The bond election was the largest the fast-growing district has ever passed and includes plans for a new elementary school, a new agriculture center, and a new career and technical education center.
At its monthly meeting Sept. 20, the school board approved Stewart Builders for work on the new agriculture and career and tech centers.
"We truly want these educational spaces to be strong points of pride for this community, and we are confident that the district will benefit from Stewart Builders' expertise and commitment to innovation, efficiency and collaboration during all phases of the project," Board President Matt Fuller said in a release from the district.
The year-long design process for those facilities will start this week. This process will include members of the district design committee touring similar facilities across the state. While the facilities will be separate, it is likely that they will be built on the same property.
Kris Lynn, assistant superintendent of finance and operations, said the district is still looking for a site for the facilities but hopes to announce the decision within the next month. Together, the projects are expected to cost around $80 million and the district plans on opening both for the 2025-26 school year.
Marshall Construction was also approved at the recent meeting as the construction manager for bond-approved upgrades and improvements to Montgomery Junior High, Lincoln Elementary and Montgomery Elementary. Each campus will have different needs, but generally, the upgrades will include technology infrastructure enhancements, mechanical and air conditioning improvements, interior cosmetic work and parking lot improvements.
The rest of 2022 will be spent designing the upgrades, Lynn, said, and the projects will be bid out early next year with construction planned for the summer.
"We will do as much of the work as we can during the summer of 2023, during June and July," Lynn said. "We'll get all of the interior work completed and then there may be some other work that we can't complete during the summer, but ultimately all the work for those three campuses would be scheduled to be done by December of 2023."
Additionally, the board approved the purchase of 20 acres behind Lake Creek High School for a new bond-approved elementary school. The new campus will be designed for 900 students and is expected to open for the 2024-25 school year.
"We will be using Keenan Elementary as our prototype," Lynn said. "That will be our starting point. However, there will be some changes made so this campus can create its own unique identity, and it doesn't look exactly like Keenan."
The land was chosen in part because it is located next to an existing district campus so the district does not have to make another connection to the busy FM 2854, and because the district expects significant population growth in that area. The new school will help relieve overcrowding at two other elementary schools in the district.
Residents soon will have a chance to help name the new campus and choose its mascot and colors. The district will soon be sending out a survey, according to the district release, and suggestions will be made to the board of trustees later this semester.
©2022 the Houston Chronicle, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
