A small crowd attended the informational meeting of the Roosevelt ISD on an upcoming bond election. Staff photo.
Roosevelt ISD superintendent Dallas Grimes sat down with LubbockLights.com to discuss the $58.5 million bond to build a new elementary school and renovate the junior and senior high school after a public meeting Tuesday with about 20 residents.
“Tonight was the roughest crowd I had. I’m optimistic, but I’m also cautious,” Grimes told LubbockLights.com about the bond on the November 5 ballot. Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 21.
Grimes can’t lobby voters for or against the 30-year bond but can present information to voters. He told a crowd the tax increase on a $200,000 home would be $16.67 per month – or four pennies over $200 a year.
Reasons the district hopes the bond passes are:
- Part of the school district was built in the 1930s. Plumbing has corroded to the point where toilets constantly need unplugging.
- Improved safety.
- The district is growing – like many smaller school districts around Lubbock – 8 percent since the end of COVID. Grimes anticipates another 10 percent increase in enrollment.
- The new Leprino Foods cheese factory will pay roughly half the cost in property taxes if the bond passes.
A reason to not approve the bond is voters wanting to avoid the tax increase.
Leprino will have an estimated property value of $700 million, by far the biggest taxpayer in the district. But over time the amount the company pays in taxes will drop through depreciation. The school district gets the biggest benefit now.
Other businesses are likely to follow Leprino, Grimes said, and there also might be some residential growth. But he doesn’t expect the district to grow at the rates seen in Frenship or Cooper districts.
‘Lipstick on the pig’
The oldest part of the Roosevelt campus carries a historic plaque: “Works Progress Administration 1935-1937.”
“The majority of this building is 60-plus years old,” Grimes said.
Some of it turns 90 next year.
“Sooner or later though, I think a 90-year-old building is going to give out,” Grimes added.
“It’s like a common occurrence on a near daily basis to have to unclog a toilet just because of the corrosion and the age of some of the pipes,” Grimes said in the meeting.
The sewer needs to be addressed “pretty quick,” according to Grimes, and there are problems when it rains.
“We had TASB, Texas Association of School Boards, came out a couple years ago and basically went through every square foot. … They recommended a full replacement just on the age of the facility,” Grimes said.
“They basically recommended a full replacement of the tune of about $40 million based on Austin, San Antonio numbers. We’re coming back and we’re saying it’s about $30-32 million because we live in West Texas.”
One man in the audience objected, saying, “So, we tear down the White House? It’s over 100 years old.”
Grimes responded, “How much lipstick can we put on the pig? Is that a wise investment of taxpayer’s dollars?”
Later in the meeting a woman spoke up: “I’m a graduate of Roosevelt School. I walked across that stage in 1969. … I worked for Roosevelt School, mainly in the business office for 30 years and three months. I know how many times, like you said, lipstick has been put on the pig.”
Concerns about safety
The same woman said, “There needs to be a totally new elementary school. Don’t try to build on part of it. Don’t try to save part of it. … It’s just not fair. … This all needs to be demolished and have a new elementary school that we can be proud of.”
Safety was one factor, she added. For example, she said flooring has been laid down on top of older flooring over the years.
“If there was ever a fire in that elementary gym, it would be gone because of the oil and everything in those floors,” she said.
One resident wanted assurance that building a new elementary school would make things safer.
“There aren’t codes to follow like there are in the city. … I’m a volunteer firefighter, so … what’s there to protect the kids?” he asked.
Grimes agreed that often a school campus out in the middle of the county does not have to follow the same safety codes as a school inside the City of Lubbock. However, a new building, he said, must meet the International Building Code.
“Do we renovate or have new construction? Well, when you renovate, you avoid things like that,” Grimes said of the safety regulations.
“You end up with a building that doesn’t have fire sprinkler safety, whereas if you build new construction, you don’t get to pick and choose the rules anymore. Now you got to go with the updated codes,” he said.
If Leprino is paying half
One man wondered why, if Leprino is paying half, why not renovate instead of rebuild? It would cut the cost in half and then Leprino could pay for all of it.
“How about we just let this facility [Leprino] pay for renovations and then save taxpayers $29 million?” he asked.
That’s not how it works, Grimes said.
Leprino gets a tax break from the school – and it doesn’t. The portion of taxes Leprino pays for Roosevelt’s maintenance and operations is reduced because of a 10-year economic incentive state and local officials offered in 2021.
But that’s not true for the portion Leprino pays for school system debt. No tax break there.
That means the only way Leprino would fully pay its share of property tax for renovation is for Roosevelt to borrow money. But all property owners share that tax burden.
“I wish we could do this and it not be a tax increase, but that’s just not how it works. … This is the best we can get,” Grimes said.
People asked why now?
Jake Lawrence, a financial advisor hired by Roosevelt, said, “When you look at Leprino, they’re depreciating like 10 percent a year from when they’re at fullest value. So you’re talking about losing a lot of money really quick.”
Grimes said, “You’re probably gonna get less building because building costs will continue to rise, and there’s no doubt that Leprino’s contribution will diminish over time.”
What gets done
The biggest priority is a new elementary school, Grimes said.
“If this were to pass, we would demolish the elementary school,” he said.
A new one would be built next to the current location. No portable buildings are planned for the kids during construction.
The list of projects:
- New elementary campus
- Renovation of existing secondary campus
- New auditorium
- Renovation of secondary cafeteria (expanded serving line and seating)
- New locker rooms & weight room
- New grounds/maintenance facility
Renovations for the secondary campus includes an expanded dining area, Grimes said.
“I think everybody is familiar … our high school freshmen currently eat in the practice gym that’s been going on for several years because we’re out of the room,” Grimes said.
“We’re describing it as anything you can see and touch – ceiling, walls, floors and restrooms of the secondary building would basically be given a renovation, a modern look,” Grimes said.
What’s not included
Except for the locker rooms and moving a couple ball fields, athletic facilities are not on the list.
Someone asked why not renovate locker rooms in the yearly budget. Why borrow?
“We don’t have $4 million in the budget,” Grimes answered.
“The tennis courts have been eliminated. We looked at tennis courts and teacher housing, but there just wasn’t money there for that. And there were also mixed opinions on the value of teacher housing,” Grimes said, an idea to help recruit and retain teachers.
Academic performance questioned
A couple folks raised the issue of academic performance.
“How’s your elementary school been doing? Has it been passing its state exams?” one man asked.
Another asked, “How many kids went to 6th grade not knowing how to read?”
Grimes responded, “I’ll just tell you we’re proud of the accomplishments.”
After the meeting, Grimes explained to LubbockLights.com the elementary school failed state standards in the past.
This most recent year, Texas Education Association standards have not been released. But Grimes thought the elementary school would probably get a ‘C.’
“Our high school has been an ‘A’-rated campus. Our junior high has been ‘B’ and ‘C.’ And then our elementary school, which they were alluding to, received some very disappointing news a couple years ago. But we’ve worked our way out of it,” he said.
“Commissioner [Mike] Morath, the top chief educator in Texas, visited our school on May 7th to talk about the rebound,” Grimes said.
“We’re not perfect. There are things that we need to get better, but they have gotten better and we’re very proud of our elementary school,” Grimes said.
He also told the crowd it’s easier to attract and retain better teachers if the school has better facilities.
Other questions
One man asked if Lubbock annexed areas east of Loop 289, would that put Leprino in the Lubbock ISD district instead of Roosevelt. The answer was no. School boundaries stay the same even if the city annexes a new area.
A couple folks were concerned the tax hike falls on homeowners and not renters. Grimes said landlords do sometimes raise rent and renters contribute by paying rent.
“Three areas that I kept stressing: aging facilities, increased enrollment and Leprino Foods.” Grimes said. “Every few generations, somebody’s gotta step up. Somebody built these buildings 60 to 90 years ago and the whole community benefits. … Is it our time to step up for the next 40 to 50 years? Because, I don’t know if it’s ever going to get better from a financial standpoint.”
Comment, react or share on our Facebook post.
Facebook