New Braunfels Edition | January 2023

EDUCATION

OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023

District of Innovation status moves forward The Comal ISD board of trustees approved the appointment of a District Educational Improvement Committee to develop an Innovation Plan and authorized the superintendent to communicate the district’s intent to the Texas Education Agency. Districts of Innovation can access greater control in their local communities by seeking exemption from state legal requirements in specic areas. If the process is completed on schedule, the board of trustees will adopt the nal version of the local innovation plan March 30. Texas Legislature priorities adopted Comal ISD adopted legislative priorities to advocate for and focus on that meet the current needs of the district. Superintendent John Chapman recommended the Comal ISD board of trustees focus on items before the state Legislature focused on addressing the teacher shortage, school safety and funding in the district. Former trustee appointed to vacancy After accepting

BY SIERRA MARTIN

“[With Comal ISD] being one of the fastest-growing districts in the state and particularly in the region, new schools will always be a priority when it comes to our bond packages,” Stanford said. In the November 2021 bond elec- tion, voters approved $411.3 million for new buses, land acquisition and infrastructure projects throughout the district. The construction of two new elementary schools, a new middle school and a new campus for the Hill Country Preparatory High School was also funded. Additionally, $34.5 million was approved to fund instruc- tional technology. Construction of the new campuses funded through the November 2021 bond is underway, and 27 of the 84 buses have been delivered to the district so far. “We’re delivering what we told the voters we would [on the 2021 bond]. ... We’re in the process of identifying those projects that are going to meet the continued growth and needs of our district and our students,” Stanford said.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

COMAL ISD To keep up with the continued growth in Comal County, Comal ISD is planning to have a bond package on the May 2023 ballot. Some of the priorities of the bond package include additional elementary and middle school campuses, improv- ing safety and security, acquiring land for future schools, bringing new tech- nology to the district and funding for the maintenance of existing campuses. Steve Stanford, Comal ISD assistant superintendent for communications and organizational development, said the district is planning to have a bond election in May to keep up with growth in the region and accommo- date for students anticipated to move into the district. The Comal Forward Committee oversees funding selections for the 2023 bond and is made up of over 65 members of the community. In February, the committee will present its recommended bond package to the board of trustees. The board is expected to approve the projects and call for a May bond election.

More details on the Comal ISD May bond will be available in February after the proposed projects are dened by the Comal Forward Committee. Progress is being made on the 2021 bond, and construction on two of the four schools is on schedule to be completed by August. Late December to early

January : Community survey sent out to receive feedback on what bond projects the community supports January: Comal Forward Committee presents proposed bond projects with Comal ISD board of trustees February: Comal board of trustees approves projects and calls for a May bond election May: Community votes on 2023 bond in the election

the resignation of the previous board president Wes Clark in August, the New Braunfels ISD board of trustees plans to elect a new member

SOURCE: COMAL ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

during the May bond election.

David Heefner

New schools and upgrade projects ongoing in New Braunfels ISD

Former NBISD Trustee David Heefner was appointed to ll the term until the election. Mascot chosen for Long Creek High School After months of community surveys with results from elementary and middle school students who will feed into the school as well as teachers, parents and school sta, the NBISD board of trustees chose a dragon as the mascot of Long Creek High School. The current class of 8th-grade students attending New Braunfels Middle School will be the rst graduating class from LCHS. That campus is currently serving as a 9th-grade center. About 31% of those surveyed wanted to keep the unicorn as a mascot. The top two mascot candidates came down to dragons and lions with dragons receiving slightly more votes than lions among the student population that will attend the new high school. The board also voted unanimously to keep a shade of blue as the primary color for the school colors for LCHS and directed NBISD sta to send another survey for the secondary color.

BY ERIC WEILBACHER

2022 and are slated for completion this summer. Interior nishes at Lamar Elementary School and Oak Run Middle School are also on track to be completed in that same time frame. The elementary school that was previously slated to be built at the site of the now-demolished old Ninth Grade Center at the intersection of South Guenther Avenue and Butcher

Street is now slated for the vicinity of the Legend Pond neighborhood and Long Creek High School. That project is planned to break ground in late 2023, Liggett said. The rst projects from the 2021 bond are expected to begin in 2023. Additionally, a new elementary school—Elementary School No. 11— will begin the early design process in 2023 to serve the Veramendi area. Additions to Klein Road and Voss Farms elementary schools are in the nal steps of design and are anticipated to break ground in the summer, Liggett said. Outside of the bond projects, Seele and Carl Schurz elementary schools—two of the oldest campuses in the district—should begin initial construction of remodel projects over the summer. “The district will continue to look at long-range plans to provide for the needs of the community in all areas of New Braunfels ISD,” Liggett said.

NEW BRAUNFELS ISD Projects from the 2018 bond are nearly com- plete with two projects still ongoing, according to Mark Liggett, director of construction for New Braunfels ISD. Interior upgrades at Lone Star Early Childhood Center as well as Memorial, Walnut Springs and County Line elementary schools began in summer

NEW CAMPUSES FOR NBISD New campuses and upgrades to existing ones were part of the 2021 bond proposals. Below are the costs of some of those projects.

Ninth Grade Center conversion to Long Creek High School $121.98 million Estimated opening date: August 2024 New Braunfels High School on-site campus replacement Phase 1 $102.77 million Estimated opening date: August 2025 Elementary School No.11 $42 million Estimated opening date: summer 2026

SOURCE: NEW BRAUNFELS ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • JANUARY 2023