Highland Park ISD has already freed up an additional $2.65 million annually that can be spent on teacher and staff salaries thanks to the passage of the November 2024 bond.

The district has spent, or committed to spend, just over $10 million in bond dollars on software, textbooks, LED lighting, buses, and vans, executive director of construction services Scott Drillette told the district’s board of trustees during an Oct. 21 meeting.

Prior to the bond’s passage, HPISD used money from its general operating fund to pay for those items. Moving capital costs out of that account means more money for daily expenses.

Drillette also reviewed bond projects that were completed this summer, including extensive safety and security improvements, and upgrades at Armstrong Elementary, the McCulloch Intermediate School/Highland Park Middle School campus, and Highland Park High School. 

At the time of Drillette’s update, the district had received new band trailers, as well as many band and orchestra instruments. It had ordered new band uniforms, and was expecting to soon receive two Ford F-450 trucks for pulling the band trailers.

The middle school turf and track project is slated for substantial completion in November, Drillette told the board.

Additional projects are scheduled for the spring and summer of 2026, with most starting immediately after the end of the 2025-26 school year. An exception is the high school cafeteria and dining room renovation, which will likely begin in February.

Drillette said that the district is under budget on almost all of its projects, and that its overall expenditures are well below budget.

HPISD has spent just under $49 million in bond funds, and committed itself to spending about an additional $39.5 million, not including property acquisitions. It has earned more than $3 million in interest on the $137.3 million approved by voters in November.

Also during the meeting, board of trustees member Ellen Lee reported on the Student Health Advisory Council, which recently held its first meeting of the year. 

Lee said that bell-to-bell restriction on the use of student cell phones is going well. But there continue to be challenges regarding personal laptops. Lee said that staff is considering how to address laptop usage next year in a way that supports the district’s desired academic environment without restricting access to necessary learning applications.

She said that the Council also is reviewing health instructional materials for students in special education classrooms at Highland Park High School. In partnership with campus food service directors and district staff, the Council plans to consider how to optimize nutrition and fiscal responsibility in providing student lunches.Â