Austin ISD to begin $2.4B school construction next year. Here's what's planned

A year after Austin voters passed a $2.4 billion school bond plan, the district's work on security features and in community meetings is underway.

However, the bulk of the work is yet to come as the district embarks on extensive renovations at 29 schools, which could begin as early as next year.

The Austin district aims to improve the buildings for students and decrease maintenance costs of old facilities.

For staff members at Travis Early College High School, it’s exciting to know a new school is so close, said Emi Hines, management assistant to the principal. Hines has been at Travis for 13 years and had a wish list from Day 1, she said.

The 70-year-old school will get a $252.2 million renovation, the largest in the bond program.

“A child says this is what they need to be able to learn in the environment,” Hines said. “I want to give you everything.”

The school has termite damage in its locker rooms, outdated equipment and rental air conditioning units in the electric shop class and weight room, Hines said.

One rental air conditioning unit could cost about $10,000 a month, and the district uses about half a dozen, said Michael Mann, executive director of construction management.

During the construction, 14 campuses will be fully renovated and 11 will get partial renovations, according to the district. Another four elementary schools will be remodeled from the “open concept” design to a more modern style.

The open concept design featuring low walls and classrooms without solid doors was popular in the 1980s but has since been deemed unsafe, Mann said.

Since November 2022, when voters approved the $2.4 billion package, the district has been gathering community feedback and focusing on security upgrades, Mann said.

District staffers have been installing fencing, window film and secure entry systems — which funnel visitors into a locked office before they’re released into the school — at various campuses, he said.

The district has also formed teams of teachers, administrators, community members and students to discuss the design and needs of the reworked campuses.

At Travis, the team has been talking about the need for things such as community rooms, Hines said.

Work on the first schools on the renovation list will begin next year. Construction at Odom Elementary School — which will be refurbished from an open concept to a modern design — is slated to start in January, Mann said.

Most of the schools at which work is scheduled to begin next year are elementaries.

Elementary school buildings take only about 18 to 24 months to complete and are logistically easier to manage, Mann said.

Students attending elementaries with major renovations planned will move to portables on site or a different school in the next academic year.

The district will begin work on most of the high schools and middle schools on the bond list in 2025.

High schools and middle schools take longer to rebuild in part because they’re bigger buildings, Mann said. However, it’s also harder to move students to portables or other sites because of the number of students and the various spaces they need for activities, such as gymnasiums and band halls.

More:Austin school district prioritizing safety, maintenance as 2022 bond projects get underway

Instead, students will most likely stay on site while the new building is constructed in phases.

Another swath of schools is slated for construction in 2025 and another handful in 2026.

The district is also trying to prioritize schools that serve primarily low-income students, Mann said.

“We’re keeping equity in mind,” he said. “Those underserved schools are at the front of the line.”

Parents with children at schools that will be renovated next year should expect more information about whether their student can stay on site during construction, Mann said.