LISD to post school zone signs near Taylor Creek elementary
Posted On: Tuesday, Oct. 6 2009 01:38 AM
By Jackie Stone
Killeen Daily HeraldLAMPASAS – Students who have to walk to school along Big Divide Road will soon get school zone signs along the route some parents say is dangerous.
At its regular meeting Monday, the Lampasas Independent School District School board voted to pay for the cost of putting up school zone signs on Big Divide Road by Taylor Creek Elementary School.
The speed limit will not change, but the signs should help make drivers more aware of the school and students, Superintendent Randy Hoyer said.
He said the signs are in part a response to parent concerns.
Taylor Creek, which opened this year, is on Big Divide Road in Copperas Cove near U.S. Highway 190. It currently has no school zone signs, traffic lights, or sidewalks and has deep ditches on both sides.
Under Texas law, school transportation is not funded for students who live within two miles of a school.
Three parents had asked the school board at a previous meeting to consider additional transportation for those students who walk down the road, but no action was taken.
Also Monday, Hoyer said the district is beginning to discuss next year's budget in anticipation of another lean year.
He said the current state funding formula is inequitable for small, property poor districts like LISD and officials are looking into possible solutions.
Among other things, the district is looking into lobbying groups that could help the district present its case to legislators.
"If the Legislature doesn't turn things around the next time, us and a lot of other people are going to be in a big hurt," said James Briggs, school board president.
"We balanced the budget this year, but we cut out $1.3 million of things that we really needed to run the district," he said. "And when you do cuts like that, somewhere in the future they have to be made up."
Hoyer also said that while LISD isn't planning any action yet, the district is meeting with officials from other districts in a similar situation to see if they might be interested in filing a lawsuit for a more equitable funding formula.
In other action, the school board discussed plans for the old campus of the Lampasas Middle School, which currently stands vacant.
At its next meeting, the school board plans to vote on a lease agreement to allow the Boys and Girls Club of Lampasas to use parts of the campus.
Hoyer said the gym at the middle school will continue to be used for the district's STEPS program, a health and fitness plan for employees.
Other future possibilities mentioned Monday included holding vocational programs for the planned Lampasas County Higher Education Center, renting out the dining hall for community functions and moving some district programs from portable buildings to the campus.
Herald reporter Rebecca LaFlure contributed to this story.