At the time, Kelly Horn, assistant superintendent of facility services, said the campus needed an estimated $35 million to bring it up to district standards.<\/p>\n
In January, officials said portions of Blanton, including a section built in 2013, would be saved for future use.<\/p>\n
Now, the newest portion will serve as part of the district\u2019s 18 PLUSS Services program center.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-07-31-at-9.56.33-AM-1024x506.png\")
A rendering shows what the 18 PLUSS Services program center in east Arlington may look like. (Courtesy | Arlington ISD\/VLK Architects)<\/p>\n
The program serves high school students eligible for special education services until the age of 22. Enrolled students are connected with full-day, year-round employment opportunities to help them obtain and maintain jobs.<\/p>\n
Last year, 87 students participated in the program, Superintendent Matt Smith said.<\/p>\n
Currently, 18 PLUSS operates out of classrooms and off-site facilities at organizations across AISD. The center will bring the on-campus parts of the program under one roof.<\/p>\n
Arlington ISD will use funds from the voter-approved 2026 bond for the center. The project was under Proposition A, which included a rebuild of South Davis Elementary, security upgrades and more.<\/p>\n
Roughly 70,000 square feet of the original school will be demolished, with about 25,000 square feet undergoing renovations and 43,000 square feet of new construction, according to initial blueprints.<\/p>\n
Other construction plans include pushing the front of the building farther into the property to reduce stormwater damage, an issue cited by district staff<\/a> as trustees discussed closing Blanton.<\/p>\n The area surrounding the school will also see a transformation. Under the initial plan, pickleball courts, a garden and an outdoor classroom will be constructed.<\/p>\n What will be in the building?<\/p>\n Classrooms A majority of the spaces will be worked by 18 PLUSS students. Marty Sims, a principal at VLK Architects, said the center will fuse teaching job skills and allow students to engage with the community.<\/p>\n Areas such as the cafe and school spirit shop will be open for the public, allowing students to get an authentic sales experience. Sims said he hopes to open the center by Aug. 2028.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea with this facility is that we\u2019re going to be supporting, prepping the students for their adult life,\u201d Sims said during the meeting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the largest additions to the building is the instructional materials warehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith said the warehouse can help fill gaps left by the recent position cuts<\/a>, such as science, technology, engineering and math labs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some students in the program will work packaging STEM lab materials for use in elementary schools across the district. Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Collins said their work will help science teachers who want to continue the hands-on experiences for students.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of the (instructional material center) allows us to provide hands-on, minds-on science activities that can happen in the classroom with students every day that not only the teachers can feel confident in, (but) that students are really engaged in,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n Smith said officials and trustees have seen proof of concept for the warehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n When looking into adding the program center to the May bond proposition, members of the board and district staff visited Leander ISD, northwest of Austin, to see its 18+ Transition Services and Science Materials Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trustee Larry Mike, who went on the trip to Leander ISD, said he saw the \u201cbest elements\u201d from those facilities incorporated into Arlington ISD\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just a testament to what we are doing and what we should be doing for our 18 PLUSS students, our (special education) students, because there comes a time where it\u2019s almost like you can forget the most vulnerable population that we have and just (see) amazing work,\u201d Mike said.<\/p>\n McMurrough added that the trip showed district leaders the new center could help \u201creimagine\u201d the experience AISD offers students in special education.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were some real emotional moments when we were on our site visits, because we saw and we learned that had the students not had this type of facility and experience from the school district, there would be a totally different future for them,\u201d McMurrough said.<\/p>\n Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nFunctioning kitchens
\nA storm shelter
\nA fitness area
\nMeeting space
\nA commercial kitchen
\nA cafe and school spirit shop
\nSensory and vocational rooms
\nStaff workspaces<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8.B.2-Consider-Approval-of-the-Schematic-Design-of-the-18-PLUSS-Program-Additions-and-Renovations-07.jpeg\")
A rendering shows what the 18 PLUSS Services program center in east Arlington may look like. (Courtesy | Arlington ISD\/VLK Architects)<\/p>\n