LISD ready to buy fitness center gear
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

Louise school trustees may be ready to cut a check for a whole fitness center's worth of workout equipment, a cost estimated to be well into five figures.

In the district's old elementary gymnasium, trustees are creating a major fitness center in unused space once housing locker rooms, storage closets, offices and showers.

Louise ISD is creating the center at a cost of about $57,000 to accommodate fitness gear it will buy with a $200,000 federal grant for physical education equipment and teacher training. Besides training PE teachers, the money can only be used for physical education equipment for students in all grades, specifically targeting elementary students.

"I'm looking at about $75,000 worth of equipment, 100 percent paid for out of the grant," Superintendent Andy Peters said.

At the board's last meeting in November, trustees delayed approval of bids for the fitness equipment because Peters was still waiting on a third bid to arrive.

"I'm still digging through bids," Peters said Friday. "This is one of the most complicated bids I've ever worked with."

The board will also decide whether to revise its roofing contract for the fitness center, a project already approved with Jaco Construction.

In other business, trustees will look over the district's annual audit and possibly buy new reading/English language arts books for elementary students. As well, the board will decide whether to add Rice Consolidated ISD to a shared services agreement it already has with El Campo ISD that provides services for special education students .

The board will also consider buying Skyward, software that manages students. The district's existing software will become obsolete at the end of the year.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17 in the district's meeting room, in the administration building at 408 Second in Louise. Board meetings are open to the public.