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Customized space Construction on the future-ready learning center is expected to begin in late summer and last two years, said Melinda Brasher, GISD executive director for communications. Each of the leaders of the programs who will move to the center were able to provide input on the building’s design to tailor it to their needs and increase its functionally. For the advanced CTE programs, these custom spaces include an auto- motive shop with eight to 10 bays, a cosmetology and barbering lab with room for 48 students to be working at once, two full-size commercial kitch- ens for the culinary arts program and hospital labs, Schulz said. Additionally, the building will have an innovation space the size of three
basketball courts end-to-end and a multilevel cafeteria designed to host some of the largest robotics and drone competitions in the nation, he said. Schulz said this space will cut down on the district having to duplicate these expensive, specialized programs at each high school and allow the classes to serve more students more meaningfully. “We were very, very intentional from the beginning on making sure that we would have a space that is ex- ible and would always meet the needs of whatever program we put there,” Schulz said. Ti ani Walker, GISD executive direc- tor of special and federal programs, said the district was also able to tai- lor space at the future-ready learning center for the Bridges program, which
helps students prepare for indepen- dent living and provides job training. At the future-ready center, Bridges will have a mock apartment with a kitchen, living room and laundry area; grocery labs where students can prac- tice restocking skills; and an enter- prise area where students can make candles, coasters and other products. These products will then be sold out of a permanent boutique on-site. Bridges is currently housed at the old Carver Elementary School, which was sold to Lone Star Circle of Care and the Georgetown Health Foundation that will take over the facility once the future-ready center opens. “The layout will be signi cantly bet- ter,” Walker said. “It will be much more user-friendly for what our students need.” Room to grow The future-ready center will house Richarte High School, the district’s application-based high school that blends several nontraditional learning styles allowing students to work at an accelerated pace. Richarte Principal Rob Dyer said due to the school’s location in a 12-class- room hallway at Georgetown High School’s North annex, it is capped at 100 students. The move to the future- ready center will double or triple the number of students who can attend Richarte, Dyer said. With capacity for 600 CTE students at a time and the entire Richarte High School relocating, leaders said the future-ready center will alleviate some space constraints at existing high schools caused by growth in the dis- trict. Brasher said funding for GISD’s third comprehensive high school will likely be included in the next bond put before voters. Capacity in Bridges will also more than double with the move, Walker said. She said the increased space will allow the program to admit more stu- dents who may only need one or two years of support after high school. Walker also oversees the district’s early-learning center, a tuition-based preschool open to GISD sta and stu- dent parents. She said by moving the program, capacity will increase from 70 children to 150. The early learning center will have exible classroom space for children ages 0-4. Each room will have a small outdoor area and access to two indoor enclosed playscapes.
Building from the bond
The future-ready learning center will be the rst project to break ground from Georgetown ISD’s November 2021 bond, according to the district. The center’s $97 million cost accounts for about 29% of Proposition A, which provided funding for school facilities and capital improvements.
Future-ready learning center: $97 million
Proposition A total: $333.42 million
Georgetown ISD’s future-ready learning center, which has not yet been named, will be home to a number of programs currently housed at buildings across the district. O cials said by moving these programs to the new center, they will be in a centralized location that has room to grow. Creating space
SOURCE: GEORGETOWN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
“As we as a district grow and our sta grows, that’s going to be really important that we have the capacity to be able to serve all those families,” Walker said. Encouraging partnerships By housing all of these varied pro- grams under one roof, leaders said they hope each bene ts from the oth- ers’ space and resources. For example, Dyer and Walker said both Richarte and Bridges students will have increased access to CTE courses and certi cations that they otherwise would not. “Those [classes] are really important things for students—that’s their inter- est area and a lot of times their career path,” Dyer said. Furthermore, Walker said Bridges students will partner with students in the culinary arts program to run a cof- fee shop and bistro, and Bridges stu- dents will be able to sell products from their boutique to community mem- bers coming in for services o ered by the CTE classes. “Everybody in that building will be working together for a group of kids,” Dyer said. We’ll be able to have more opportunities that way.”
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Current enrollment: 100 students Future capacity: more than 250 students Highlight: Richarte students will have access to CTE courses HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER Lone Star Circle of Care o ers basic medical care to GISD students, sta and their families. RICHARTE HIGH SCHOOL As an academic alternative high school, Richarte students have individualized learning plans. Timeline: summer 2022-summer 2024 Space: 241,209 sq. ft. Cost: $97 million Programs: 5 district programs CENTER DETAILS Space at the future-ready learning center will be customized to meet the needs of each program there. Current location: near Georgetown High School, 2295 N. Austin Ave., Georgetown Highlight: future-ready center will serve as a centralized location for those seeking care at the clinic
Current enrollment: 30 students Future capacity: more than 80 students Highlight: students will run a boutique and co ee shop BRIDGES 18+ Bridges prepares students with special needs for job opportunities and independent living. Current enrollment: 70 students Future capacity: 150 students Highlight: will work with early childhood education CTE students EARLY LEARNING CENTER The center provides standards-based learning for preschool-age children of GISD sta and student parents. Current location: existing high school campuses Future capacity: 600 students at a time Highlight: large innovation area with state-of-the-art technology The center will house advanced CTE classes such as automotive, culinary arts and cosmetology.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
SOURCE: GEORGETOWN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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