WHY I AM NOT VOTING FOR THE KATY ISD BOND IN 2013 PART II:
The second matter that concerns me with regard to
floating a bond issue, is the use, once again of
the PBK, INC architectural firm.
Katy ISD has used PBK as their architect of choice
for every high school and junior high that has
been built since 1999! Does that look odd to
anyone but me? There are tons of school building
architects in the Houston area. I was on the board
when they dumped the ones we had used, and I've
been told that I was "used" in order to bring in
this firm. I remember well the cordial reception
fellow board member
Larry Moore and I got when we visited their firm.
We recommended several firms to the rest of the
Board, if memory serves me, but PBK was obviously
the superintendent's choice for most of KISD's
major building ventures.
During a previous bond election, George Scott
asked (through an Open Records Request) to look
at documents related to PBK, and he discovered and
verified that the District, at the obvious behest
of PBK, was padding every bond item by 30%. Think
of that---thirty percent!!! With most bonds that
they pass, the ruse is that they build some of
what they claimed to "need" in the bond call, and
then they tell the public how they "saved" bond
money by being proactive and careful and
circumspect with our tax dollars, and thus they
are then able to build the junk we didn't need
(like Astroturfed football practice fields at
every high school that are too hot to play on
until October!),
things that they never mentioned during the bond
call but that they wanted all along.
Also, Katy ISD taxpayers need to know that PBK,
INC is the architect for schools in other areas of
Texas where there are school boards that also, in
my opinion, probably have a Board that provides no
oversight. Several years ago, the board at Judson
ISD near San Antonio was caught red-handed not
following the law. A copy of their attorney's
explanation of their vulnerability for suit caused
by their actions was given to WOAI in San Antonio
and placed on the Internet. If anyone wants a
copy, just send me an email. Visit this web site
for more information:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1641244261?bclid=1873806774&bctid=10109746001
[There are better links and more of them for the
PBK troubles listed below.]
More recently the Corpus Christi ISD school board
and PBK have been charged by 100 area architects
of violating the rules of the Texas Architectural
and Licensing Board:
Check out any of these and see for yourself:
State architectural licensing board staff seeks
suspension of CCISD
...http://www.caller.com/news/2012/jul/05/state-architectural-licensing-board-staff-seeks/
Jul 5, 2012 - State architectural licensing board
staff seeks suspension of CCISD ... Nigaglioni and
Joel Hernández, all of statewide firm PBK
Architects; and ...
Texas Education Agency finds CCISD in violation of
state bidding ...
www.caller.com/.../texas-education-agency-finds-ccisd-in-violation/?prin...
Jul 13, 2012 - CORPUS CHRISTI — The Texas
Education Agency directed CCISD officials ...
during the August selection of statewide firm PBK
Architects and Corpus Christi ... The state
architectural licensing board seeks to suspend the
...
Architecture licensing board, CCISD architect team
fail to negotiate ...
www.caller.com/news/.../architecture-licensing-board-ccisd-architect-to/?...
Feb 28, 2012 - CORPUS CHRISTI — The state
architectural licensing board and a ... Irene
Nigaglioni and Joel Hernández, all of statewide
firm PBK Architects; ...
Texas Education Agency rules Corpus Christi ISD
trustees violated ...
www.texaswatchdog.org/...corpus-christi-isd.../1342474291.column
Jul 16, 2012 - At issue is a CCISD board meeting
in August 2011 when trustees ... They made their
choice of Gignac/PBK primarily based on money, the
report states. ... has recommended that four
architects with the firms have their licenses ...
State architectural licensing board rejects
proposed settlements for ...
www.fiw.tv/state-architectural-licensing-board-rejects-proposed-settleme...
CORPUS CHRISTI The state's architectural licensing
board rejected proposed ... Members of the CCISD
team, which is composed of architects James Ian
Powell, Irene Nigaglioni and Joel Hernandez, all
of statewide firm PBK Architects; and ...
Feb 24, 2012 - Mission Statement: The State
Architects Licensure Board serves to protect the
health, safety and property of the people of the
Commonwealth of ...
More results for state architects licensure board
Trip some Corpus Christi ISD trustees took was a
violation, Open ...
www.caller.com/.../trip-some-corpus-christi-isd-trustees-took-was-a/?prin...
Aug 16, 2011 - CORPUS CHRISTI — A trip CCISD
trustees and its superintendent took to Houston
... Gignac and San Antonio-based PBK Architects
invited the board and district ... Often at the
state school board convention in Austin, board ...
More results for pbk and ccisd and state
architectural licensing board
PLA: State Board of Registration for Architects &
Landscape Architects
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Does this sound like an architectural firm with
which KISD should be engaged? Does this sound like
an architectural firm from whom KISD should be
taking advice about what to build, where to build,
and when to build? I think not.
Perhaps if KISD had true leaders, they would be
looking out for and spending our tax dollars on
the academic success of all of the students
instead of the small minority who play football or
play in the marching band.