Back when Klein ISD was promoting an ill-conceived bond proposal that included plans to build a new high school, temporarily relocate Klein High School to the new campus, then demo Klein High and rebuild it, bond proponents did everything they could to drown out opponents who didn’t understand why district leadership would support such a wasteful expenditure of taxpayer dollars. We wondered why it was not enough to renovate Klein High, especially considering Klein High was not facing the student growth other district high schools were. We wondered when the looming economic downturn (which was already within sight) would burst bond proponents’ bubble. Anger was high in the district before and after the election, with the bond narrowly passing.
In November, the bubble burst, with news that Klein was rethinking how to spend the bond money. Growth was slowing, and property values were decreasing. Suddenly, razing and rebuilding Klein High was off the table, and new scenarios were on, including closing Klein High (Option B), and renovating the school while it remained in session (Option C). And just like that, bond proponents were crying foul — where was their brand new Klein High?
The district finally decided on Option C: renovate Klein High with students on site. In this Fox report, it’s amusing to see Klein High parents and district officials have suddenly become big fans of the option to renovate the school while it stays open. I guess Option B — closing Klein High — helped them see the light.
MORE: I should add, back when the district was trying to sell the bond, Superintendent Cain was asked how he could justify a raze and rebuild as opposed to just a renovation. The district never provided engineering reports that said a complete rebuild was necessary, and in fact, the district’s engineering reports recommended renovation.
