Allen ISD board of trustees on Monday authorized district staff to purchase a 10-acre tract of land for the purpose of building a proposed Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics Center. The plot of land is north of Ridgeview Drive between Exchange Parkway and Alma Drive. It is adjacent to the 16-acre property donated earlier this year for the STEAM Center. The center, an Allen High School satellite facility scheduled for completion in August 2018, would use both tracts of land, according to district spokesperson Tim Carroll. Allen ISD's proposed STEAM Center is expected to be completed in August 2018. (Rendering courtesy: Allen ISD)[/caption] The additional land purchase would bring the total site to about 26 acres and improve the facility's access to Ridgeview Drive. When finished, the $36 million, bond-funded facility is expected to contain nontraditional classrooms, outdoor learning areas and spaces for K-8 students to observe high school students at work. The building will be located near a pond and wooded area for nature study. In other business Monday, trustees approved $180,000 for landscaping improvements at four Allen ISD schools, including playing-field restorations and revitalization of plant life. District staff says the last half-decade of drought and water restrictions have harmed the landscaping at several district schools, prompting the need for these expenditures. The district will also add $204,000 in cameras, servers and other technology to be placed in classes for students with disabilities. The purpose of the program is to protect students with disabilities in compliance with a new Texas law that goes into effect this year. The board also approved the purchase of three school buses and three special-needs buses totaling $679,371.