Districts work to modernize, expand schools From the cover
Expanding space PfISD’s facility projects are bringing more square footage to sta and students, including:
P ugerville ISD
What’s happening?
Dollars at work
50,000 square feet WHS weight room 110,000 square feet CTE facility
55,000 square feet Learning & Technology Center 5,000 square feet professional development area
New schools, campus renovations and additional facilities for programs such as career and technical education are underway in P ugerville and Hutto ISDs, as o cials work to manage future growth. More charter schools and the introduction of private school vouchers using public funds are “blurring the lines of public education,” PfISD Superintendent Quintin Shepherd said in an email to Community Impact. Still, PfISD and HISD are projected to keep growing in student enrollment over the next decade, according to recent demographic reports by Zonda Education.
Many of PfISD’s ongoing facility projects are being funded through the $367.2 million bond from 2022. On the list is Weiss High School’s weight room expansion, which is slated to be completed this fall, Chief Operations O cer Victor Valdez said. The new space will be a stand-alone building located next to the athletic elds and allow for more exibility inside. A three-phase modernization of Connally High School, which is nearly 30 years old and has never had any major renovations, is also utilizing 2022 bond funds, Valdez said. About 20 acres of donated land within the dis- trict, o Wells Branch Parkway and Killingsworth Lane, is also slated to house a bond-funded Career and Technical Education Center with programs for veterinary technicians, re ghters, welding, health sciences and culinary arts, Valdez said.
P ugerville ISD’s new Career and Technical Education Center will feature high-intensity lab space.
HIGH INTENSITY LAB COURTESY PFLUGERVILLE ISD
10-year enrollment projections
PfISD’s Learning and Technology Center will open early next year and house the curriculum and instruction, special education, and technology departments, among others. These are currently spread out across the district.
P ugerville ISD
24K 25K 26K 27K 28K
+6.8%
0
Hutto ISD
O ering input
11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K
+38.4%
approved them because they are essential for providing the quality of education our community expects for its students,” Shepherd said. “While much of the work to date has been behind the scenes—securing land, completing engineering and architectural designs, and obtaining per- mits—we are excited that construction activity will become visible this year.”
Earlier this year, PfISD’s strategic plan task force—consisting of teachers, parents, students and other community members—developed a list of priorities to help form the vision for the district. While ongoing facility projects were scheduled prior to nalizing the plan, they hit on several of its tenets, Shepherd said, including ensuring responsible oversight of bond-funded projects. “These projects have been priorities since voters
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NOTE: PROJECTED ENROLLMENT WITH A LOW GROWTH RATE. SOURCES: HUTTO ISD, PFLUGERVILLE ISD, ZONDA EDUCATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
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