What’s happening?
All three new campuses include learning pods, an open-concept library and security upgrades, AISD Chief Communications Officer Renae Rives said.
Those security upgrades include all doors being automatically locked and boards placed on conveyor belts to quickly slide and block classroom windows. The district also has plans to upgrade security vestibules throughout all its campuses, Rives said.
A security vestibule is an area where visitors may enter before getting into the interior part of the building.
While the schools are set to open on time, Rives said construction and maintenance crews could still visit the schools for “punch list” items, such as appliances and plumbing.
Rives also said construction and maintenance crews may visit the new schools throughout the first year for items such as electricity and mechanical elements to ensure the new schools are well-maintained.
How we got here
The need for the new and replacement schools came from the growth the district has seen, officials said.
While construction for Iowa Colony Junior High began in summer 2022, construction for Barbara Bennett Elementary and Alvin Elementary began in October 2022, according to district documents. All three schools were planned to be completed by this August.
According to district documents, the new and replacement schools cost the following amounts:
- Alvin Elementary replacement school: $28.2 million
- Barbara Bennett Elementary: $29.1 million
- Iowa Colony Junior High: $57.9 million
More information on the 2018 bond projects as well as prior bond projects can be found on the district’s website.
Quote of note
Barbara Bennett, a former administrator for AISD, said she was ecstatic to have a school named after her. She said she looks forward to students starting school and staff developing a “needed family” to welcome new staff members for years to come.
“I absolutely love it,” Bennett said. “I was one of the first faculty members at Passmore [Elementary], and you just develop that family. It’s very important when you get to open a new school.”
