The first of several planned community forums concerning the Mineola ISD school bond election May 7 was held last Thursday at the Mineola Civic Center.

Though attendance was sparse, no doubt impacted by the day’s wintry weather, a few dozen others viewed the presentation online.

Superintendent Cody Mize said the process that led to the unanimous vote of the school board to call the election for $29.855 million in construction funds has been ongoing for several months.

Among the most frequent questions he has heard are the location of the planned $19.5 million primary campus and why it was selected to house students from Head Start through third grade.

The current primary houses students through the second grade, with grades 3-5 at the elementary campus, which is proposed to be repurposed as a career and technical education (CTE) center.

Mize explained that the district has owned property on E. Loop 564 for more than 20 years, and the new primary will be built on a small section of the 126 acres.

By including third graders at primary, teachers will be able to work with students through that critical grade, when students take their first state standardized test.

It is absolutely vital, he said, that students be able to read on grade level by the time they reach third grade.

Fourth and fifth graders would move to the current primary, leaving that campus with room for growth. There will have to be some retooling of restrooms and flooring to accommodate older students.

The move will also alleviate some of the traffic at the present high school and adjacent elementary, as well as at what will become the elementary.

Spending more than $4 million to convert the elementary to a CTE hub allows the growing program  better ability to equip students not going to college with industry-ready skills.

”The reality is that not all of our kids will go to a four-year college,” Mize said.

The move will give the high school some room for growth and eliminate students having to park down the hill on Patten St.

Mize reviewed the timeline, which has construction of the primary school at 12-14 months, beginning by late summer. The CTE conversion would follow and take about six months. The entire bond construction program is estimated at two years to complete.

Other projects include renovations to other CTE facilities behind the high school and construction of a new auto mechanics shop.

Mize said the district will be hosting an informational website where patrons can get answers to many of their questions.

One online questioner wanted to know growth projections and the high school’s capacity, and Mize said that information would be made available.

The district commissioned a demographic study that was announced in November, including growth projections.

Mize noted that if any funds are left over from the project, they will be spent on other facility needs in the district.