2024 YEAR-END APPEAL • $50,000 GOAL • DONATE TODAY!

 

December 20, 2024

 

Dear Aristoi Families,

 

As you begin this Christmas and New Year season with your families, I want to provide an end of year update to address important questions and concerns from our Aristoi community.

 

Many of you have asked why Aristoi is conducting a Year End Appeal to raise funds for items the school needs instead of dedicating all of the money raised to repairing our facilities. I want to explain why the Year End Appeal is under way and why the funds we raise will not be allocated to facilities.

 

Aristoi is using budgeted funds to remediate and repair our facilities. In addition, the School Board voted last summer to approve a line of credit specifically dedicated to facilities repairs so that, if the budgeted funds were not sufficient to complete facilities renovations, the line of credit would allow us to continue our crucial work.

 

Work is being done as quickly as possible (as I will explain in more detail below) and there has not been any delay due to lack of funding.  The cost of doing this work is high but Aristoi will not avoid any necessary remediation or repairs. I will keep you updated on any change in facilities funding as we work to complete the necessary repairs.

 

If anyone wants to donate specifically to the facilities, we would welcome that. As for the Year End Appeal, it is important to know that the school needs your support in many areas. While the school’s budget is providing the needed funds for building repairs, there are many other needs we have for day to day programs and improvements that benefit our students and our staff.  If you are able, please consider donating to Aristoi in any way you choose.

 

Some parents have asked whether our remediation companies and our contractors doing the post-remediation repairs are licensed and qualified. Aristoi is only using remediation companies which are licensed by the State of Texas to conduct mold remediation. These companies must follow and complete the work outlined in the remediation protocols written by a third party testing company in order for the school to be provided a clearance certificate which allows build-back to begin. The contractors we have hired to do repairs are vendors approved by the State of Texas and the Texas Education Agency.

 

We have been asked by many of you whether we sought insurance coverage for the cost of the repairs. This was one of the first steps we took months ago when we found out that we had a problem with our buildings. The insurance company sent inspectors and an engineer out on multiple occasions and, to date, has not determined that the damage is covered. We continue to be in talks with them.

 

Parents often ask why we are still in temporary buildings and why we don't just replace them. Our large campus maker buildings are only about seven years old. The depreciation schedule provides that the buildings should last 30 years. We initially leased them and later purchased them with the understanding that they would last for decades, and definitely long enough to raise funds for permanent buildings as anticipated on our master plan.  To purchase new campus makers today would cost around $1.2 million each, and would require months of permitting, some additional construction, and replacement of necessary infrastructure. This would be an expensive and time-consuming process rather than a quick fix.

 

Aristoi is testing any and all rooms that faculty and staff have reported as being areas of concern. If testing confirms that there are elevated mold spores in a particular area, that area remains closed to students and staff while the remediation protocol is written, the remediation is completed, the clearance testing is done and while build back is completed.  This process will be followed until we are satisfied that all areas of concern are tested and found safe for our students and staff.

 

Some parents have asked why Aristoi doesn’t just shut down the school and provide education online until the remediation is complete. We have not done that for two main reasons. First, the Texas Education Agency would not permit that without an amendment to our charter as Aristoi is designated as an in-person school and is not approved to offer remote learning. During 2020, all public schools were required to provide remote learning due to the state of emergency. Schools have since been required to return to their state approved designations. Second, shutting the school down for weeks or months would require students, faculty and staff to attend school through the summer in order to complete the educational hours required by the State of Texas.

 

People have asked why the testing, remediation and build back are taking so long on the Morton Road campus. There are several reasons why this process has taken a long time. First, Aristoi is committed to being thorough. The testing, remediation and repair process by its nature takes time and a great deal of manpower.  When we add to that the difficulty of having contractors work mostly outside of school hours when they won’t interfere with school operations, that contributes to delays. While our students and employees are off for the Christmas break, we hope to get a great deal of work done by the crews. Please find all facilities updates on our website at the following link: Aristoi Facilities Page.

 

I am committed to working with the School Board to provide a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff. I’m grateful that you have chosen Aristoi for your children. We thank you for your patience as we tackle the facilities issues carefully and thoroughly.  This has been a difficult time in the life of this wonderful school but we will get through it. While our administrative team and the School Board are working hard to provide clean buildings, our excellent faculty and staff are providing an extraordinary classical education for our precious students. I hope that you all have a restful and rejuvenating break. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 

Sincerely,

 

Brenda Davidson

Interim Superintendent