CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A brand new elementary school is one of the big projects on the list of a $135.4 million bond package CCISD is putting before voters in November.
The plan would consolidate three current elementary campuses.
Officials said the bond will not increase taxes for residents.
3NEWS was invited into Kostoryz Elementary School to see first hand why district officials are hoping voters will give their approval.
Through one door you can get an idea of the daily challenges that comes with teaching in an outdated campus.
Principal Stevie-Rae Garcia pointed to two classrooms side by side as sounds from each classroom competed with one another.
Kostoryz Elementary located off Carroll Lane has been around almost six decades. Today, the campus is showing its age.
"The design is a little different from what some of the newer campuses have," Garcia said. "It's a little bit of a challenge as far as the noise of the teacher teaching next door."
The CCISD bond package would change that.
If approved by voters, a new elementary school will consolidate Kostoryz, Sanders and Yeager elementary schools.
The new campus would be located adjacent to the current Yeager Elementary School.
"They're all within a mile and a half to two miles of each other, so it's not really moving them too much, but it helps us as a district become more efficient," CCISD Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez said.
Hernandez said the new campus would also focus on upgraded safety.
"On average, like these elementary schools that we're consolidating 50 to 60 years old, we've always focused on being able to get the kids into the building at all times," he said. "We've addressed all of our middle schools, but we still have a few elementary schools which are in this package where kids transition outside of the building."
For Garcia, having the necessary technology for today's learning environment is paramount. The new campus would address that too.
"Currently we have some different needs for our Wi-Fi technology, our district is working very hard we are one-to-one here at our campus some of our smart boards are a little bit older then some of the newer campuses and buildings," she said.
If approved, students would continue classes in their current campuses until the new school opens, which is estimated to be August 2026.
According to CCISDs website,
"Additionally, Houston Elementary School would be renovated to house Houston students as well as those from Fannin and Travis elementary schools. Districtwide, $3 million would help upgrade fine arts capability, including improved stage lighting, high school projectors and electronic screens, as well as replace aging band equipment and expand the district's band instrument inventory.
To continue progress toward the district's goal of having two gyms at all middle schools, bond funding would add an additional gym at Haas Middle School.
At the high school level, Bond 2024 allocates $30 million to make interior renovations to King High School which, expenses permitting, would include classrooms, restrooms, locker rooms, windows and more.
Additional funds would renovate restrooms, locker rooms and corridors at Moody High School as well as provide a dedicated weight room at Veterans Memorial High School and eight additional classrooms to accommodate growth on the city's southside."