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Short looks like a new school

It’s an old school that looks and feels new.

That’s what the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee saw on Tuesday when its members met for their first meeting of the year at Short Elementary School. The meeting started with a tour of Short to see all the renovations at the school funded by the 2019 Bond.

“It’s like having a new school without building a new school,” Short principal Betsy Berkebile told the committee. “We love it.”

Even though they didn’t build a new school, the renovations required a major a construction project.

The inside of the school has been transformed. Kelly Horn, 91��Ƭ��’s assistant superintendent of facility services, walked the CBOC members through the halls pointing out all the renovations – like the new ceilings, new lighting and new tile wainscoat on the corridor walls. The wainscoat makes the walls more durable and much easier to clean.

Horn also highlighted the new luxury vinyl tile flooring, or LVT, which is better than tile or vinyl composite flooring (VCT). It is safer and more environmentally friendly because it doesn’t require chemicals to clean. Plus, it’s more durable.

When the tour group reached the gym in the back of the building, Berkebile described what it used to look like. The gym was dark, and the floor was concrete. Now, the gym has a new floor, new wall graphics and much better lighting.

“It’s like night and day,” Berkebile said.

Not only does the whole school look great now, but it’s also unique. One-of-a-kind graphics in the building inspire and welcome students.

Wall graphics in the main hallway and cafeteria feature trees, birds and cattle and give students the feeling that they are walking along the “Shorthorn Trail.” Then each hallway has a name that recalls something from community history, like Beatrice Short Trail – named for the school’s namesake – or Johnson Station Trail – named for the first school in Arlington where Beatrice Short taught for decades. Some of the other hallway names include California Lane Trail, Cattle Trail and Ranger Station Trail.

Following the tour, the committee members met in Short’s cafeteria to receive updates on the 2019 Bond program from Horn. The presentation included updates on bond-funded projects for facilities, fine arts, technology, security and transportation. (See the presentation.)

The CBOC’s charge is to follow the district’s bond program progress and report its findings and recommendations to the 91��Ƭ�� Board of Trustees (read the CBOC’s charge).

“The Citizens Bond Oversight Committee is incredibly important to the successful implementation of the 2019 Bond program,” Horn said. “The committee reports directly to our Board of Trustees to help steward the bond program and communicate any recommendations in the form of an annual report. Further, they help the district to disseminate information to the community about upcoming and on-going projects.”

of the renovations at Short.