Veterans' Hill Elementary School will reopen in fall 2014 following a unanimous decision by the Hutto ISD board of trustees at its meeting Jan. 16.

The district was forced to shut down VHES after the 2010–11 school year when state education funding cuts made it uneconomical to keep the school open. However, rising student populations in the district's four other elementary campuses are creating demands for space.

"Even if we kept [Veterans' Hill] closed and added more teachers at our other campuses, we would still have a lack of space," HISD Superintendent Doug Killian said. "We need to relieve the pressure at Cottonwood Creek and Nadine Johnson elementary schools."

Costs to reopen the school were placed at just under $1 million and will come from the district's rainy day fund. Faculty costs have not yet been calculated, as the district does not yet know how many teachers and staff the school will need, but the board approved creating a principal position for the campus.

Before opening positions to outside applicants, teachers at other district campuses will be given the option to transfer to VHES. Killian said he plans to offer the VHES principal position to former VHES principal Michele Bischoffberger.

In the coming months, the board and district staff will consider how to redistrict attendance zones for the elementary schools and if fifth grade should be moved back to elementary campuses. Fifth-grade students were transitioned to the district's two middle schools in 2011 in an effort to save funding.