College Station ISD coaches discuss safety, equity issues covered by proposed bond

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – College Station ISD has two bonds on the ballot in May’s election, the same bonds voters rejected in November.

But Brandon Schmidt, athletic coordinator at A&M Consolidated High School, said it’s not just about athletics, it’s also about correcting an equity issue.

There is one girl’s bathroom in the fieldhouse at Consol. It’s the only space available for female athletes to change and store their items at the fieldhouse. Girls are then left to either change at the main campus, wait for space in the bathroom or use a converted storage room underneath the stadium bleachers. That space is also utilized by boys soccer during home games.

The fieldhouse has several locker rooms and bathrooms for boys’ sports, like football and baseball. However, Schmidt said there aren’t enough lockers available for how large the teams are.

He wants the fieldhouse at Consol to be a space that all athletes can use.

“There’s not a locker room over here for you. There’s a restroom here, but it’s not adequate. And so I think it’s frustrating for them,” he said.

Although it’s the second time voters will consider this specific bond package, it’s the third time athletic renovations have been on the ballot. The first bond failed to pass in 2021, and the most recent attempt was rejected in November. But coaches at the district’s two high schools said the need for them hasn’t gone away.

“We have more students who want to be involved in the different programs that we’ve got, and so that does put a strain on our system,” Stoney Pryor, athletic coordinator at College Station High School, said.

College Station High School was built in 2012 and has had the same track since. That material is meant to last around eight years, and now it poses a safety risk to athletes.

“We have spots that the track itself has separated from the concrete underneath it. And so that’s not a safe situation,” Pryor said.

Meanwhile, Consol’s field house was built in 1989, and has had only one renovation since then.

Schmidt said the lack of adequate space affects all aspects of work in the fieldhouse. It means injured athletes seeking treatment have no choice but to be treated on the floor due to a lack of table space.

“Maybe that increases the rehab time and your ability to get back on the court, back on the field,” he remarked.

According to him, it’s about keeping up with the area’s growth and their growing athletic programs. Schmidt said around half of Consol students are involved in athletics.

“Well over 1,000 of them use these facilities, so it’s not just about athletics. It’s about all of our students,” he said.

For more information on College Station ISD’s bond, click here.