PGISD OKs capital budget

Pleasant Grove Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved the 2018-19 capital projects budget during its regular meeting Thursday.

Derick Sibley, PGISD’s director of business, said the $16,540,000 budget was necessary as they move forward with several projects, including construction of the new elementary school, increased security measures districtwide and improved technology infrastructure.

“Basically what we need to do is adopt a capital projects budget so that we can start paying any expenditures that come in from the elementary construction, the security, the technology upgrades,” he said. “Those things, when they start rolling in, we need to be able to take care of them.”

Funding for the projects comes from a $19.9 million bond voters approved in May.

In other business, architect Steve Elliott told the board that they have received five requests for qualifications for construction manager at risk for the elementary school project. They were opened at 3 p.m. Thursday.

“We’ve set up a matrix that we go through and fill in all their answers to the questions and they’re weighted to the requirements,” he said. “That matrix will come through and show the one that wins out.”

Elliott said they expect to analyze the proposals and provide the district with suggestions at the next board meeting. This is the second time PGISD has put out requests for qualifications for the project.

Dr. Jason Smith, PGISD superintendent, said enrollment is 2,150, with 97 percent attendance and that the numbers are up from 2,118 last year, a 1 percent increase.

“If we were able to maintain that, that’s about $130,000,” he said. “We want to keep the attendance rate as high as we can.”

Campus principals presented the 2018-19 campus improvement plans, which include incorporation of the district’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math initiatives.

Board President Fred Meisenheimer said he was impressed with the presentations.

“There’s a lot of data in there and I like it,” he said. “It’s exciting to see what’s going to happen.”

Trustees also approved the annual partnership with the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council for participation in the Kennedy Center Partners in Education Arts Integration Institute. The partnership provides:

■ professional development to expand knowledge of arts integration skills and strategies and help teachers develop lessons.

■ provides professional learning sessions by Kennedy Center teaching artists and TRAHC artist educators.

■ classroom model lessons after the arts integration training in addition to study group sessions.