Mansfield ISD is considering moving forward with the construction of the
Performing Arts Auditorium/Teacher Professional Development Center. I will be providing information as to why the administration is proposing to move this project forward at this time. The Performing Arts Auditorium has been under consideration for more than five years. In that time, the district has reviewed auditorium designs ranging from a seating capacity of 3500 to 5000. The project was not included in prior bond programs due to the cost, the fast growth of the district and the need for schools.
The facility
The current design being considered will accommodate 5500 people with an additional 500 on the stage. This would allow for a seating capacity of 6000 to accommodate our four high school graduations. Our current graduations are located at The Potter’s House in Dallas County. In addition to graduations, the facility would allow all district employees to be trained at one time. In preparation for a time when a performing arts auditorium might be built, the district purchased 25 acres directly behind Ben Barber Career Tech Academy. This location was chosen due to the available parking that could be used when the Performing Arts Auditorium hosted large events.
Other uses for the auditorium would include:
- A location for high school performing arts departments' musicals and other large stage productions. (Mansfield ISD has one auditorium that is being used by 14 secondary campuses, including four high schools.);
- 5th-12th grade band and choir performances;
- Host UIL band competitions and competitive cheer events;
- Outside group use for a rental fee
The
Teacher Professional Development section of the facility would allow all teacher trainings in the district to occur in one location. The main feature of the design is one large room that can accommodate up to 500, but can also be divided into six separate rooms for training. This large professional development room could host other events that are currently being housed outside the district. The Education Foundation’s annual Academic Recognition Banquet could be hosted there as well as booster club organization and local PTA events. The Teacher Professional Development Center also features three computer-training rooms that will be used by our teachers. Current teacher training on computers must take place at our schools in student computer labs.
Finance considerationsI have provided an explanation of the need of an additional auditorium/training center, so now I will discuss the cost and source of construction funding. The district just recently signed the contract on the construction of high school five at a cost of $60 million. In the 2006 bond election, voters approved the high school five facility at a projected cost of $84 million. These estimates were based upon construction costs and the rate of inflation. The district decided over a year ago to delay the construction of high school five for one year due to a decrease in student growth. In that year, the economy slowed and construction costs fell.
Therefore, the district was able to save $24 million in the construction of high school five.
The administration began to explore additional construction projects. The current proposal was deemed as the highest need in the district.
The reason we are looking to move this project forward now is to take advantage of the current construction market. To provide a comparison, the 2005 estimate for a performing arts auditorium that only seated 5000 and didn’t have a 24,000 square foot teacher training facility was placed at $50 million.
The projected cost of the proposed Performing Arts Auditorium/Teacher Professional Development Center is $39 million. This is $11 million less than the smaller 2005 proposed auditorium which didn’t have a Teacher Professional Development Center. If we were to add the cost of the 24,000 square foot training center to the 2005 proposal, it would have added an additional $5 million to the construction costs. Therefore, the current proposal is between $15 and $16 million less than it would have been if built in 2005.
The cost of the current facility is $39 million. The construction savings of high school five totaled $24 million. The additional $15 million needed to build the facility will come from previous bond packages. The interest gathered during the duration of the bond as well as other sources such as new gas well revenues could be used to offset the additional cost. This is not the first time the district has proposed building a facility that was not on a bond program. In the 2001 bond program, the district was able to secure enough funds from savings on construction projects and interest earnings to build an additional elementary school. In the 1999 bond program, the district renovated the Historic High School building with interest earnings.
Why now? The reason is simple. Current construction costs are allowing a window of opportunity. This opportunity, if taken, will not only help every student in our performing arts programs, but graduations to take place in district. The auditorium and training rooms will be used by our Mansfield ISD community. The room that can hold up to 500 can be used for banquets as well as school board meetings. The advantage of moving school board meetings to this location will allow the district to take the current board room and use it some day as additional staff offices. This will enable our administration buildings to accommodate district growth for many years.
The reason for providing this message is to get the information out to our patrons. I want everything we do to be transparent. Please feel free to comment on the proposal. If you have any additional questions, post your questions to the blog and I will make sure an answer is provided. There are two upcoming school board meetings that provide opportunities for public feedback. Those school board meetings are at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 25 and September 22.
Sincerely,
Bob Morrison, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
--------------------------------Updated AUGUST 21, 2009: Based on questions raised by comments, Dr. Morrison has provided the below answers. Questions were reworded to represent multiple comments.
First, I would like to thank everyone for offering his or her comments and questions. It has been great to see the discussion and interest in this project. Feel free to post any additional comments and questions below.
Dr. Morrison
Q: Why do we need a fifth high school, or any of these additional facilities?
A: Mansfield ISD will have over 31,000 students this year and a total of four high schools. Our current high school populations total 9,159 students. High schools in Mansfield ISD are built to support 2,500 students. Other districts do build high schools that are larger and/or smaller than ours, but our standard has been set at 2,500. If Legacy HS would not have been built, the three remaining high schools would currently support approximately 3,053 students. When high school five is scheduled to open, our four current high schools are projected to be over their capacity of 2,500.
Q: Does the district consider increased maintenance cost when approving facility construction?
A: Yes, increased maintenance costs and staffing are part of any building proposal.
Q: What about the inequities between existing schools, especially related to technology?
A: The school board approved this summer to update all the technology throughout the school district beginning with the older schools. There are 16 schools that have been targeted with the recabling project. Summit HS, as well as 15 other schools, will be completely rewired to allow for a fast and reliable Internet connection. Testing of the cabling at these schools will begin the first week of school. Cable that does not meet industry standards for performance will be replaced.
Technology upgrades are a very high priority for the district. For example, we are adding a fourth rotation to our elementary schools for technology. Keyboarding has also been moved to the fifth grade so that students can use this skill throughout their secondary years. Additional course offerings will also be offered to students in 6-8 grades in the future.
Q: Why does the proposed facility have 6,000 seats? If the facility is mainly that large to support graduation, why not just hold graduation at Vernon Newsom Stadium?
A: The size of this facility is directly related to graduations and the ability to provide a location where all staff could meet for professional development. Each year, we struggle to secure a location that is big enough to house our high school graduation ceremonies. It is true that Newsom Stadium is more than sufficient to hold graduation, but the common concern is the temperature and unpredictability of the weather in Texas in June.
Q: How will Arlington and Grand Prairie residents feel about building a facility designed for usage by the City of Mansfield?
A: There are no current agreements for any particular city to have special usage of the facility. If it should be built, any organization (including city, county and state groups) will be able to use the facility if they are willing to pay a rental fee and meet our requirements. Any rumor about special consideration for the City of Mansfield is a rumor.
Q: Why are we interested in a professional development facility, especially considering all other needs of the district?
A: The reasoning behind the professional development center is clear. The district needs a place to provide our teachers the necessary training to meet the academic needs of our students. We currently train our teachers and staff at locations throughout the district. No available meeting room can currently seat over 100 staff members. The new facility would be able to seat up to 500 staff members for a training session or meeting.
Q: Will the professional development facility be utilized for banquets and special events?
A: The facility includes a kitchen that will be able to support catering needs for up to 500 people. District events that are currently held in other rented spaces would be able to make a home at the center, like an Education Foundation banquet or a Booster Club meeting, for example. The rental fee for district-related groups would be equivalent to current fees, which cover utility and cleaning costs.
Q: With the state of the economy, this facility seems like an unnecessary extravagance. Have you considered this point of view?
A: I do agree that the general economy is less than stellar, but the current state of the economy is actually responsible for our ability to fund this facility. Like our current school construction projects, I intend to continue the district’s record of building functional and durable facilities. I do also believe it is necessary to build structures that are points of pride for our school communities, but with a focus on getting the district a good value within a reasonable budget.
Updated SEPTEMBER 24, 2009: At the September 22, 2009 Regular School Board Meeting, Board Trustees approved the construction of the performing arts auditorium and professional development center by a 6-0 vote.
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