News and Announcements

Board of Trustees Approves Hiring of District's Construction Manager

The Weatherford ISD Board of Trustees is one step closer to beginning the facility additions and improvements supported by the bond package approved by voters on May 9, 2015. At its regular meeting held on June 18, the school board unanimously approved hiring Pogue Construction as the district’s construction manager.

The school board created an Ad Hoc committee, consisting of Jeff Geyer (Chairman), Brian Catlin, and Dr. Joshua Tarbay, to review qualifications and bring forth a recommendation for Construction Manager At-Risk Services for the 2015 bond projects.

“The committee followed a well-defined process that led to the recommendation of Pogue Construction,” said Jeff Geyer, Committee Chair. “Pogue Construction has a long and successful history of building school facilities with a deep knowledge and understanding of how schools function. They have built over forty middle school campuses, exhibit ethical behavior, are financially stable, and have a focus on students. After extensive research and the feedback we received during the interview process, we believe Pogue is the right fit for Weatherford ISD.”

The school district received seven submissions following the Request for Qualifications for Construction Manager At-Risk Services. Applicants were required to submit their qualifications and cost proposals. The committee then evaluated each proposal based on the following evaluation criteria:
• Organization
• Experience of the Construction Manager At-Risk
• Financial Strength
• Past Performance of the Construction Manager At-Risk Methodology
• Reputation
• Uniqueness

The committee thoroughly reviewed and discussed all applications, assigning point values to each of the evaluation criteria. The point system for each applicant was then used to identify companies for the interview process. A total of four companies were interviewed and scored, and after all scores for the RFQ and interviews were combined, Pogue Construction ranked highest.

Dr. Jeffrey Hanks, superintendent of schools, said, “The school board’s Ad Hoc Committee looked at several factors when considering the construction firm. They carefully examined schools and facilities built by Pogue Construction and were completely satisfied. As a check and balance, the district ensures all construction projects are completed according to Weatherford ISD standards by the Executive Director of Facilities.”

May 2015 Bond Package
The bond package addresses existing facility improvements, grade realignment, growth, and safety and security.

Proposition One, for $18.8 million, will touch every existing campus and includes improvements to comply with current codes and standards, increase safety and security, make schools more energy efficient and extend the life of each facility.

Proposition Two, totaling $49,500,000, will construct a brand new Hall Middle School at its existing site for grades 6-8, as well as provide a sixth grade classroom addition as well as other improvements at Tison Middle School.

Proposition Three, $6.6 million, includes the construction of controlled entrances to improve security at all existing campuses.

Weatherford ISD is committed to transparency with our community throughout the bond process. Information about the design and construction status of the May 2015 Bond Program will be posted on www.roobond.com .
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Martin Elementary Principal Named

Martin Elementary Principal Named

The Weatherford ISD Board of Trustees approved Amy Crippen as principal for Martin Elementary at their regular board meeting held on Thursday, June 18, 2015.

Amy has been a public school educator for 17 years. She began her career in education as a 4th grade teacher and joined Weatherford ISD in 2001 as the counselor at Wright Elementary. She later worked as a part-time counselor at Martin Elementary and in 2009 was named Assistant Principal at Austin Elementary.

Following tonight’s announcement, Amy said, “There is a very special place in my heart for Weatherford ISD. I feel extremely blessed to be joining the Mary Martin family and honored to be working with such an amazing group of students, teachers, and parents. I look forward to continuing the excellence that has been established at Martin Elementary.”

Amy and her husband, Brice, have three children who attend Weatherford ISD schools.
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Weatherford ISD Bond Process Update

Weatherford ISD Bond Process Update

On May 9, 2015, voters of the Weatherford ISD community approved a bond package of three propositions totaling $74.9 million and the district has already been busy launching the planning and design phases of the approved projects. The district is working closely with its architect, Huckabee, and financial advisor, First Southwest, to detail our strategy, timeline, and plan to implement the approved bond package.

The bond package addresses existing facility improvements, grade realignment, growth, and safety and security.
• Proposition One, for $18.8 million, will touch every existing campus and includes improvements to comply with current codes and standards, increase safety and security, make schools more energy efficient and extend the life of each facility.
• Proposition Two, totaling $49,500,000, will construct a brand new Hall Middle School at its existing site for grades 6-8, as well as provide a sixth grade classroom addition as well as other improvements at Tison Middle School.
• Proposition Three, $6.6 million, includes the construction of controlled entrances to improve security at all existing campuses.

At its regular May meeting, the school board reviewed and chose its preferred construction delivery method and is now beginning the selection process of a Construction Manager at Risk. The district hopes to have a construction company on board by the end of the month to assist the district and architect with budget management as the details for each project are developed.

To address the needs in Proposition Two, the district formed a design committee at each campus that consists of teachers and school administrators. These committees are already meeting with the architect to discuss the planning of the two projects. This collaborative process will allow staff to have an active role in the decisions being made on the programming and design of their campuses. Dr. Jeffrey Hanks, superintendent of schools said, “We believe this process will yield a wealth of new, innovative techniques, concepts, and ideas that will ultimately result in a design that embraces 21st century learning opportunities.”

The Board of Trustees is expected to give final approval on the designs for the renovations for all facilities in Propositions One and Three in July, and for the new Hall Middle School and additions and renovations at Tison Middle School in August.

Construction sets and building permits for all work will be available in late fall, with construction kicking off in the early months of 2016 for all projects. Proposition One facility improvements and Proposition Three controlled entrances (with the exception of Tison) are projected to be completed by August 2016. Estimated completion of the new Hall Middle School and renovations and additions to Tison Middle School is July 2017 with an August 2017 move-in.

Weatherford ISD is excited to begin the journey to update and improve our district, and is committed to transparency throughout the process with the community. To do so, we will continue to update www.roobond.com to inform our community about the design and construction status of the May 2015 Bond Program.
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Important Safety Message for Parents

In an effort to keep you informed about safety issues in our community, we are providing information about an incident that happened today. Late this afternoon Weatherford ISD was notified that a child walking home from Martin Elementary was approached by an older white male in a black SUV. According to the student, the man was accompanied by a female passenger and said he was “Public Safety Services” and was trying to find a lost dog. The child did not approach the SUV and made it safely home. A police report regarding this incident has been filed.

Weatherford ISD campuses have been notified about this incident and will have additional staff present during tomorrow’s drop off and pick up times. In addition, the Weatherford Police Department will increase patrol units around all schools tomorrow.

We encourage parents to talk with their children about stranger safety and to report any suspicious activity to our campuses and the police department.

The following tips for children and parents are from the National Crime Prevention Council and may be found at http://www.ncpc.org/topics/violent-crime-and-personal-safety/strangers .
Recognizing and Handling Dangerous Situations
Perhaps the most important way parents can protect their children is to teach them to be wary of potentially dangerous situations – this will help them when dealing with strangers as well as with known adults who may not have good intentions. Help children recognize the warning signs of suspicious behavior, such as when an adult asks them to disobey their parents or do something without permission, asks them to keep a secret, asks children for help, or makes them feel uncomfortable in any way. Also tell your children that an adult should never ask a child for help, and if one does ask for their help, teach them to find a trusted adult right away to tell what happened.
You should also talk to your children about how they should handle dangerous situations. One ways is to teach them “No, Go, Yell, Tell.” If in a dangerous situations, kids should say no, run away, yell as loud as they can, and tell a trusted adult what happened right away. Make sure that your children know that it is okay to say no to an adult in a dangerous situation and to yell to keep themselves safe, even if they are indoors. It’s good to practice this in different situations so that your children will feel confident in knowing know what to do. Here are a few possible scenarios:
• A nice-looking stranger approaches your child in the park and asks for help finding the stranger's lost dog.
• A woman who lives in your neighborhood but that the child has never spoken to invites your child into her house for a snack.
• A stranger asks if your child wants a ride home from school.
• Your child thinks he or she is being followed.
• An adult your child knows says or does something that makes him or her feel bad or uncomfortable.
• While your child is walking home from a friend’s house, a car pulls over and a stranger asks for directions.
What Else Parents Can Do
In addition to teaching children how to recognize and handle dangerous situations and strangers, there are a few more things parents can do to help their children stay safe and avoid dangerous situations.
• Know where your children are at all times. Make it a rule that your children must ask permission or check in with you before going anywhere. Give your children your work and cell phone numbers so they can reach you at all times.
• Point out safe places. Show your children safe places to play, safe roads and paths to take, and safe places to go if there’s trouble.
• Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should get away as fast as they can and tell an adult. Tell them that sometimes adults they know may make them feel uncomfortable, and they should still get away as fast as possible and tell another adult what happened. Reassure children that you will help them when they need it.
• Teach your children to be assertive. Make sure they know that it’s okay to say no to an adult and to run away from adults in dangerous situations.
• Encourage your children to play/walk home with others. There’s safety in numbers!
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Ninth Grade Activity Center - Shelter

Weatherford ISD’s Ninth Grade Activity Center continues to function as a shelter for Parker County Brazos River flood evacuees in conjunction with the Red Cross and Parker County Emergency Management.

In addition, First Student is continuing to drop off and pick up students living in the Horseshoe Bend neighborhood at Mary’s Café located at 5090 Tin Top Road. Morning pickup is between 6:45 – 7:00 am; afternoon drop off occurs around 4:30 pm for elementary students and 5:00 pm for secondary students.

We encourage our families to monitor local news stations for the most current information and to follow the instructions issued by emergency personnel. Stay safe out there!
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