San Angelo ISD Trustees Question Plan to Demolish Carver Campus

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo ISD is recommending the board approve contracts totaling $333,570 to abate asbestos and demolish the former Carver campus, which has been vacant since last summer. 

The recommendation was discussed during a board workshop meeting Monday, but no action was taken. The item is scheduled for a vote at the regular board meeting April 20. 

Jason A. Henry, the district’s director of purchasing, told trustees that seven companies bid on the project after the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program and dropout recovery programs were relocated to the Oakes campus because of declining enrollment. The Carver campus at 301 W. 9th St. is no longer needed, he said. 

Henry said 1 Priority Environmental Services LLC was recommended for abatement and Reece Albert Trucking for demolition after bids were reviewed and scored. The total includes a $40,000 contingency. 

Superintendent Christopher Moran said the Carver building is extremely old, contains significant asbestos and has major infrastructure problems that would make repairs far more expensive than demolition. The district has no current plans to sell the property afterward. 

During the workshop, trustee Karla Cardenas questioned spending the money while the district faces a projected $2 million deficit next year, noting students and teachers occupied the building as recently as last school year. She requested a tour of the campus and additional information before voting and invited other board members to join. 

It was also said that the building was not unsafe but outdated and in poor condition, with uneven floors and other issues. Several trustees who had visited the site supported the earlier move to Oakes, saying it provided students a better learning environment.