Fort Bend ISD has spent the last six months engaging the community in the process of developing the district's facilities master plan, which assesses the current condition and future needs of FBISD.

Last year FBISD commissioned Jacobs Engineering to assess the condition of all district facilities, identifying major campus maintenance issues and determining the needs of the district over the next five years. The board of trustees will vote to approve the plan in April. Officials with FBISD will take control of the working document provided by Jacobs Engineering to monitor and update the needs of the district.

The district decided to conduct the assessment in response to increased enrollment growth projections and disparities in the capacity and conditions of FBISD's campuses and facilities.

During the process, FBISD has held several public meetings to provide stakeholders a comprehensive look at the state of the district and allow them to provide feedback on possible solutions. As some schools are beginning to spill over in terms of capacity, enrollment at other campuses is dwindling as a result of residents in certain areas "aging in place," FBISD Superintendent Charles Dupre said.

"We have some pockets that have declined in growth," he said. "At the same time, we have these neighborhoods we have all heard of—Sienna Plantation, Riverstone, Aliana—that are growing explosively. We have disparate conditions—extreme growth in some areas and decline in others. That is what really made this process so important."

Community involvement

Hundreds of stakeholders—including parents, teachers, students and other taxpayers—were able to participate in a series of community dialogues, and several residents volunteered to serve on the district's steering committee. This group of 40-50 residents helped gather and convey feedback between the board of trustees, district officials and the community.

"There are several issues with the state that the district has to handle, and the best way to solve these problems is to involve the community," said Jim Rice, president of the board of trustees.

Fort Bend resident and FBISD parent Ramesh Cherivirala is serving on the steering committee and said the in-depth process has been a valuable use of time and resources.

"The district wants to get everyone in the community involved," he said. "It is important, and difficult, to find a common ground and come to some kind of agreement. At first I was skeptical, but after seeing this process I think it was all worth it. It has been no small task as it is a very intensive process."

Since mid-September, the district has hosted six community meetings. The initial timeline for the process called for final deliverables to be presented to the board of trustees in February. The board, however, decided to extend the community involvement process to conduct a phone survey and to hold additional meetings in an attempt to gather even more feedback from district stakeholders. The board expects to review the final recommendations from the steering committee in April following a final workshop session April 7.

The draft recommendations include renovations at several schools, the addition of new classrooms, redrawing school boundaries and the construction of new schools, said Beth Martinez, executive director of organizational development with FBISD.

Although the board of trustees expects to adopt the final recommendations during its April 21 regular meeting, district officials plan to continue monitoring the growing needs of the community.

Planning for growth

The 2013 study conducted by Jacobs Engineering and partner DeJong–Richter analyzed the conditions of FBISD's facilities, pinpointing needed improvements and repairs while also looking at the capacity issues of the district.

With the passage of House Bill 5, school districts in Texas are expected to provide endorsement career pathways for students—programs that prepare students for the workforce through training and specialized curriculum that often require specialized space and equipment as well.

"As we cast our vision for what we want in our schools—the learning that needs to take place—we need to ask ourselves, 'Do we have the spaces to provide that type of instruction?'" Dupre said. "Ultimately all of this fed into the development of a five-year need for Fort Bend ISD related to facilities."

Last year FBISD officials decided to put a hold on the construction of Elementary School No. 46 near the master-planned community of Aliana in Richmond until the Educational Adequacy Assessment has been completed and reviewed.

Several of the options outlined by the steering committee call for the construction of new FBISD schools, which would require a rezoning process, specifically for elementary school boundaries.

In February, FBISD conducted a phone survey where hundreds of residents were able to weigh in on the issues facing the district and how officials should be planning for the future. The district has plans to hold two additional community dialogues for stakeholders who were not able to attend the previous meetings or who would like to learn more. The meetings are at 7 p.m. March 18 at Austin High School and March 20 at Elkins High School.

"Everything we are doing, from planning our budget to our facilities to our instructional programs, we are trying to actively engage a lot of people, whether it's citizens, parents or our own students," Dupre said. "I am excited that we have been able to gain that traction, and I look forward to a future in a new environment where we have a real openness in our school district."