Georgetown ISD moves forward with land purchase for future education center

The Georgetown ISD board of trustees approved the purchase a 35-acre tract of land for a future career and technical education, or CTE, facility during a Sept. 21 meeting.

The approval from the board authorizes Superintendent Fred Brent to negotiate and execute a contract to purchase the land located near the center of the district. The exact location will not be released until purchases are final, officials said.

GISD’s Career and Technical Education Department mission is to prepare students for post-secondary education, vocational, trade school or the workforce while providing state-of-the-art instruction and practical lab experience, according to the district’s website. The CTE building would be used by all students, officials said.

In 2018, voters approved a $150.5 million bond package that included $2 million to plan and design a new CTE center. The land purchase was not included in the original bond plan, just the design, but due to 2018 bond savings, the district was able to pursue a land purchase for the facility, GISD Executive Director for Communications Melinda Brasher said.

“In 2018, when the citizens advisory committee was developing the proposed bond program, they included in there the recommendation for the district to design a career and technical education center that would serve all of Georgetown ISD students,” said David Biesheuvel, GISD executive director of construction and development. “We have since started that design, and we are also looking for a place to build it.”

Biesheuvel said the agenda item only moves the project forward, and the purchase of the land will not be final until a feasibility study is conducted and the district completes its due diligence. Then the district will go before the board for final approval, he said.