Channelview ISD’s May Bond addresses growth, plans for future

REPLACE COBB & SCHOCHLER •Existing Cobb Campus: Capacity of 471. •Existing Schochler Campus: Capacity of 601. Proposed New Campus: -1,100 student capacity -located in between existing campuses -modern learning environment -improved parking, drives and play areas.
REPLACE COBB & SCHOCHLER: • Existing Cobb Campus: Capacity of 471. • Existing Schochler Campus: Capacity of 601. • Proposed New Campus: 1,100 student capacity; located in between; existing campuses; modern learning; environment; improved parking, drives and play areas.

With hundreds of new homes coming to the area, Channelview ISD schools, many which are already nearing maximum capacity, could soon be out of space. The expansion of the Rancho Verde residential development includes more than 620 new homes that will be built within the Channelview ISD boundaries.

In order to accommodate the future growth, Channelview ISD has called a $195.4 million bond election, the District’s first in 10 years, to be held on May 4, 2019.

Currently, Channelview High School and the Ninth Grade Center are over capacity. If approved by voters, one of the projects included in the bond is a new Career and Technical Education Center addition, which will add instructional space for approximately 340 additional students. The CTE expansion will also provide students with increased opportunities to earn industry certifications and prepare them for life beyond high school whether they decide to attend college or enter the workforce. The existing CTE space will be renovated and repurposed to create more space for other academic and art classrooms.

At the elementary level, nearly every Channelview ISD elementary school will be over capacity within the next five years. This bond includes the construction of two new elementary schools, one to replace DeZavala Elementary School, and a second to replace and consolidate Cobb and Schochler elementary schools. Both elementary schools will be equipped with the state-of-the-art safety features and will provide students with modern learning environments that meet today’s instructional standards.

The new, larger DeZavala will create additional student capacity for elementary-level growth.

The new, consolidated elementary school that would replace Cobb and Schochler would accommodate 1,100 students. The new building would be located in between the two current schools and the entire site would be reconfigured to improve play areas, parking, and traffic circulation. The parking and traffic issues at these schools are a result of the campuses being back-to-back, with limited parking and front-entry access for pick-up and drop off. The new master plan would help resolve those issues by reconfiguring the site to move traffic off the street and add parking.

In addition to addressing traffic and parking concerns, the combined elementary school will increase operational efficiency. Both Cobb and Schochler elementary schools are undersized by today’s elementary school standards. Merging these campuses will ultimately reduce operating costs without impacting any of the staff who currently work at Cobb or Schochler.

In addition to the new elementary campuses, the bond also includes enhancing student programming opportunities and increasing capacity at Channelview High School, campus renovations, upgrading safety and security systems, refreshing technology district-wide, land purchase for future school sites and new buses.

If approved, this bond equates to an increase of approximately $9.30 a month for the average home valued at $120,000. State law freezes the tax rate of homeowners 65 years of age and older and have filed their exemption with the Harris County Appraisal District. Therefore, senior citizens with an exemption on file will not see an increase associated with this bond.

The deadline to register to vote in the May 4, 2019 election is Thursday, April 4, 2019. Early voting begins Monday, April 22 and ends Tuesday, April 30. Election day is Saturday, May 4.

If you have questions about the bond election, or if you would like more information, visit the Channelview ISD bond website at cvisdbond.org