Education
BY VALERIA ESCOBAR
Design contracts coming for LCISD’s $1.98B bond On the heels of the Nov. 4 election, in which Lamar CISD voters authorized $1.98 billion in bonds, o cials are recommending architecture and engineering contracts to move forward with building several new campuses. The next steps Trustees will discuss and vote on the Prop- osition A contracts at the Dec. 16 meeting, per district documents.
Katy ISD nears end of TIRZ at Katy Mills Mall Katy ISD is nearing the completion of a nancial partnership that began more than two decades ago through the establishment of a tax increment reinvestment zone. The taxing partnership has generated mil- lions of dollars in local reinvestment for the district, supporting construction, road and utility upgrades and infrastructure expan- sion. This approach reduces the burden on taxpayers and maintains long-term scal stability, Chief Financial O cer Chris Smith said at the Oct. 27 board meeting. The outcome The arrangement generated $36.6 million in excess tax collections for the district, along with $2.2 million in interest earn- ings—a total of nearly $39 million reinvested back into KISD facilities, Smith said.
Trustees are set to vote on the rst batch of design contracts of the $1.9 billion set aside for campus construction.
Design contracts for the 2025 bond
Recommended design contractor
Project completion date
Bond project
Location
Project budget
Elementary School No. 39
Pecan Grove area
$40M Joiner Architects
2027
Rosenberg and Kendleton area
Elementary School No. 40
$40M P uger Architects
2027
Classroom additions to Leaman Junior High, Roberts Middle Terry High, George Junior High and Navarro Middle replacement New secondary complex including junior, middle and high school
Fulshear area
$45M*
PBK Architects
2028
Rosenberg and Kendleton area
$469M*
PBK Architects
2029
Fulshear area
$469M*
PBK Architects
2029
*ACCORDING TO EARLIER PRESENTATIONS, NOT EXPLICITLY MENTIONED IN THE CONTRACT
SOURCE: LAMAR CISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
LCISD superintendent named Texas nominee
KISD to add high demand workforce courses Katy ISD o cials have recommended 12 new courses for the 2026-27 school year, half of which were requested by the career and technical educa- tion departments. Sanée Bell, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said the o erings are based on market data of in-demand elds, including the district’s new utility detection program. “We have to prepare them for what they’re going to be walking into,” she said at the Nov. 17 work study meeting. “It does no good to prepare students for things that we did when we entered the world of work.” Zooming in The utility detection program is being launched in partnership with the leading provider, United States Infrastructure Corp., as experts have identi ed a critical shortage of trained technicians amid the growth of large-scale construction in the state. The district plans to integrate this program with its existing Commercial Driver’s License, or CDL, program in the next phase, Bell said.
New courses to be o ered
Advanced Placement, or AP, Business with Personal Finance
Business Law for Real Estate
Lamar Consolidated ISD’s Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens has been selected by the Texas Association of School Administrators as the Texas nominee for the 2026 National Superintendent of the
Business Management
Principles of Architecture, Practicum in Construction and Extended Practicum in Construction
Roosevelt Nivens
Three Academic Decathlon courses
Year, according to a Nov. 6 news release. In September, Nivens was named the 2025 Texas Superintendent of the Year by TASA, Community Impact reported. He also received the award for Region 10 in 2019 while serving as the Community ISD super- intendent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Moving forward A national panel of judges will review state nominees and choose four nalists before announcing the winner in February at the American Association of School Admin- istrators conference, per the release.
Two AP Physics C courses
Methodology for Academic and Personal Success
31,500 students enrolled in CTE classes in 2025-26 130 CTE courses o ered
SOURCE: KATY ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Looking ahead Trustees will vote to approve these courses at the Dec. 8 board meeting after press time.
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KATY FULSHEAR EDITION
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