LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Lubbock Independent School District board approved sites for three new elementary schools Thursday morning, moving forward with construction plans that will consolidate five current campuses.
The new schools are part of a bond approved by voters in May. Construction is expected to begin soon, with all three campuses expected to open for the 2028-29 school year.
Bean students to move to O.L. Slaton site
Students currently attending Bean Elementary will move to a new school built at the site of the vacant O.L. Slaton building. The district plans to design the school to face east due to its proximity to Avenue Q, a major roadway.
“And then we will have more robust fencing around the campus than what we would normally put at a campus just for safety purposes since it’s right there on a busier street,” said Superintendent Kathy Rollo.
Stewart and Williams to combine at Williams site
Stewart and Williams elementary students will attend a new combined school built at the current Williams Elementary site, which Rollo said is the largest elementary school site in the district.
“And it’s large enough that we can have school at Nat Williams and then just fence off the construction site while we build the new school,” Rollo said. “And so they’ll be able to continue. And then as soon as the new school’s built and they move in, we’ll demolish the old Williams.”
Wolffarth and McWhorter to share Matthews location
Wolffarth and McWhorter elementary students will move to a new combined campus at the vacant Matthews building site.
“And that site is actually right in the middle between the two elementary schools, and it’s a large enough site that the new school will fit beautifully on it,” Rollo said.
The superintendent said the goal was to use land the district already owned while avoiding learning disruptions.
“And so all three of the site selections allow us to have school as normal for the next two-and-a-half years while we’re building the new schools for the children. And that way they just have to move one time,” Rollo said.
Architects are working on design studies and environmental tests, with demolition expected to begin soon. The new schools will accommodate 750 students each, considered medium-sized elementary schools in Texas.
“By designing it for 750, the combined enrollments of the schools that are currently, we’re planning on sending to those new schools, it’s giving us a little bit more space so that we could eventually if we continue to have some decline in our enrollment, we have space in that school where we could consolidate even more schools into those schools, potentially,” Rollo said. “But that’s way down the line.”
The district will request community input later this year before the board decides on names for the new schools. When construction is complete, existing buildings will either be sold, donated or demolished to avoid leaving vacant structures in neighborhoods.
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