Pick a campus, any campus. Whatever your choice, it could look drastically different several years down the road if Highland Park ISD voters pass a bond initiative this fall.
The $361.4 million proposal is by far the most expensive in the district’s 101-year history, and is the most ambitious effort yet to reconcile the preservation of HPISD traditions with the need to accommodate unprecedented enrollment growth.
When they cast ballots on Nov. 3, voters within the district’s boundaries will determine whether to add a fifth elementary school, and could authorize the tearing down and rebuilding of three of the four existing elementary campuses, all of which were built prior to 1950.
The plan also includes significant cosmetic changes to the Highland Park High School campus and its athletic facilities, and to the newest building in the district, which houses McCulloch Intermediate School and Highland Park Middle School.
So what will our neighborhood schools look like in 2020? And is it worth the cost? Here’s a breakdown of what could happen at each campus if the bond issue passes.
HIGHLAND PARK HIGH SCHOOL
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The existing natatorium would be removed to create space for 28 additional classrooms to alleviate overcrowding.
The parking lot at the northwest corner of the building would be replaced with a multilevel addition that could house 30 classrooms for fine arts and other programs.
The Seay Tennis Center would be relocated behind the parking garage, across from the outdoor tennis courts.
A multi-sport facility would replace the existing Seay Tennis Center, which would house a new natatorium as well as meeting rooms, locker rooms, and athletic offices.
The district would plan to acquire land around the school for surface parking without building another garage.
HPMS/MIS
Both HPMS and McCulloch Intermediate School would add classrooms and flex spaces to their respective wings.
Parking would be moved to a 200-space underground garage beneath the existing athletic field to the south of the school.
Athletics, administrative, and performing arts spaces would get significant renovations, including enlarged locker rooms and relocated tennis courts.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
BRADFIELD(1), HYER(2), AND UNIVERSITY PARK(3) ELEMENTARY
Bradfield (5.5 acres), Hyer (6.2 acres), and University Park (4.6 acres) would each be razed and rebuilt in successive years on their current sites.
Each campus would consist of two above-ground levels and would be configured to accommodate 770 students.
An underground parking garage at each school would include 90 spaces and be designed to reduce queuing congestion.
The district says it intends to have the new schools incorporate historical elements of the original buildings and contain architecture that will complement the surrounding neighborhoods.
ARMSTRONG ELEMENTARY(4)
A slight addition on the north side would add a new music, art, and foreign-language classrooms and expand administration space.
Interior renovations would update the auditorium, create flex spaces, and enlarge classrooms.
The building would not be razed and replaced in part because of limited land area, but it would be smaller than the other four elementary schools with just 550 students.
NEW SCHOOL
It would be constructed on 4.6 acres the district plans to purchase from Northway Christian Church.
The school would serve as a rotating relief campus for displaced students from Bradfield, Hyer, and University Park while those campuses are being rebuilt.
It would accommodate 770 students and include 90 underground parking spaces, and would be populated with its own students after the other elementary schools are finished.
DO THE DOLLARS MAKE SENSE?
Here’s how the money is allocated in HPISD’s bond proposal that will be on the ballot in November.
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