COUPLAND — Trustees approved additional funding for construction costs at the new Coupland Junior High and High School, but not without questions.
The extra money, which comes from bond interest, will go towards the school’s multipurpose building at CR 460. The amount rose from almost $350,000 to slightly more than $500,000.
“Why is this so much more than we thought?” said trustee Tessa Strider during a meeting Thursday of the Coupland Independent School District.
The original estimate the district received for the building basically only included the shell, Superintendent Ed Parcell explained.
“The number we got didn’t include all the details. It was literally the concrete and the metal building. No insulation, no cable, no air conditioning,” Parcell said.
Weaver and Jacobs Constructors Inc. is building the new school, expected to open in August. Project manager Randy Boone said construction is on time.
Meanwhile, much of the discussion at the March 12 meeting centered on finances in general.
Prior to the regular school board session, an open budget workshop was held. Parcell wanted to go over the district’s finances with trustees before determining the actual budget in a few months.
“We’re not talking budget today, really, we’re just going to get the understanding of the fundamentals of where our revenue comes from,” Parcell said.
The superintendent and the elected representatives discussed variables factoring into the budget, such as student attendance — which affects disbursements from the state — and property taxes.
Meanwhile, the district is still short one school board member to replace Royce Hatch, who resigned.
Marcia Buffington recently was appointed to fill another open seat. For more information about serving on the school board, call 512-856-2422 or visit couplandisd.org/ page/school- board.
The next meeting is 6 p.m. April 9 in the school library at 620 S. Commerce St.
