Boerne Independent School District officials broke ground on the Boerne High School expansion last week, marking the first step in a voter-sanctioned process to accommodate a growing student population.
The roughly 20,000-squarefoot addition is one of two high school expansion projects tied to the 2022 bond passed by voters last May.
Completion is projected by August 2024 at the start of a new academic year.
“The new expansion at Boerne High School is allowing us to open our second early college, which is the medical fields,” Superintendent Thomas Price told The Star. “It’s a great opportunity for our students because it allows them to graduate with their associate’s degree before they graduate from high school.”
Meanwhile, the district also is set to break ground on a 38,000-square-foot expansion to Champion High School Tuesday.
These are just two of the many projects tied to the $132.64 million bond narrowly passed by the electorate nearly a year ago. Officials said 52.1% of roughly 6,500 votes were cast in favor of the referendum.
“We are very grateful to the voters for supporting this bond,” Price said earlier. “The bond package was truly a grassroots effort led by the Long Range Steering Committee. We are greatly appreciative to the 80 community volunteers who served on the committee and worked hard to help pass this bond.”
Price and other officials have noted the expansions are intended to quell concerns about overcrowding at both high schools and temporarily meet the call for a third high school.
Price said new high schools on average cost well over $100 million, and Boerne ISD Communications Director Bryan Benway said such constuction can run between $150 million and $200 million.
A new high school built in Denton last year cost more than $194 million to house about 2,400 students.
In comparison, the additions will run taxpayers about $10 million for Boerne High and $15 million for Champion – the larger of the two high schools in town.
However, a third high school may not be too far down the line as a demographic study conducted by the school district estimates the student population will double by the 203132 school year to 20,654 students.
In the meantime, Boerne ISD officials are nailing down the best location for a potential new campus.
As of January, the school district had 10,800 pupils enrolled, and the demographic study predicts 6% to 7% compounded growth year over year.
Both Boerne Middle School North and Boerne Middle School South will also be expanded during the bond cycle, with $45.4 million in funding available for those efforts.
“The first thing we do with our groundbreaking is we always make sure we thank the public because we could not do this without the support we have,” Price said.
Comment
Comments