A rendering of the new interior front entrance of McNeil High School shows more open lobby space.[/caption]

McNeil High School is undergoing major changes to bring the facility up to date.

McNeil Principal Courtney Acosta said the student body outgrew what the existing building could offer. Taxpayers voted in the 2014 Bond election to put $28 million toward construction at the school.

“I can’t wait to see it break ground ... and watch it develop,” she said.

The Round Rock ISD board of trustees approved $1.5 million for Phase 1 of the McNeil High School redevelopment at its Jan. 21 meeting. Phase 1 is slated to begin construction in the summer on agriculture science classrooms, the agriculture science barn and new school bleachers said Construction Department Director Tim Strucely.

The board is scheduled to allocate two more awards for Phase 1 of the McNeil master plan at meetings in March and May.

The interior and exterior of the school's front entrance will be renovated during Phase 1, Acosta said.

“[Currently] it’s hard to identify where parents are supposed to go,” she said.

When Phase 1 renovations are complete, she said, parents and visitors will see a more obvious front entrance, and all administrative offices will be moved near the front entrance so that parents can more easily access counselors and attendance officers.

Acosta said other Phase 1 projects include expanding the parking lot, constructing a new special education wing with classrooms specifically designed for students with special needs, redesigning classrooms for deaf education and building a new performing arts wing with additional storage space and classrooms developed by acousticians, she said.

Strucely said he expects improvements to the agricultural science department as well as some interior renovations and a new secure entrance for students to use while the existing front entrance is under construction to be complete by the end of the summer.

The front entrance renovation, the special education wing and the performing arts wing will likely be complete by the end of summer 2017, he said.

The second, third and possibly fourth phases of construction will require future bond elections, said Corey Ryan, RRISD executive director of communications and community relations. Ryan said the district did not yet know the amount voters would have to approve for future phases.

Acosta said Phase 2 would include 3-D printers and other equipment for career technology courses as well as a new cafeteria in the location of the old administrative offices. Phase 3 would include increasing general classroom sizes and incorporating new furniture for students that is easy to move, she said.

Strucely said Phase 4 would include construction of a new auditorium, but the district is still evaluating whether that is needed.

By the end of the project, not a single part of McNeil will have remained untouched, Acosta said.