By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
With just 10 days left until the May 4 school bond election, Bowie Independent School District officials made a final push this week to get information out to the public.
The district conducted two town hall meetings at different times on April 24 and took part in a virtual town hall the day before. There were almost 40 people attending, which is more than all the town hall meetings conducted during the October vote. Another 12-15 attended a noontime meeting.
Superintendent Blake Enlow went through a powerpoint outlining the bond proposal and then took questions. The same bond plan failed last November 1,079 to 855.
The plan includes the following projects: A new intermediate school for grades three to five, built at the corner of Rock and Tarrant. The existing junior high is overcapacity and due to age is Texas Education Agency non-compliant.

The 100-plus year old building will be repurposed for offices and staff development. The existing BJH gyms will be maintained for community use. The new intermediate will handle 600 students and include a storm shelter, ballistic rated entrance glazing and keep student traffic away from the street.
The junior high students would move to the existing intermediate after renovations. There will be a dedicated sixth grade wing, a renovated ag science facility and a new weight room and fieldhouse. The old classrooms, gym and locker would be renovated. The school also would include storm shelter areas, ballistic glazing and keep students away from the street.
The existing elementary campus will receive a new bus lane and covered pick-up and drop-off areas, as well as new staff and visitor parking that allows for safe walking to the entry. The existing high school will have a new weight room which it does not have now, plus new restrooms at the baseball/softball fields with a handicap parking area.
Citizens asked questions about how the plan was developed and how the costs figures were calculated.

Read the full story and citizens questions in the weekend Bowie News.

Pictured above: Superintendent Blake Enlow talks to citizens at a bond election town hall meeting Thursday night.