Tyler ISD trustees decided on Thursday to auction off approximately 60 portable classroom buildings no longer needed by the district, mostly due to completion of construction of new facilities.

Reducing the use of portable classrooms was one of many purposes of a $160.5 million bond issue voters approved in May 2013 that funded construction of three middle schools and the Career and Technology Center, as well as expansion and renovation of Dixie and Rice elementary schools.

“When the referendum was passed by the community, we made a commitment to build a new middle school – Three Lakes – and to be able to relieve some of the congestion at Hogg and Hubbard (middle schools),” Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said.

The portable buildings exposed students to the outside elements as they went from class to class.

“We were able to move all of our students inside the buildings and keep them safer inside,” Crawford said.

The new, larger middle schools made possible the redrawing of middle school attendance zones, lowering enrollment this fall at Hogg, Hubbard and Stewart schools and eliminating the need for portables at those schools.

“We are excited about it and glad to be able to fulfill our commitment to the community,” Crawford said.

The school board authorized the auction and removal of nine units at Stewart Academy, 11 at Hubbard Middle School and 17 units at Hogg Middle School. Some of the units at Hogg are doublewide, so the number at Hogg actually involves 21 individual classrooms.

Those portables “are no longer needed,” stated information provided to the board.

“The district has contacted Lemon Auction Company to assist in the handling of the auction to sell the excess portables,” according to the information.

The on-line auction begins Friday and purchasers are required to remove the portable buildings from the campuses, according to Facilities Director Tim Loper.

Answering a question from board President Andy Bergfeld, Crawford said portables at Hogg and Hubbard will be removed even if they are not sold in order to meet the commitment to the community to remove those buildings.

In the future, the board will need to look at the use of Hogg, the superintendent said. The district may need to consider whether Hogg remains a comprehensive school, might possibly be made into a specialized campus or expanded, he said.

In addition to sale of portables at middle schools, the district plans to auction and remove 22 portables formerly used by Tyler ISD but currently leased to Tyler Junior College.

The memorandum of understanding for TJC’s lease of the portables expires Dec. 31. The auction and removal of the portable buildings at TJC will be completed by Dec. 31, administrators said.

TJC no longer needs the portables, college spokesman Fred Peters said. Construction of the Robert M. Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center freed up space in the Pirtle Technology Building, he said.

About 25 more Tyler ISD portables no longer needed by the district were leased during the summer to Van ISD to assist Van while rebuilding from an F3 tornado that caused widespread damage in Van ISD and the city of Van. Van ISD is expected to need those portables for a couple of years. Whenever Van no longer needs them, Tyler ISD intends to also auction off those portables.

Tyler ISD has been gradually getting rid of portable buildings. At its peak, the district had students housed in up to 200 portable classrooms scattered throughout the district, according to Loper.

After the upcoming sales, the district will still have portables at a few locations. Dogan Middle School and John Tyler High School each have 13. Robert E. Lee High School has 19. St. Louis Early Childhood Center has two and Plyler Instructional Complex has one.

TWITTER: @TMT_Betty