I remember the first day of school when I saw the huge new scoreboard at Buddy Echols Field. It was noticeably better than the previous board, and it was obvious how expensive it was based on its high tech quality.
As I walked around the school to start off my second year of high school, I noticed that some things hadn’t changed. The bug problem was still evident and so were the broken locks in bathroom stalls. Initially, I began to have mixed feelings on the idea of building new additions to the athletics department while these smaller aspects were still left untouched.
However, after taking a closer look, I realized other factors could have been involved in the decision to replace the scoreboard.
The city of Coppell district pays for school items, but taxpayer money goes to the district and also through bond election and out of that money a large portion is spent on Coppell High School. Though it is evident that significant amount of money is spent on the athletics department, students’shouldn’t be angry with the board for neglecting other student essentials and focusing on the athletics department.
The funds CHS gets from football brings revenue for CISD. The athletic funds come from bond dollars, and the CISD board bids on certain purchases such as the new scoreboard or bleachers. Bond dollars are used for specific purposes, and the public is aware of what they willing to pay for when they cast their vote.
We are all aware of the economic crisis, and CISD has tried to make the best decision for our situation. However, textbooks are a vital essential for studentsto be successful in class. Unfortunately, CISD does not have the power to provide these because textbooks are funded by the state.
The TEA has revamped how textbooks are being handled and they have been given allotments. CISD only has a certain amount of dollars to spend on textbooks and the district has to coordinate and get all the major players on the board involved.
According to the Director of Purchasing Denise Sullivan, there is nothing the district can do with the situation of textbooks, and unfortunately many Texas schools have been running into the same problems. In addition, the fixes such as the bug problem and locks in the stalls are changes that could have been made years ago and unfortunately no one has requested a bond for these. It’s understandable how voters can overlook these small details.
Students have to be more positive about the situation that Coppell is in before blaming the board and automatically despising the athletics department with their new additions.
