6
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, APR. 2, 1976
THE CANDIDATE:
W. D. Fitch
Resident of College Station
since 1946
30 years experience in the
building business and
Subdivision building in
College Station
Thoroughly dedicated to
the continued enhance
ment of our City and its
School System
RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
I had hoped you (the voters) were wrong and was prepared to say
to you: "''Support this Issue, we all want the same thing, a fine
School System and we must be willing to pay this much for it."
THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE
I walked over every School Site and through or around every
building including the Play Fields and repair bams, just as did the
C.A.C. in their investigations; as a result:
I AM CONVINCED NOW:
We Can Have Our Cake
Without it "Eating our Lunch"
I discovered no reason to doubt the motives and good intentions
and dedicated effort by everyone involved: the School Board, the
Administration Staff, the Architect and the Citizens Advisory
Committee.
THE ONLY ERROR, and it is a VERY LARGE ONE lies in the
apparent acceptance, without question, of the so-called
ESTIMATED COSTS
These are two miles high, if we may equate miles with Millions of
Dollars. Let me re-name these "estimated costs" as proposed
expenditures. There is a lot of difference. Okay, so this is easy to
say, but let me be specific in two ways:
ONE
You could not come with me on my tours, so I have had some
photos made and reproduced, a few of which characterize a part
of what I saw, with my comments about them.
TWO
I have copied verbatim, some very pertinent illustrative excerpts
from the Citizens Advisory Committee's 69 page report, and made
comments regarding these items in the adjacent column to point
out the source of my conclusions.
SO WHY VOTE FOR ME?
As a Trustee of the School District I will:
Respect the decision of the voters as expressed in the Bond
Election. -
If this issue fails (and you elect me) I will work for a drastically
reduced Bond issue to meet immediate needs this year on a
priority basis to be set by your Board and your School Admin
istration.
Other recommended construction programs will be listed
separately (in order of priority) for your consideration.
I will remain available to the voters, students and teachers
for their comments, complaints, or congratulations (as the
case may be) during my year of service, and strive to set
policies in accordance with the will of the voters and see that
such policies are put into effect by our staff.
* If this Bond issue is approved (which I doubt) and which I
cannot recommend to you because I have confirmed to my
own satisfaction the doubts of the 600 voters who rejected
the smaller Bond; then I will work with all involved parties
to see that the approved programs are carried out in the
MOST ECONOMICAL manner.
I am more firmly convinced than ever that the "Proposed
Expenditures" for buildings are very fat and fluffy, and
we can have all space needed for less than $4,000,000.
I Solicit Your
Support and Influence
to Elect Me as Your:
TRUSTEE PLACE FOUR
I have not cluttered your yard with signs nor harrassed
you at your door. But I am just as sincere as any of those
candidates who have.
I hope you will take the time to read all of this information
before you vote and then VOTE!!!
Why am I running for
School Board Trustee, Place 4?
1. THE FIRST BOND PROPOSAL FAILED for $5,150,000.00.
2. I believe that the voters will seldom make a mistake if they are
fully informed.
3. I felt it necessary that someone outside the present Board
and Administration thoroughly look into the entire situation to
see what if anything was the reason for the public rejection
of this issue.
This is the upstairs "men's room" at the High School, off the
hall by the gym. William Bausse (the candidate's son) and a
young man named Harwell said it had been this way since last
year.
This two-classroom kindergarten building is marked for
demolition, being a part of the total of the 5 buildings (26 class
rooms) which are to be demolished under the new heading of
"SITE IMPROVEMENTS" as set out in Item 28 of the C.A.C.
report attached.
I talked with the kindergarten teacher in this building one
Sunday afternoon, who told me it was the best workable space
she had ever had for teaching; she also commented on the good
work of the parents in buiding the playground "tunnel" etc.
and how much the kids loved it. A 12 classroom building now
in use for 3rd and 4th grades under "Special Ed." is also to be
"SITE IMPROVED."
These lads are enjoying a good wholesome recreation after
school in a part of the High School cafeteria, next to the area
for the proposed "Brown Bag" addition to the cafeteria.
I was further determined to see for myself what would cause
dedicated people like O. C. Cooper and Lambert Wilkes to
resign and/or decide not to run for re-election.
I was encouraged to make this effort by the many people to
whom I expressed these concerns, but who said they were too
busy or did not want to get "involved in the problems."
THE FAILURE OF A SCHOOL BOND IN OUR CITY
IS A SERIOUS MATTER
It is dividing the fine people of this district when we should all
be working together for our mutual benefit and for that of our
Schools.
YOU ARE ALL CONCERNED
whether you like it or not.
We all want the same thing; the best possible School System that
we can afford, and I want everyone to want to support it fully.
HERE IS WHAT I FOUND OUT:
In the weeks since 1 entered this race, I have plowed through hun
dreds of pages of original proposals, amended and revised propos
als, talked for hours with everyone who would discuss the Bond
issue; the present Chairman who is choosing not to run, the re-
signed member, other members, other candidates, teachers,
parents, older citizens, rural citizens, students, school bus drivers,
bankers, businessmen and members of the Citizens Advisory
Committee, and other prominent civic leaders.
This is a view of one of the older six classroom buildings now
being used for storage and maintenance work. The present Bond
issue proposes to demolish the building; I say it can be restored
and used, but the maintenance personnel certainly need a more
adequate place for storage and working.
It n
This room in the Board Room Building is part of the excellentE 152,1
printing, reproduction and photographic lab, which is utilized|
by the school to print their various publications prepared by the!
Public Relations division of the Administration headed by Mrs j
Crittenden, and her assistant Mrs. Hopson. They were pre-l
paring the schedules for the Adult Education Programs whenll
was there. Mr. Greenwalt, who heads the "Special Ed."I
division and his secretary, Mrs. Beamer are also in the building. |
I hope, if I am elected trustee, to be able to use these facilities
for future information output to school patrons.
ft
13. V
/name
'This graphic representation of the above figures shows sharply
rising costs during the last 2 years, but does not show why
'The rate of increase of students actually declined slightly.
11 oo b
/ I IO0
STATE
Qoo h
o z
SCHOOL y£AfiS
Remarks: During the past 2 years the increase in percentage has
been: Students increased 7%; Expenditures increased 55%.
Some of this can be accounted for by inflation and salary raises.
The rest must be presumed to be a result of radically increased new
programs and administrative overhead, which is quite typical of all
government organizations in which the administration is enthusi
astic and actively promoting new programs.
This will always occur in the absence of controlling limits set
by a policy making Board and may be accelerated if encouraged by
the Board. I V
19. m
in g ar
V
24. M
($57,7
YEARS nto*? 70 7' 7Z 73 7 ^ I S' 7( ,
TOT Al_
ENROLL AAeNT
2,243
2,3/ /
2,50c
2, (o5 1
2,8/0
2,3
2,385
TOTAL
Budget (mil )
ii.37
*/. °ii
*213
$2.15
^2. S')
S 2.32
Annual coST
PCP STUDENT
% UO
Sg>32
$811
$e>/o
ic )20
lo^O
* 13 25’
THE" A’BOVE FlboRES CA/WC TH«S -SCrtOO. AT(OrM OFFICES