TISD breaks ground on new elementary
Groundbreaking ceremonies for Texarkana Independent School District’s newest elementary school were held yesterday off Gibson Lane in the district’s western sector. The school is being built to alleviate near-capacity population in the district’s other eight elementary schools.
“This new elementary school is needed for future growth and to assist us in maintaining an appropriate student-teacher ratio,” said Paul Miller, TISD board president. “Our newest elementary school will be a welcome relief to overcrowding that exists in some of our schools.”
About 3,700 elementary students attend TISD now, and those campuses are at 99 percent capacity. The new, unnamed school will serve 400 students and be able to expand to 700 if needed.
This project, along with the Sixth Grade Center, is funded through a 2014 bond election in which voters gave the district $29.9 million to address overcrowding. The tax rate of .089 cents per $100 valuation goes into effect this month.
Superintendent Paul Norton said he expects the school to begin accepting applications in spring 2016.
“The curriculum will be rigorous, leadership- and yet fun for all with the development of campus clubs for students to be involved in,” Norton said. “We continue to look into the future and integrate a global perspective of education that has resulted in a school district with a strong student and community confidence in the quality of our schools and with the state and national recognition for our success. This new elementary school will join the ranks of our other schools in preparing students for a brighter future and in making our community proud.”
The elementary school and the Sixth Grade Center are expected to open in August 2016.