Nixon-Smiley CISD considers new building

Nixon-Smiley CISD is considering the possibility of creating a community committee to gather ideas for the renovation of one of its buildings  to accommodate recent growth in the district’s student population.

During the board’s July 21 meeting, Superintendent Cathy Booth, along with board members, discussed possible renovation plans for the high school’s 600 Wing that would ensure compliance with state standards.

The first plan suggested a renovation of the buildings, which Booth said would cost $2.3 million.

“However, some interior room in the building would be lost,” Booth said.

The second plan would involve a complete renovation of the interior and exterior of the building — which would come with a price tag of about $3.2 million —but there would be no loss of interior space.

A third option would involve removing the current building and replacing it with a new building that would be within TEA guidelines. The board discussed putting together a community committee to talk and discuss the renovation plans.

“I think having a committee would be the best option,” Booth said. “Constructing a new building to simply replace the existing one might be a waste of time if they want to do something even larger — like connect the entire high school.”

The board also discussed how the oil boom could bring a multitude of jobs to the area — particularly for graduating students. Board member Lester Warzecha said it would also provide an incentive for students to stay drug free.

“These days the oilfield drug tests you,” he said. “When someone’s trying to get a job and knows they’ve got a drug test coming up, that should provide an incentive to not take drugs.”

The board also mentioned that NSCISD has a escalating number of homeless students within its schools. Booth said that ISIP Vocabulary Screening indicates there are vocabulary problems in pre-K due to the poverty problems associated with homeless students. She additionally clarified that “homeless” also pertains to children whose parents may be living with other relatives (i.e. grandparents, cousins, friends) and do not have an address of their own.

In other business, the board:

* Heard a presentation from District Consultant Tera Thompson regarding district goal setting and future improvements to the campuses

* Considered purchasing $25,000 in new video cameras to improve campus safety