GigerA member of the now dismissed Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee said the Brownsboro Independent School District is making a mistake by shrugging off ideas from voters here about how officials should plan for growth.

“Some things me and a lot of people in Chandler have asked them to consider, they have not even talked about,” Gene Giger said. “We want them to rename the school district so Chandler can have some ownership. But I have been ignored, and that doesn’t please me.”

Trustees were scheduled on Tuesday to formally accept the committee’s recommendation to build one new campus and renovate parts of three others, with the district facing an August deadline to call a tax election for Nov. 2.

If voters approve the bond, a new Brownsboro Elementary School campus will be built west of Brownsboro, and Chandler Elementary School will be expanded a sixth time.

Brownsboro Junior High School would be renovated to include classrooms at the current Brownsboro Elementary campus, and parts of Brownsboro High School would be renovated to address technology needs and better athletic space. A fieldhouse could also be built.

“I am not opposed to it,” Giger said. “I don’t like some things about it. We have the majority of the taxpayers and the majority of students. But when I talk to a business about coming to Chandler, they want to know about our school district. We’re not even named.”

Superintendent Elton Caldwell said others have also suggested renaming the district, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

“Chandler is one of 22 consolidations that make up the Brownsboro district. What would we do with the rest of those? For example, what about Moore Station, Leagueville, Opelika and the others?”

The district encompasses nearly 200 square miles, with most of the student population living east of Farm-to-Market Road 315, Caldwell said. He could not immediately provide current data that shows which parts of the district have the most students.

Regardless, Giger said he believes voters in Chandler and elsewhere want to sup- port the bond proposal.

“I want to see this bond issue pass, and I will probably go for it. We’ve got so many people here in Chandler who have kids in school or relatives working for the district, and they very much support this. I have heard a few who are upset.”

A group supporting the proposal was set to meet Tuesday following the Board of Trustees meeting in Chandler.

“As far as the new elementary school in Brownsboro, we absolutely need it,” Giger said. “I wouldn’t put it where they are putting it, but it is needed.

“As far as renovating the one in Chandler, I question whether that is a good investment when you can spend less than half and get a brand new school. But I know that decision is based on money and I accept that.”

He also questioned whether renovating a section of Brownsboro Elementary School to make it part of Brownsboro Junior High School is logical.

“I think updating the junior high end of the elementary school is questionable. If it’s not fit for elementary kids, how is it fit for junior high kids?”

Chandler Elementary was built in 1969 and expanded five times between 1977 and 1995. Brownsboro Elementary was built in 1968, and it was expanded four times between 1972 and 1995.

Brownsboro High School is the youngest campus of the four oldest schools in the district. Built in 1987, it has been expanded once. Brownsboro Junior High was built in 1981 and has never been expanded.

A new Brownsboro Elementary would be built on a 52-acre site less than two miles west of town. Texas School Planning President Dr. Arnold Oates has said an elementary-school design takes four to six months to complete, with construction requiring 14 to 18 months.

Leon Johnson of Southwest Securities Group of Dallas advised the district not to seek more than $25 million in November — although the district was reportedly approved for more than $42 million.

Southwest Securities Group estimates that a 30- year bond at $20 million would increase property taxes on a $100,000 house from $969 to $1,141.25. Comparatively, a 25-year bond at $20 million would increase property taxes on a $100,000 house from $969 to $1,157.52.

At $25 million, property taxes on a $100,000 house would increase from $969 to $1,203.22.

A 35-year bond at $20 million would increase property taxes on a $100,000 house from $969 to $1,130.18.