CISD seeing enrollment increase

By Lindsey vaculin

General Manager

The Cameron Independent School District continues to see an enrollment increase, and with that comes growing pains.

The CISD Board of Trustees discussed options to handle that increase during its regular meeting on Sept. 12.

“We continue to grow,” CISD Superintendent Alan Sapp said. “We are at 1,666 students, which is 86 more students then we ended with last year. Twenty-five are additional as a result of Pre-K program.”

Sapp said the district has seen pretty significant growth over the last two years. He said the high school, elementary and junior high campuses are continuing to grow and that Ben Milam is the only campus that hasn’t seen an increase in enrollment.

How to handle that growth was the topic during a discussion of long-range facility planning.

“With the growth in our second, third and fourth grade numbers, they are going to be tight next year at that campus,” Sapp said.  “There is a possibility of needing our portable buildings.”

Sapp said maintenance would be needed on the portables and the cost to update at move would be around $28,000. But that they should only be needed for a few years, as the numbers in Kindergarten and first grade are less.

“You look at the possibility of only needing it for a few years,” he said. “When you add on to a building you have it forever and you are paying like we did for Ben Milam.”

Sapp said he wanted to make the board aware of the possibility.

Board member Jason Dohnalik asked that other options also be looked at for expansion at Cameron Elementary and Junior High.

“Can we pursue other options as well with that building,” Dohnalik asked. “Maybe a two-classroom addition. We could use those classrooms whether kids keep passing through and we need them or not. Our facilities are so extremely nice. We don’t have that need for the portables.”

Dohnalik said the growth CISD is experiencing is great, but with that comes growing pains.

“We’ve attacked it at Ben Milam as best we can twice now,” he said. “I would have you consider (an addition) heavily rather than have portables. I think it just doesn’t make those kids feel like they are part of the school. I drive this from the wellness and psyche of the kids. I think it just doesn’t work well for their personal well-being.”

Board member Franci Denio agreed with Dohnalik.

“I think we can find some things that don’t need to be done right away,” Denio said. “I think typically you move to the portables thinking it will be temporary and then the portables never go away. If you add on then you have the structure to use in the future and we will use it.”

“We have to look at what we are going to give up,” board member Greg Hoelscher. “We are looking at $28,000 or $200,000.”

Sapp said there are options and that he would work on comparison figures and options for an extension.

Board member Daniel Willie asked what is driving growth in the district?

Sapp said bigger families and a cheaper cost of living are some of the reasons.

“Families are bigger, families are moving in with family,” Sapp said. “Some houses have two families in them.”

Sapp said that due to growth the district is also currently looking to hire a new teacher in fourth grade and that those classrooms are all close to the class size limit.

“Right now we can use another teacher in fourth grade,” he said. “The second grade class moving over next year is quite a bit bigger than the fifth grade class moving out. It is going to be very, very tight.”

Sapp said the Junior High gym stands and lighting in the Performing Arts Center are also items that need to be addressed.