What you need to know
Trustees approved a guaranteed maximum price of $59.35 million April 11 for the first phase of construction. Dustin Barton, HISD's assistant superintendent of operations, said the project is being broken up into multiple phases to allow the district to get ahead on construction amid long lead times.
The details
The scope of work includes site grading, utilities like plumbing and electrical, drainage, paving, structural steel, and foundation. A second guaranteed maximum price package for the construction of the rest of the school conversion will be presented this summer, likely June, Barton said.
Administrators said this is in line with the total budgeted amount of 2023 bond funds planned for the school conversion.
Remember this?
In March, Superintendent Jeni Neatherlin told community members at a Hutto Area Chamber Luncheon that work to convert the Ninth Grade Center will begin this summer.
How we got here
In May 2023, voters approved the use of $522 million to expand and improve district facilities as HISD is growing.
The bond included three propositions.
- Proposition A—the largest of the three at $471.5 million—funds several major campus projects, including construction of two new elementary schools and expansion of the Ninth Grade Center into a full high school.
- At $10.5 million, Proposition B provides funding for new instructional technology devices, such as classroom computers and audio-video equipment.
- Proposition C provides $40 million for the renovation of the administrative building at 200 College St. into a districtwide academic center with space for several alternative education programs.
