Members of Friendswood ISD’s Citizen Advisory Committee reviewed the district’s priority needs, including a potential new combined replacement school for Westwood Elementary and Bales Intermediate.

So far, the CAC has reviewed the district’s 2020 bond, a demographic and development report, facility needs assessment, project priorities, and taken tours of Westwood and Cline Elementary, according to CAC documents.

CAC meetings began in mid-February, and will continue to mid-April.

What’s happening?

FISD’s board of trustees approved the formation of a CAC at its September meeting to address facility and maintenance priorities, as previously reported by Community Impact.


Following the creation of the CAC, the board also approved a contract with architecture firm VLK Architects at its November meeting for architectural and engineering services.

At the CAC meetings, VLK Architects officials work alongside district officials to create a list of capital needs for FISD, district agenda documents note.

Diving in deeper

VLK officials reviewed facility condition assessments and needs for Windsong and Westwood elementaries, Bales Intermediate, Friendswood Junior High and Friendswood High School. The administration and administration annex buildings were also assessed for needs.


A new Cline Elementary was the most recently built school at FISD, which opened in fall 2023, according to district documents. As a result, the ongoing assessments do not cover that campus.

Every campus and district facility that received an assessment had the following categories listed as a priority:
  • Safety and security
  • Accessibility
  • Mechanical
  • Electrical
  • Plumbing
  • Technology
To view a full list of each priority within each category, click here.

At the March 24 CAC meeting, officials also reviewed projected costs for needs on each campus. This included a potential replacement school for Westwood Elementary.

The options for a replacement campus presented were:
  • A Westwood Elementary replacement school with shared spaces with Bales Intermediate School, such as special programs offices, art classrooms, a music room, a library, a gymnasium and a cafeteria. This option would eliminate $19.1 million long-term deficiencies at Westwood.
  • Replacement school to combine Westwood Elementary School and Bales Intermediate School into one, two-story pre-K through fifth grade campus
Some other priorities listed throughout the district include the following:
  • Repurpose existing maker space and classroom at Windsong Elementary into Innovation Labs
  • A new two-story field house and renovations to existing locker rooms at Friendswood High School for the athletics department
  • A new baseball and softball field house, visitor’s field house and stadium site improvements
  • Ag Barn building and addition for animal pens and classroom space
  • Administration building replacement at administration annex site
What else?


Stacy Guzzetta, FISD’s executive director of student operations, presented current enrollment compared to an enrollment projection report done by Population and Survey Analysts in 2019.

For a majority of campuses, the actual enrollment in 2025 did not reach the projected totals. However, Friendswood High School exceeded PASA’s projections, data shows.
Also of note

Guzzetta also presented the following housing developments, which are ongoing within the district’s boundaries. These developments were included in the 2019 PASA projections, according to CAC documents.
  • Cline Zone
    • Avalon: built out by August 2026 (125 homes left to sell)
  • Windsong Zone
    • Sterling Creek: built out by December (25 homes remaining)
    • Georgetown: first homes by September 2026 (four years total with 241 homes)
    • Friendswood Trails: built out by 2029 (175 total homes)
  • Westwood/Bales Zone
    • The Estates at Wilderness Trails: first homes by early 2026 (43 homes total)
      • This development was not included in the PASA study
    • The Albritton (111 single bedroom/studio units)
    • Falling Leaf Estates (large lots, no count provided)
What’s next

The CAC will meet two more times on April 7 and 22 to discuss the following items:
  • April 7: tour of agricultural and athletic facilities, financial advisory presentation, discussion on priority worksheet
  • April 22: deliberation and consensus, analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
While it is not certain, a bond may be recommended by the CAC to address the district’s priority needs.


Superintendent Thad Roher said if a bond is recommended, it would most likely be brought to the board in time to call for a November bond election.

However, Roher also noted it would ultimately be the board’s decision to take on the CAC’s recommendation, which will be given after the CAC’s slate of meetings ends.

Meetings are closed to the public, but materials and minutes of the meetings are posted here.