VISD adds $116K to Aloe Elementary renovation project

April 20--Aloe Elementary School will look like a new campus in time for the upcoming school year -- almost a full year after being damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

"We are making a silver lining out of this deal," said Bobby Tober, vice president of design for Sledge Engineering.

The Victoria school district's Board of Trustees approved the design-build contract for the elementary school at Thursday's board meeting.

Hurricane repair projects have been an everyday occurrence since the storm struck in August, said Superintendent Robert Jaklich. Overall, the district sustained about $10 million in damages from Harvey.

The work at Aloe includes bringing the renovated area -- the wing near the front of the school -- up to current codes and standards, replacing and infilling old windows and installing new roofing and lighting.

The board authorized spending an additional $116,000 above the insurance amount of $1.5 million for repairs at Aloe. The guaranteed maximum cost is about $1.6 million.

Sledge Engineering, of Taylor, will be the contractor, and Weaver and Jacobs Constructors, of Cuero, will do the work, which is scheduled to be complete by Aug. 1, Tober said.

"It will give the front of the campus a whole new look," he said.

In other business, Susanne Carroll, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability, shared information about a performance contract with the University of Houston-Victoria at Crain Elementary School and Patti Welder Middle School.

The opportunity comes from the Texas Education Agency and Senate Bill 1882, which encourages school districts to enter partnerships with universities or charter school operators to promote student success.

Carroll said the application, which was approved by the board for submission, is for a "Turnaround Partnership" for campuses in the Improvement Required status for meeting state standards.

Board member Estella De Los Santos excused herself from the vote because she is a UHV professor.

Other steps in the process will be for the University of Houston-Victoria's legal office to review the application.

Fred Litton, UHV dean of the School of Education, Health Professions and Human Development, introduced Sonia Perez and Linda Villarreal, of Ed-Point, an educational consultant company in Corpus Christi, who will work in conjunction with the university in the partnership.

Campus leadership is one aspect they focus on, Villarreal said.

"I believe we will continue to support what they are already doing," Villarreal said about the two campuses.

The university's contract includes working with the district to review campus staff and data to decide whether more personnel positions, such as a social worker and behavioral specialist, are needed at Crain Elementary School and Patti Welder Middle School.

"We have a high number of students who need support in that area," Carroll said about the specialist positions. "This opportunity will allow us to reach out to our kids."

Each school will receive an additional $1,921 per student per year for each of the two years the campus is involved in the partnership.

Gabriella Canales reports on education for the Victoria Advocate. She may be reached at [email protected] or 361-580-6578.

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