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Kennedale ISD reviews surplus bond funds; prioritizes ADA, safety and campus repairs
Summary
Board workshop reviewed roughly $21 million in identified campus capital needs tied to prior $98 million bonds and noted about $6.7 million remaining in bond proceeds; top priorities include ADA/accessibility, safety/security and life-cycle maintenance such as roofs, elevators, marquees and parking.
The Kennedale Independent School District board heard a facilities presentation on remaining capital projects tied to its previously approved $98 million bond and a proposed priority plan for how to spend surplus bond funds.
Robert, the district’s facilities presenter, told the board the campuses have identified roughly $21 million in remaining capital needs and that the district currently shows about $6.7 million available in bond proceeds (the presenter noted that amount does not account for any interest earnings). He said bond proceeds can be used only for capital projects and outlined a three-tier priority ranking: priority one for mission-critical items affecting instruction, safety or code compliance; priority two for important but deferrable items; and priority three for lower-priority enhancements.
Why it matters: the board is weighing how to allocate limited capital dollars to address accessibility and safety deficiencies, deferred maintenance, and projects that affect daily instruction and community use of facilities.
The presentation listed several priority-one items at individual campuses: high school parking and drainage repairs and sidewalk regrading; marquee replacement and standardization across campuses (Patterson’s marquee is nonfunctional); elevator repairs and reliability work at Arthur and the press box; and identified blind spots in security camera coverage at multiple sites. Robert said the high-school parking and sidewalk work is under design and that a civil engineer is preparing specifications for bidding. He also said a modest change order for a canopy at the Patterson playscape is likely to come back to the board in June.
Board members and staff discussed the trade-offs of replacing marquees with larger, higher-visibility units at secondary campuses versus smaller signs at elementary sites, and the possibility of using marquee advertising to generate revenue. On security, staff said cameras installed earlier left unintended blind spots as campuses came online and that the district budgeted districtwide camera funds to address emergent coverage gaps.
The board discussed next steps for community engagement. Robert proposed reconvening a citizens’ advisory group — similar to the committee used during the last bond — to tour campuses, review completed work, and help prioritize remaining projects. Board members discussed election timing if they pursue additional funding (May versus November) and emphasized communicating stewardship of prior bond funds to voters.
The workshop did not include a formal vote on new projects; staff asked for board direction and for names of volunteers to serve on the proposed citizens’ review group. Staff said they will return with detailed budgets, proposed change orders, and timelines for priority-one work.
