By: Dr. Darron Arlt - PHS Superintendent
When I interviewed to become Superintendent of Plainview Public Schools on February 29th, 2016, I distinctly recall an overwhelming feeling of pride and nostalgia walking through the hallways, gyms, and some of the classrooms.
I thought to myself, it looks just like I remembered from the mid 1980’s! I loved school! I loved the memories associated with school. So I loved coming back to see the school and feel the emotions associated with it so many decades prior. It looks just like it did when I graduated is what I thought and what I told many folks with pride. Eventually, I concluded that really wasn’t a good thing. Very little had been invested in updating or improving our facilities.
That’s not intended to be a knock on previous administration or boards by any means. I am not aware of the managing climate or financial priorities they were dealing with. I just know that the boards I began to work with in 2016 had an appetite for some updating.
I did a “deep dive” looking back to the summer of 2017 to the present for expenditures of $10,000+ from the building fund. A quick glance at my Building Fund levy trend indicates that the board approved a 1.5 cent levy for the 2014-2015 school budget. Just 2 years later, that levy was 6.7 cents. The next 8 years the Building Fund levy was: 6.9, 9.4, 9.6, 9.4, 7.1, 6.1, 4.8 and 2.2 cents this current fiscal year. Those levies generated millions of dollars, your dollars, to invest in our facilities and on behalf of our staff and students, thank you!
Here is a list of those investments:
All restrooms and the locker rooms received a makeover which included waterproof, and virtually indestructible, flooring
Original classroom cabinets and sinks in the Elementary were restored
New HVAC air quality for the Elementary
Fire suppression water sprinklers in the Elementary
New lighting, ceiling tile/grid, and classroom shelving for the Elementary
New Exit/Entry doors to replace original doors on the West side of the 1977 building
Replace roof on main South entrance
Air conditioning units for the 1920 classrooms being used and the music room, shop classroom, Superintendent office, and main South entrance lobby
Replace the roof over the SW quad classrooms of the 1977 building
New lighting & ceiling tile/grid for the 1977 building
Resurface athletic track
Replace football field lighting
Install sprinkler system for the football field
Replace retaining wall on the South side of the school along Pilcher Ave
Replace the 1920 building entry doors
Build a heated garage for school vehicles, maintenance truck, and skid loader
New HVAC air quality for the 1977 building and the Pirate and Tartan Gyms
The new roof and other repairs for the Elementary school the last 2 summers cost our taxpayers $5,000! Our friends at EMC Insurance picked up the balance of the over $1.5 million dollar bill for that!
The above list, along with many yards of concrete work and various other smaller investments, have amounted to nearly 4.7 million dollars in investments. I know the air quality, which accounts for half of this amount, is greatly appreciated by our staff and students!
As we continue to think about a possible 50-year investment in brick and mortar improvements, none of the above investments should be affected. We shouldn’t have to undo any of the improvements we’ve invested in the last 10 years.
We are considering holding an additional open meeting each month for the next several months to facilitate community engagement in our building project discussions and considerations.
We’ll set the date and time soon for our audit presentation. We do not want to move forward without your input so please get and stay engaged. We believe the more conversations we have with our stakeholders, the better plan we’ll embrace for the future of our school and community.