Hutto ISD Board of Trustees members voted Dec. 14 to relocate the River Horse Academy – the district’s oldest standing building – by the end of summer 2018.

The board was presented with a range of options and selected to construct the new River Horse Academy using Campus Maker, a modular facility company.

Ultimately, district officials believe that using Campus Maker to construct a new facility instead of a brick-and-mortar building will save Hutto ISD more than $1M. The Campus Maker option is expected to cost a total of $1.2M with a total of eight classrooms and a private restroom unit.

The new campus will be constructed behind the current River Horse Academy, located on College Street in Hutto, in an area currently occupied by parking space. District officials relayed that the building will be ready to move into by August 2018, in time for the beginning of next school year.

District officials presented the construction and relocation options to the Hutto ISD Board of Trustees due to the River Horse Academy’s “deteriorating” conditions. The current River Horse Academy building opened in 1937 and has undergone several renovations, according to Hutto ISD Director of Facilities and Operations Brandon Cardwell.

Hutto ISD trustees also heard the district’s 2016-17 annual financial report at the Dec. 14 meeting. Auditing firm Pattillo, Brown & Hill performed the financial audit and gave Hutto ISD the highest opinion an audit can receive.

Hutto students leave for holiday break Dec. 21 and will return to school Jan. 8.