Brownsville ISD citizens committee recommends $350 million bond package, highlights CTE center, roofing and bus replacements

The Brownsville ISD Citizens Facility Committee on the final report presentation delivered a prioritized list of facility projects and funding recommendations the committee says should guide any bond election. Committee co-chair Rusty Brochaux and co-chair Henry Laviere presented the committee’s findings and estimated costs, and subcommittee chairs reviewed needs across elementary, secondary and districtwide facilities.

The committee recommended a general-purpose bond package of about $350,000,000 to address what it called the district’s most urgent capital needs while maintaining the district’s current debt tax rate. "This report to me is very important because it's an investment in our assets," said Henry Laviere, co-chair of the Citizens Facility Committee. The finance subcommittee told trustees the committee designed the $350 million figure so, if pursued as outlined, the district’s debt tax rate would remain effectively unchanged at the time of the estimate.

The committee presented a long list of projects and several cost estimates that together exceed the initial bond figure. The finance subcommittee said the committee priced more than 100 items and compiled a larger set of more than 200 assessments; when fully priced the total estimate reached roughly $670,000,000, with additional items still needing pricing. The committee emphasized the $350 million package should be treated as a prioritized minimum set of projects for a bond issuance.

Key recommendations and cost estimates

- Career and technical education (CTE) center: The committee recommends setting aside about $25,000,000 toward construction of a new CTE center. The feasibility study by Pflueger Architects cited options ranging from roughly 43,000 to 85,000 square feet; the committee presented…