Coppell Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 13
Trustees Set Deadline for Closure Decision • Graduation Suites Snapped Up Quickly • Jun Gets Warm Sendoff From Council • Maximum Price Approved for Fire Station
I owe Angela Webster a coffee or a soda or, at the very least, a Subscriber of the Week certificate. On Friday, a member of the “Coppell, Texas” group on Facebook asked what’s going on at the former home of Ms. Mary’s Southern Kitchen. Webster said she’d read in the Coppell Chronicle five weeks ago that the shuttered restaurant will soon be reborn as the Double Yoke Cafe.
“Subscribe if you don’t already,” Webster added. “It’s the BEST for knowing what’s going on.”
Lots of people took her advice. By the end of the day, this newsletter had 40 new free subscribers and, more importantly, 10 new paid subscribers. Welcome aboard, folks!
Trustees Set Deadline for Closure Decision
With the spring semester winding down, Coppell ISD’s elementary schools have been hosting reunions for their alumni who are about to graduate. Mockingbird Elementary will host one on Monday, followed by Austin, Denton Creek, Pinkerton, and Valley Ranch on Tuesday.
At least one elementary school may shut down by the time members of the Class of 2026 are invited to such events.
Last Monday, the Board of Trustees committed to a timeline that calls for a Sept. 30 decision on potentially closing any campus. Board President David Caviness said there’s been “this underlying thought in the community” that the district was preparing to close a school throughout his seven years as a trustee.
“Quite frankly, we’ve never had those discussions,” Caviness said during Monday’s budget workshop, “and I think the only way we can put those to rest is we have the discussions and determine whether or not we need to do that.”
For anyone who’s new to this discussion, here’s a quick summary of the situation. The amount of funding Coppell ISD gets from the state has been stagnant while costs keep climbing. The district has been covering shortfalls by dipping into its fund balance, which is not a sustainable solution. Although voters approved a $321.5 million bond package a year ago, those dollars cannot be used for general operating costs, such as salaries. I’m a big fan of this Coppell ISD graphic that explains the two buckets of money from which school districts can draw funds.
“We’ve got to turn every stone over as we’re dealing with the budget,” Caviness said, and the trustees discussed several concepts during Monday’s workshop. Here are a few examples, followed by their potential financial impacts:
Bring back “pay to play” fees for extracurriculars: $250,000
Eliminate all bus routes that aren’t required by law: $2.6 million
Ask voters to approve an increase to the M&O tax rate: $2.4 million
Eliminate or reduce planning periods on secondary campuses: $3.8 million
Move high schools from block scheduling to seven-period days: between $1.4 million and $4.4 million
Superintendent Brad Hunt said those last two options were brought to the table because elementary administrators and parents have said things along the lines of “Why are we the only ones in the crosshairs?”
“Turning over every stone seems to be the prudent thing to do and the equitable thing to do,” Hunt said.
During the board’s previous budget workshop, Caviness and Trustee Manish Sethi described closing an elementary school as a “silver bullet.” The estimated cost savings would be at least $2 million, and Sethi suggested the district could afford to close two of them.
(See “Could Coppell ISD Close Two Campuses?” in Vol. 4, No. 8.)
The districts’ 11 elementaries are projected to have a combined enrollment of fewer than 5,550 next school year, and that number is expected to keep dropping. Meanwhile, the bond-funded renovations of three campuses will increase the elementaries’ combined capacity from 6,740 to 7,000.
The next step in the adopted timeline will happen tomorrow evening, when the trustees will hear about a facilities evaluation tool developed by a team comprised of district parents and employees. The timeline calls for the trustees to approve that evaluation tool during their June 10 workshop.
At one point during last Monday’s workshop, Trustee Leigh Walker asked whether the district had already decided to close a school. Caviness and Hunt said that remains just a possibility or an “if.” Walker said that’s a big if.
“Out of everything that we’ve talked about tonight, the only thing that is not reversible, that we can’t go back and change, is consolidating a school,” Walker said. “Everything else that is on the table, we could change our mind — or a future board could change their mind — in a year and reverse it. When we talk about closing a school, it’s done.”
Graduation Suites Snapped Up Quickly
Coppell ISD devised a new way to raise revenue this semester. For the first time, seniors’ families were able to rent air-conditioned suites in a press box for Coppell High School’s outdoor graduation ceremony.
On Monday afternoon, the district published an email that offered four $250 boxes with five seats apiece, a $1,000 suite that seats up to 15, and a $1,200 suite that seats up to 20. All of them were spoken for within 30 minutes. In fact, the demand was so high that the district extended the offer to the home press box and raised a total of $4,400 to help cover the ceremony’s cost.
(Note to self: Be ready to pounce on this offer three years from now.)
Coppell High School’s graduation will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday at Buddy Echols Field. Vishnu Marella is the valedictorian, and Dhroov Pathare is the salutatorian. The ceremony will be punctuated by fireworks, so stand apprised of that. When people inevitably ask “What was that noise?” or “Did anybody else hear that?” on Facebook and Nextdoor, you’ll be ready to answer their questions.
Also on Friday, New Tech High @ Coppell’s graduation will begin at 3 p.m. in the Coppell High School Arena. Sarah Myers is the valedictorian, and Tejas Bhatia is the salutatorian. Both schools’ ceremonies will be streamed here.
After all of the seniors’ names have been called, Coppell High School graduates and some volunteer chaperones will spend the night at Main Event in Lewisville as part of Project Graduation. This annual tradition is a safe overnight party free of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Every kid who attends will go home with a prize. Click the link in this paragraph for more information about buying tickets and/or sponsorships.
With the school year ending on Friday, here are some other Coppell ISD items to note:
• On Monday, the Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Cody Koontz as the next principal of Marcus High School. Koontz has been the principal of the Coppell High School Ninth Grade Campus since it opened in 2018. As someone who’s grown weary of supervising just one ninth-grader’s activities, I can only imagine what it’s like to corral more than 1,000 of them at a time. (Circle Nov. 7 on your calendar; that’s when Coppell’s varsity football team will host Marcus in the Cowboys’ regular season finale.)
• Students will be dismissed early on Friday, which is the last day of classes, and that will be the district’s last half-day for the foreseeable future. (See “Districts Approve Calendars for 2024-2025” in Vol. 3, No. 49.)
• Coppell Middle School North eighth-grader Sriya Gomatam has earned a berth in the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the second consecutive year. A network called ION will televise the competition on May 28, 29, and 30.
• Coppell High School sophomore Lexie Patton earned a berth in the UIL Class 6A Tennis Tournament for the second consecutive year. She defeated Lindsay Payne of Bridgeland on Thursday in the quarterfinals, but Patton lost to Ally Lin of Katy Taylor on Friday in the semifinals. Michelle Li of Houston Memorial beat Lin in the title match.
• The Coppell ISD Education Foundation is still taking reservations for its Robotics Camp in May and its Interactive Institute in June.
Jun Gets Warm Sendoff From Council
Members of the Coppell City Council put past tensions aside Tuesday as they bid Mayor Pro Tem John Jun a fond farewell and wished him luck in his pursuit of a higher office.
Jun had the unique distinction of serving alongside two former rivals. Jim Walker, who was elected last year, was Jun’s opponent in a December 2020 runoff. That was Jun’s second council campaign; he lost to Biju Mathew in a June 2018 runoff.
Although they met as opponents, Mathew said he and Jun grew to become close friends. The two were often aligned as the council’s biggest budget hawks. On Tuesday, Mathew thanked Jun for his service to the city and for his service to the nation as a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
Mathew and Mayor Wes Mays both credited Jun for bringing the idea of a veterans memorial to Coppell. Mathew and Mays also both said Jun was instrumental to increasing the city’s homestead exemption for seniors and disabled homeowners. And Mays and Mark Hill both mentioned Jun’s constant questions about how policies would affect residents and taxpayers.
“His fiscal responsibility, we really need him down in Austin for that,” Mays said.
Jun’s council tenure ended Tuesday because he is the Republican nominee to represent House District 115 in the Texas Legislature. (The Democratic nominee is Cassandra Hernandez of Farmers Branch.) Later in Tuesday’s meeting, Ramesh Premkumar took Jun’s seat on the council dais and began serving the final two years of his vacated term.
Before joining the City Council, Jun was a member of Coppell’s Board of Adjustment and also served as one of the city’s special counsels. During Tuesday’s reception honoring him for his service, Kevin Nevels brought up “a moment there where we got a little sideways.” After a couple of tense council meetings in 2021, Nevels and Jun met at a McDonald’s and spent three hours clearing the air. “We really found a place of commonality,” Nevels said, “and what that really came down to was the love of this community.”
(See “Council Discusses Etiquette Issues” in Vol. 1, No. 34, and “Our Rulers Discuss Their Rules” in Vol. 1, No. 36.)
When it was his turn on the microphone, Jun began his comments by thanking God for the many blessings in his life.
“There are many things that we can disagree on, but I think we can agree on one thing — that we’re all blessed, all of us here,” Jun said. “We’re blessed to be here. We’re blessed to be living in Coppell. And if you don’t live in Coppell, I think you should start thinking about moving to Coppell.”
Jun said he first ran for office so he could make a difference and encourage young people to become leaders. That philosophy helps explain his campaign for the Texas House.
“There are many volunteers here, for sure, in various capacities,” he said, “and you know what happens when we serve people, and when you know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life: You want to do it more.”
In other political news …
• The Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission met on Thursday for the first time since Commissioner Freddie Guerra lost his race against Premkumar. Near the end of the meeting, Chair Edmund Haas took a moment to thank Guerra for the effort he made to run for the City Council. “We know you have the community at heart,” Haas said.
• Beth Van Duyne, who represents most of Coppell in Congress, inspired lots of headlines last week because of her romantic relationship with fellow Republican legislator Rich McCormick, who filed for divorce earlier this month. These revelations probably won’t have much effect on Van Duyne’s November matchup with Democrat Sam Eppler.
• Early voting for the primary runoffs begins tomorrow. Coppell Republicans have nothing to vote on in this election, which will conclude on May 28, and Coppell Democrats have only one choice to make: Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown or her predecessor, Lupe Valdez. Brown’s campaign recently sent me a postcard, and it was the first one I’ve ever seen featuring an endorsement by Shaquille O’Neal.
Maximum Price Approved for Fire Station
Have you noticed that firefighters from other cities have been going to town on the former home of Theatre Coppell? That’s because the building on Moore Road will soon be demolished so it can be replaced by a fifth fire station.
A Facebook post from the Coppell Fire Department said firefighters from Addison, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, and Irving all took the opportunity to “get in some great training reps.” The crews practiced entering a building through the roof and also participated in various victim search drills.
In late February, the Coppell City Council approved the demolition of that building in front of Austin Elementary School. Last month, they approved the zoning changes associated with building a fire station on the property. On Tuesday, the council took a few more votes related to Fire Station 5.
They approved an amendment to the city’s contract with Byrne Construction Services that sets the project’s maximum price at $10,578,710. According to a form filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, construction is supposed to start on May 31 and last for one year.
The council also approved a $68,175 contract with a firm called Klinefelder that will ensure proper testing of materials during the project. According to a memo from Fire Chief Kevin Richardson, the work that will be observed and tested includes earthwork, augured piles, concrete, masonry, and steel.
Finally, the council OK’d the publication of two newspaper ads notifying the public that the city intends to issue up to $53.5 million worth of bonds to help pay for Fire Station 5, a new Service Center behind Life Safety Park, the reconstruction of Royal Lane, and other infrastructure projects. These bonds won’t be subject to voters’ approval, but the council is expected to vote on them on July 9. I’ll have more details for you before that date.
Click this button to read previous articles on Fire Station 5:
All of the aforementioned votes were 6-0, with Brianna Hinojosa-Smith being absent on Tuesday. The council took a handful of other 6-0 votes that night, including these:
• They approved the zoning changes that will allow Coppell ISD to build a new fine arts building behind Coppell High School and also expand the tennis center on that campus. Those projects will be funded by the $321.5 million bond package that district voters authorized in May of 2023.
• They signed off on a $1 million contract with a company called Road Master Striping to bring about 30 miles of roads up to current striping standards. “It will take a few years to complete the work in this contract,” according to a memo from Director of Public Works Mike Garza.
• They elected Kevin Nevels to the position of Mayor Pro Tem, following their tradition of bestowing that title upon the longest-tenured council member who has not yet held it. One year from now, it should go to Don Carroll.
• They approved an ordinance that prohibits parking on the south side of Ruby Road, which runs between The Container Store’s headquarters and the Oak Park Village mobile home community. Based on my firsthand observations, this change will displace as many as 45 vehicles each day.
Chronicle Crumbs
• Speaking of The Container Store, the Coppell-based company received a delisting notice from the New York Stock Exchange last week because its stock price stayed below $1 for 30 consecutive days.
• The Coppell City Council approved Kroger’s revised plans for a gas station last September, and nothing much has happened since then. A subscriber recently asked me for an update, so I put the question to my primary contact at the grocery chain, John Votova. Kroger’s corporate affairs director said they will break ground after Labor Day and aim to be finished by late fall.
• On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released its latest population estimates for the nation’s cities and towns. As of last July 1, Coppell’s population was estimated to be 41,404, which would represent a 1 percent decline year over year. Irving’s population was estimated at 254,373, which would be an infinitesimal increase over the 2022 estimate of 254,209. Lewisville’s population was estimated to have grown by 1.7 percent to 133,553.
• Criminals forcibly removed the ATM from the Wells Fargo branch on Denton Tap Road last week. Officer Kelly Luther, who speaks for the Coppell Police Department, said officers were dispatched to the bank for an alarm shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday. The first officer arrived within a minute of being dispatched, but the thieves were already gone. Luther said detectives are examining evidence and video. This incident happened almost exactly one year after an unsuccessful attempt to steal an ATM from the nearby 7-Eleven. (See “Knuckleheads Fail to Steal Cash Machine” in Vol. 3, No. 12.)
• Have you noticed the Las Vegas-style stop signs ringed with flashing bulbs at the intersection of Parkway and Samuel boulevards? Director of Public Works Mike Garza told me the city received reports about drivers ignoring the traditional stop signs there. He said that intersection doesn’t see enough vehicles to merit a set of red, yellow, and green traffic lights, so these flashing signs were installed to improve the situation. Garza said similar signs are coming soon to the intersection of Parkway and Moore Road.
• In other traffic news, the North Texas Tollway Authority asked me to let you know about some ramp and lane closures through July on State Highway 121, also know as the Sam Rayburn Tollway. This picture says it all.
• A few weeks ago, I plugged Senior Girl Scout Troop 6445’s efforts to collect eclipse glasses so they could be donated to Astronomers Without Borders. I’m told the troop saved 811 pairs of glasses and 15 photo filters from the landfill.
• The Northwest Dallas County Flood Control District’s Board of Directors will meet at 11 a.m. on Tuesday in everybody’s favorite venue for a public meeting, the Oaks Riverchase apartment complex’s clubhouse. Here’s a copy of the agenda.
Community Calendar
Unified Soccer Game: Coppell’s Special Olympians will play soccer with an assist from the Coppell High School varsity girls team at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at Buddy Echols Field. (This game had been scheduled for last Thursday, but stormy weather led to a postponement.) Admission is free.
End of School Celebration: The Coppell Family YMCA will host a free party from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday featuring bounce houses, water balloons, and Kona Ice treats.
National Anthem Auditions: If you would like to sing the Star-Spangled Banner during Coppell’s Party in the Park on June 29, you have until May 31 to submit your audition recording.
Coppell 5K: The annual race benefiting Coppell Special Olympics will begin at 8 a.m. on June 1 at Andrew Brown Park East.
Aw!!!! Thanks! Best newspaper citing for me ever. :)
Wow, this edition was chock-full! 👍👍