NISD board approves gym renovations

With remaining savings from the 2017 school bond, Navasota Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to renovate the Brule Auxiliary Gym. 

During the special called meeting, Monday, Oct. 17, board members heard renovation plans for the gym that was on the original scope of work for the 2017 bond. Originally the plan was to repurpose the gym into a maintenance garage, however with the historic Rock Gym unable to be renovated into a regulation-sized court, the district doesn’t want to lose access to a fifth gym where basketball and volleyball games can be played. 

“The recommendation being proposed tonight is to keep Brule Auxiliary Gym as a gym, so the district has access to five basketball/ volleyball courts,” stated Navasota Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dr. Ronnie Gonzalez. Bond savings total $590,645.00 that will be used for the renovations.

Renovations include: Renovating the rubber gym floor, new paint, new lights, new bleachers, repairing the air conditioning, removing the ceiling grid in the gym area, replacing ceiling grid in the locker room, roof repairs and repurposing the locker rooms into maintenance offices. Safety straps will also be added to basketball goals so they can be raised when not in use. “Any unused portion of the remaining bond money may be used on campuses that were included in the original bond for additional facility upgrades and work,” explained Gonzalez.

Gonzalez stated the district has begun seeking estimates for portions of the renovations to be completed and can now open the bid process with board approval. Renovations may be completed as early as the end of 2022. Any work that costs $50,000 or more requires board approval, so Gonzalez stated a special meeting may be called to obtain board approval and stay on the quickest timeline.

The district also earned $1,252,350.00 in bond investments. “Interest earned of $1.2 million in bond investments may be used however the district and board chooses and does not necessarily need to go toward bond projects or facilities that were part of the 2017 bond,” said Gonzalez. He explained there is a list of request items across the district that consist of areas that need to be addressed. Gonzalez said those items will continue to be discussed.

Bizzell Academy investing in students

Navasota Bizzell Academy is seeing an increase in student participation and morale thanks to administration investing in the students.

Currently Bizzell has 30 students and has seen a major increase in attendance numbers the first 40 days of school from 41% to 78.62%. Bizzell Principal LaToya Taylor said she wants those numbers to increase even more. 

There were 110 credits earned last year, and in the first 40 days of this year students have earned 175 credits. Taylor and her staff are providing opportunities to students to inspire them to set and obtain their goals. They hosted a career fair for students, took students on a trip to explore the Texas A&M Rellis Campus. “I keep telling these kids they don’t understand the opportunities that are available in their backyard,” explained Taylor. “You may be low-income now, but that is what is going to get you through school and for free if they do it right.” Taylor said she was just like them, but she had the right exposures.

Safe Stop

Gonzalez stated the district is utilizing the Safe Stop service that allows parents to download an app and monitor their child’s bus and drop off point. Gonzalez said parents can set notifications through the app to notify them when a bus reaches a certain destination or is within an area near the drop off point.

The next regular scheduled schoolboard meeting is Monday, Nov. 14.