New Elementary Schools Q&A

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NEISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Gottardy met with Summit Builders May 23, 2012 regarding the opening of our two new elementary schools: Vineyard Ranch and Las Lomas. Summit Builders is the general contractor who is under the contract to complete both schools. The general contractor has encountered several set-backs, which has delayed the progress and thus the opening of the schools. We want to share this information with the entire NEISD community and keep you updated.

This blog will be updated frequently with Q&A, as well as progress details regarding the new schools. We encourage you to check back frequently.

Email questions to newelementaryschools@neisd.net.

Posted in Q&A

How do we know if our child is scheduled to attend one of the newly constructed schools? Who would we contact to find out?

Please visit the following link and enter in your street name in the search box: http://teacher.neisd.net/bus/streetwithborders.cfm. It will show you what schools your child should attend.

If he or she is assigned to one of the new elementary schools, then your child will attend school at a temporary campus until construction is completed. To find out which temporary campus this is, or if you have any other questions, please call Community Relations at 407-0040.

Rumor has it that the buses will have to start picking up students at 6:30 a.m. in order to make two stops at Wilderness Oak then Hardy Oak. Is this true?

Here’s the latest information concerning the general bus pick up times for the Rogers Ranch/Vineyard subdivision areas, in general. The same buses that have been serving the subdivisions to transport students to Wilderness Oak for the past two years will remain the same and possibly more to best service the two areas for the start of this coming school year to/from Wilderness Oak/Hardy Oak schools. Pick up times for the beginning of next school year will be very close to the same times now with a possible earlier pick up times not to start any time before 6:40 a.m. (last resort) for a few farther-away locations. Every effort will be made to remain as close to last year’s times as best possible in order for the buses to be able to continue their middle school and high school morning runs as applicable. The earlier pick up times for elementary schools for the last two school years were district-wide and must continue into next school year as best possible to maintain consistency and fairness for all elementary students across the District.

More definitive bus schedules and bus stop details can be found at http://www.neisd.net/ComRel/News/NEISD_LLVRBusRoutes_070212.htm. Once school starts, there could possibly be an opportunity to make a modification(s) if a situation(s) might permit. Again, thank you for your interest and patience.

Who are the subcontractors who have defaulted and what were they responsible for?

Each of the two new elementary school construction projects has had multiple subcontractors default on their contracts with the General Contractor, as follows:

Las Lomas
a.  Benitez Construction – Civil Site Utilities
b.  Texcon Concrete – Concrete Work
c.  Velas Electric – Electrical Work
d.  Apodaca – Drywall and Framing, Suspended Ceilings, Painting, and Exterior EIFS Work

Vineyard Ranch
a.  Benitez Construction – Civil Site Utilities
b.  Velas Electric – Electrical Work
c.  Interstate Plumbing – Plumbing Work
e.  L.C. Roofing – Roofing Work
d.  Apodaca – Drywall and Framing, Suspended Ceiling, Painting, and Exterior EIFS Work

 

Will you re-open the Grandfather Clause option?

Parents of current (2011-2012 school year) fourth graders and their siblings will have an opportunity between June 1 and June 18 to take advantage of a new window for Grandfathering. Included in the Grandfather Clause will be the district’s commitment to transport the current fourth graders and their siblings until the opening of the new elementary schools.

Please be aware: Dr. Gottardy will take this recommendation on the Grandfather Clause to the Board of Trustees for final approval on Monday, June 11.

What will the school hours be for affected schools?

Currently all elementary schools in the Stone Oak area start school at 7:40 a.m. and end at 2:40 p.m. To ensure the timely pick-up and drop-off of Vineyard Ranch and Las Lomas students, bell schedules for Canyon Ridge and Hardy Oak will be adjusted as follows for the start of the 2012-2013 school year:

Canyon Ridge 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Stone Oak 7:40 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Hardy Oak 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Wilderness Oak 7:40 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.

Will there be an independent commission that performs an analysis of what went wrong in these projects?

The District has no plans to establish an independent commission to assess what went wrong regarding schedule delays in the course of constructing these projects. We are extremely disappointed in the failure of multiple subcontractors on both projects to honor their contracts and commitments and build the projects in accordance with their agreements with the General Contractor (Summit Builders). The loss of multiple key subcontractors on both projects completely undermined the ability of the General Contractor to successfully meet their contract completion schedule; this is the primary reason the projects are lagging behind schedule.