What we reported

In November voters approved Austin ISD’s largest bond in district history. Totaling $1.05 billion, the 32-item package included projects ranging from renovations to the construction of new schools. Although the projects varied in outcome, all had the underlying purpose of delivering modernized learning spaces to AISD’s nearly 83,000 students.

The latest

Most projects at the top of the implementation timeline are in the procurement phase, meaning the district is soliciting bids for architects and contractors, said Zack Pearce, AISD director of project management. Projects currently out for bid include the rebuild of Menchaca Elementary School, the new Southwest Austin elementary school construction, and the expansion and modernization of the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. Once bids are selected, design and pre-construction can begin.

What’s next

Construction on the new Menchaca Elementary School is scheduled to begin in September. Due to the sizeable amount of land upon which Menchaca sits, Pearce said students will be able to remain on-site while work is underway. Procurement for the Bowie High School project will begin in March, but in the meantime Pearce and his team are working on the extensive pre-planning required by the city of Austin to add a parking garage at Bowie, which sits over the environmentally sensitive recharge zone of the Edwards Aquifer. Construction on the new Southwest Austin elementary school, slated for an 18.9-acre site at Trissino Drive and Escarpment Boulevard, is scheduled to take place over a 19-month period beginning in January 2019. This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of Top 10 stories to follow in 2018 here.