BEAUMONT - With less than a month until its Sept. 5 deadline to call a November bond election, the Beaumont school board showed Tuesday it might need every bit of that time to get there.

Trustees had concerns about combining some schools, specifically Dunbar and Ogden Elementary Schools.
They asked whether some sites were appropriate for rebuilding.

And they questioned whether Superintendent Carrol Thomas' suggestion for the order of projects did much to reduce the $443.9 million price tag on the proposal presented by an advisory committee.

"It seems like every time we have a meeting something else comes into the mix," Board President Ollis Whitaker said after the second meeting in as many nights. "There's a lot of question marks that even board members have about some of the projects."

Whitaker said board members need to get their questions answered before sending a proposal to voters, which he still hopes to do in November.

"We want to make sure what we do up here is going to be acceptable to this community so they can go ahead and support this bond," Whitaker said, adding he hopes to reach a consensus in the next two or three meetings.

Three more meetings are scheduled this month: 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the bond, and Aug. 16 and 23 for other business, which could include discussion and action to call a bond election.

One matter that seemed settled was the potential property tax impact if voters approve a bond.

A $450 million bond issue would increase the tax rate for debt service by 22 cents per $100 valuation, from the current rate of 5.5 cents to a peak of 27.5 cents in 2012, according to district financial officer Jane Kingsley. That would mean an extra $220 in taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home in those two peak years, not allowing for changes in assessed value.

Even with the increase, taxpayers would see a lower tax rate than they do now, Kingsley said. The district's total tax rate last year was $1.3629 per $100 valuation this year. With a $450 million bond issue, the total rate would peak at $1.315 since the rate for maintenance and operations will drop this year, Kingsley said.

On construction itself, Thomas told the board that some elementary schools might need to be built as two-story structures because existing sites are small and landlocked.

Those included Caldwood, Curtis, Regina-Howell and possibly combined schools for Fehl/Price, Blanchette/Bingman and Dunbar/Ogden, Thomas said.

Trustee William Nantz said the district might need to look at alternate sites, rather than rebuilding on sites smaller than the recommended acreage for schools.

"I think we're asking for a lot of trouble if we put schools the size we're talking about on some of these (tiny) pieces of land," Nantz said.

Along with the size of the building itself, space for playgrounds and traffic of parents picking up children need to be considered, he said.

The advisory committee's recommendation included no budget for buying additional property for new school sites.

Phase three would rebuild Regina-Howell Elementary; and build a new school to replace Dunbar and Ogden elementaries at an estimated $37 million.

Caldwood, Curtis and Regina-Howell students would move to a "portable city" at vacant district property on Major Drive during construction, under Thomas' proposal.

Once schools combine, vacated campuses could be temporarily used for other relocations.

"We think we can get a new school built probably in about 15 months," he said.

Thomas said the plan would save money, but Nantz pointed out that the savings came by not addressing proposed improvements at middle schools.

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By building the most expensive projects first, the district could save money by reducing the impact of inflation.

With that in mind, Thomas offered possibilities for the board to consider on the order of projects and where to relocate students during construction.

Phase one would include rebuilding Amelia Elementary; building a new school to replace Martin and Lucas elementaries; rebuilding Caldwood Elementary; building a new school to replace Fehl and Price elementaries; building a new multi-purpose center and renovating the three high schools and Fletcher Elementary.

That phase would cost an estimated $160.7 million in construction, not including overhead.

Phase two would build a new school to replace Blanchette and Bingman elementaries; rebuild Sallie Curtis Elementary; build a new school to replace Field and French elementaries; and build a new South Park Middle School, if possible at a new site. That would cost an estimated $83.3