On July 23, San Marcos CISD broke ground on the 90,000-square-foot Rodriguez Elementary School. The school is being designed by Austin-based firm Perkins+Will. Plans feature glass elements, a series of courtyards, an outdoor community space and a two-level media center. It will also incorporate outdoor classrooms for a science and robotics curriculum, art classrooms and collaborative learning areas. “The school is designed around the needs of the kids, how kids move and how they work as 21st-century learners,” Superintendent Michael Cardona said. The school will be located in a new planned community, Trace, near Posey Road and I-35. The Trace development is still under construction. As part of a voter-approved 2017 bond program, the total allocation for the new school is $30 million, but it is currently on track to come in under budget. Total construction costs are expected to be around $26.2 million, according to San Marcos CISD. It is also on schedule. Rodriguez Elementary will open for the 2019-20 school year.