Area school districts are looking to the future with construction of new schools at the elementary and middle school level.
Liberty-Eylau Elementary School, also known as the Rock School, opened its doors in Fall 2018 and includes a gym, music and computer rooms, a special education suite and four teachers' lounges. One of its three long hallways includes a safety shelter, which the state of Texas now requires for new school construction.
It was built on the site of the former iconic rock school, which was torn down for the new building. Rocks quarried from the Hooks, Texas, area were saved from the old building, which was built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project. Stonemasons placed those original rocks on the front of the new school to reflect the history of the old building.
The school is part of a $20.9 million bond voters passed in 2016 for district-wide improvements, which also included a new Career and Technology Education building at the high school, new turf and track at Harris Field, a roof at the middle school, and heating and air systems district-wide.
Construction on a wing at the pre-kindergarten building was also included in the bond proposal.
At Pleasant Grove Independent School District, voters in May 2018 overwhelmingly approved a $19.9 million bond for a new elementary school, technology upgrades and increased security.
The proposed rate of $1.455 per $100 property valuation increased the district's interest and sinking rate by 1.5 cents; the maintenance and operations tax rate remains at $1.09.
The bond includes $250,000 for the increased security, $1.2 million for the technology upgrades and nearly $18.5 million for the elementary school. The existing elementary building will be converted into a CTE building for high school students.
The increased security plan includes 220 high-definition cameras and 59 badge readers with controlled door access. All the equipment would be connected by Wi-Fi and supported by technology upgrades.
The elementary school will be built on a 10-acre tract at Galleria Oaks and Christus Drive. PGISD procured the land from CHRISTUS Ark-La-Tex Health through a land-exchange agreement for 4.35 acres at the current elementary school site. In December, PGISD's Board of Trustees also approved a resolution to enter into a transfer and charitable gift agreement with CHRISTUS for the health system to donate a 1.4-acre tract adjacent to the new elementary site.
They are seeking a construction manager at-risk for the project.
On the Arkansas side, Texarkana, Ark., School District plans to build a new middle school soon on the north side of Interstate 30. It will be built on a 31.743-acre tract of land between Jefferson Avenue and Crossroads Parkway that the district purchased in October from Wommack 6 Corp. for $955,816.50.
"The board's approval to move forward with the purchase of the land takes the district another step towards building our new middle school," Superintendent Dr. Becky Kesler said during the special meeting held for the school board to approve the transaction. "The continued support of our board, staff, students, parents and the community is wonderful and we want to do everything we can to provide quality facilities and educational experiences that promote pride in our district. Because the bottom line is, everything we do is for our students. We have had a great start this school year, and the excitement is in the air about the great things happening in the Texarkana Ark., School District. Now we will start planning for our groundbreaking event."
That date has not been set.
The land will be purchased through the district's general fund, and construction will be funded through a bond restructure voters approved in October 2017. The move generated $20 million for the new school.
In fall 2018, TASD restructured grade alignment at several schools and made College Hill Middle School the Sixth Grade Center and required fourth-grade students to remain at the elementary campuses for fifth grade instead of moving up to middle school.
The school will also house cutting-edge technology, thanks to the $14.8 million Magnet Schools Assistance Program Grant the district received in November 2017 to continue the existing science, technology, engineering and math thread to the middle and high school levels. The five-year grant was one of 32 the U.S. Department of Education gave to schools across the country. Called the Montage Project, the program also includes hands-on workforce training for high school students through a district partnership with area industries.