptionally safe environment for our children and how we had fewer accident claims than other area school districts. I then brought up the points given by Lindy Finley during the year on how we were saving money on insurance due to the lack of claims, etc...Now why is it we need this parking lot again? I asked of the Board that they seek firs to fix the roof at the Middle School which has been in need of repair for 2-3yrs. Or even to drive by East Side School and look at the big blue tarp on the roof there. I pleaded with them to not spend any more money on these parking lots, fences, and such things that they want. But rather that they stay focused on spending on the things which we need. I ended by stating that we need not look to Bond Packages to make these types of repairs, or even to add on classrooms if we were to focus less on wants than needs.Those of you who agree need to be calling these Board members and letting them know what you want and what you expect. By failing to do so you are sending the message that you don't care what they do with your money.

JISD Borders

Impimenting a Long Range Strategic Plan for Rebuilding JISD Facilities-

Together with members of the community, I will be seeking to get Board Members to put in place a long term plan for JISD and set short term goals which can be implimented with the support of the citizens of our district. Please stay tuned in with this forum for information on details of the plan, and to give feedback/opinions.
You can e-mail me at Robertedoug1@hotmail.com
Please feel free to respond, your personal info will be held in strict confidence. Remember this is your only real opportunity to have your voice heard and your wishes published.

JISD ELECTIONS BRING NEW FACES

May 13th, 2006- JISD Board of Trstees Election resulted in two new members being elected to serve JISD. Mr. Al Chavira was beaten out of his seat on the Board, and Mr. Gary Minton did not seek another term. Both of these seats now are served by new members. Dr. Folden, the current board president, retained his seat easily defeating yours truly.
Two out of three being replaced should fair well for the District. I am looking forward to hearing how the tone of meetings changes, and watching for more fiscal responsability.
Only a few months until we can see if these new members can change things. I would like to say Thank you to all the other candidates for showing their concern for our district, and a great big Welcome aboard to Mr. Dale Jamerson and Mr. Joe Casey.