COPPERAS COVE – The next steps at modernizing educational facilities across Copperas Cove have been taken at a meeting rescheduled by icy weather.
Tuesday evening, the Copperas Cove ISD approved the sale of just more than $79.5 million in the first installment of the $154.5 million approved by voters in November during its regular meeting originally scheduled for January.
The bonds were sold at a true interest cost of approximately 4.12%, providing a savings to the district’s taxpayers.
“Now that we’ve sold the first series of bonds, our district can begin the design phase of ensuring a modern learning environment for every student,” said Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins. “This lower interest rate on the first series will help us continue to serve as a good steward of our community’s taxpayer dollars, which we promised to do throughout this process and will continue to do moving forward.”
Trustees approved additional facility improvements outside of Bond 2025. Firstly, the board approved a singly-ply roof system for Clements/Parsons Elementary School, the resurfacing and repair of the track at Bulldawg Stadium and a contract with Schneider Electric to perform an investment grade audit of the district’s energy usage.
“The agreement with Schneider Electric will allow us to explore ways to reduce electrical costs in our district,” Dr. Hawkins said. “Energy usage typically accounts for the second-highest expense in the district’s budget. By looking to make our facilities more energy-efficient, it will allow us to stretch every dollar of revenue to provide the greatest opportunities for our students.”
The trustees also unanimously approved an early childhood education agreement to allow the district to partner with nearby daycare centers to enrich their early education and open the doors for younger Bulldawgs. More information on this will be communicated with the community at a later date.
Finally, the trustees heard a presentation from Singleton, Clark & Co. on their audit of the district’s finances for Fiscal Year 2024-2025. They presented a clean financial audit of the district and the board later approved it.
The board is next scheduled hold its regular February workshop on Feb. 9th and its regular meeting Feb. 24th. Both meetings will take place in the Board Room, located at the District Service & Training Center on South Main Street.
Agendas for Board of Trustees meetings are posted outside the CCISD Service & Training Center three business days ahead of the meeting. Once posted, they can be viewed at www.CCISD.com/SchoolBoard.