College Station ISD trustees received an update July 21 on the proposed expansion of the district's main administration building, a potentially $31.1 million project approved by voters in 2023, along with suggestions for using the current space and College View High School.
The board did not take any action, but they will vote on a measure with the building in the September meeting.
The overview
A new office building was part of Proposition A from the district's 2023 bond election, worth $284 million in total. Sixty-nine percent of residents voted in favor of the proposition, which also included infrastructure improvements and renovations.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Human Resources Josh Symank said the district considered vacant lots in College Station for renovation as part of the expansion, but since all options were too expensive, the district chose to build on property already owned on Sebesta Road.
The planning process, which started in January, is set to be completed soon, with a bid expected in September. Symank said the current building has grown to the point of having to use closet space and tear down walls for offices.
Zooming in
The new building is expected to have a net increase of office space, meeting rooms, programming and parking. Having more space would also allow the district to expand its Kids Klub, early education, childhood nutrition and security initiatives, and would allow for the expanded administrative space because less space is being used at College View High School.
Symank also mentioned many school districts do not typically schedule construction bids until after the school year has started, so the bid for the project might be more competitive as a result.
“We’re going to get a more competitive bid, which will help us build a more competitive guaranteed maximum price,” Symank said.
Overall operating costs for the new building would be a little over $250,000 for utilities, Symank said, but the district would be able to save more money because of the storage savings from Kids Klub and being able to host meeting and banquet events on campus grounds.
“I took a five-year average of what we had been spending on rental spaces, and we’re just getting larger and having to go other places for these things,” Symank said.
He also mentioned that if the project were not to go through, the bond money could be reallocated to other projects or paying off other bonds.
What the board is saying
Board President Kim Ege said she wants to be able to care for everyone in the district.
“We can’t account for every single thing in the future. We have to do the best we can to make those decisions,” Ege said. “I’m really focused on taking care of the staff we have. This is the opportunity we have to finally do that.”
Trustee Heather Simmen said she has served on committees where something of this nature has come up before, but is glad it could be moving in the direction of happening soon.
“It was wanted and needed. It has also been acknowledged by the community,” Simmen said.
Trustee Kimberly McAdams expressed more skepticism of the project and raised concerns with storage space not being used properly in elementary schools where it’s already available.
“I don’t see a reason to rush into something when there are so many unknowns,” McAdams said.
Also on the agenda
The school board also discussed updates regarding the five-year curriculum plan started in 2025. This included suggestions, a timeline and the positives and negatives of the implementation so far.
