Howe ISD board authorizes emergency purchases

May 10--HOWE -- The Howe Independent School District will be able to start making repairs to the high school after the board of trustees granted the district the ability to make purchases without going through the traditional bidding process Monday night. Howe High School endured damage April 26 from an EF1 tornado with wind speeds reaching 95 to 100 mph.

"Because many of the repairs need to be done immediately, we really don't have time to go through the normal bidding process," Howe ISD Superintendent Kevin Wilson said. "Normally, you have to put things out to bid and it has to be over two weeks so you're looking at a month minimum to get that done. We don't have time to do that."

The Texas Education Code states the board has the ability to authorize emergency purchases if a portion of a school facility is severely damaged and the bidding process would delay classes or other essential school activities.

The high school was still experiencing leaks as of Monday morning and inspectors have not been able to determine whether the leaks are coming from the HVAC units, condensation or damaged areas of roof around the leaks, Wilson said. With the authorization of emergency purchases, he said the district should be able to start repairs this week.

"The insurance will pick up everything above the deductible so we're only out of pocket $10,000," Wilson said. "We're not going to lose any money by not accepting the lowest bidder because we're submitting everything to the insurance company. If it's in their reasonable scope, they are approving it."

Board members Mark Abner, Bruce Dawsey, Scott Renfro, Greg Akins and Janie Finney unanimously voted to give the district the ability to make emergency purchases. Board members Brad Anderson and Clint Catching were not present at the meeting.

Though the cost of damages has not been determined, Wilson said he estimates the repairs will cost between $300,000 and $400,000. When completing long-term repairs, he said the district could see numbers as high as $500,000. Thankfully, he said, an inspector has determined that the structure of the high school was not harmed from the tornado.

"We're very thankful that we only sustained the damage that we did," Wilson said. "We're trying to get the repairs done as quickly as possible without jeopardizing the safety of the kids."

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