The announcement, presented as part of her report to the board of trustees of the Belton school district, calls for a new elementary school, two new middle schools and another high school by 2018.
A $36-million middle school on Avenue D, to be bonded in 2009, would open in 2012; a $20-million elementary school to be bonded in 2011 would open in 2014; and a $38-million secondary campus for grades 6-8, to be bonded in 2011, would open in 2014.
When the secondary campus opens, students at the current Belton Middle School would transfer there, she said.
Belton High School will use the Belton Middle School campus, now empty, for four years to alleviate overcrowding.
A $41-million middle school, to be bonded in 2015, would open in 2018. At that time the secondary campus would be renovated and expanded at a cost of $35 million into a second high school.
With high school overcrowding alleviated, Belton Middle School would be reclaimed for use again as a middle school.
The net result for the district at the end of 10 years would see an increase in elementary schools form eight to nine, middle schools from two to four and conventional high schools from one to two. Counting Waskow - an alternative high school - there would be three high schools altogether.
The total cost of bonded indebtedness over 10 years would be $170 million. Dr. Baker said the plan - called the modified plan - was favored by committee members over the unmodified plan that would open a new middle school in 2012, a new elementary school in 2014, a new high school in 2014 and another new middle school in 2018. Total cost on the unmodified plan would be $166 million.
Eric Haugeberg, assistant superintendent for support services, said the modified plan is actually less costly in the long run because space is utilized more efficiently.
“If we build a new high school in 2014 before we need the space we would see it only partially filled for several years,” Haugeberg said. “By moving middle school students into the new secondary facility and letting Belton High School use the Belton Middle campus we will follow a more conservative fiscal plan.”
He said the secondary school could be expanded into a high school in 2018 when it’s needed.
Haugeberg said the spacing of bond issues using the modified plan would effect a change in the tax rate less frequently than the unmodified plan. On the modified plan bond issues would be taken to the voters in 2009, 2011 and 2018, whereas the unmodified plan calls for bond issues in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014.
Dr. Baker said the new elementary and the secondary school, eventually to become a second high school, will be built on land the school district already owns north of FM 2304.
As step No. 1 in the 10-year plan, the board must vote by March 9 to schedule a May bond election for the $36 million middle school to be built at the Avenue D location.
Dr. Baker said the three fastest-growing districts in North Central Texas are Belton, Killeen and Salado. Belton’s increase in the last year was 211 students - a 2.5 percent change. In the last five years Belton has seen an increase of 1,432 students - a 20.2 percent change.
