February 21, 2023 Update
College Station ISD is working with VLK Architects to produce a long-range facilities plan. The plan is to review and prioritize the district’s facility needs and consider future bond referendums to support areas including, but not limited to: facilities, renovations, deferred maintenance, buses, athletics, fine arts, career and technical education, land acquisition, technology, and other capital needs.
As part of the Long Range Facilities Planning process approved by the board in September 2022, Melissa Fleming from VLK Architects gave the board an update on the progress (LINK: Presentation) at the February 21 meeting. The update included an overview of the Facility Condition Assessment for existing buildings.
The Long Range Facilities Plan is meant to fully address needs, culminating in a bond program. It aligns the community’s expectations with the district’s actions, and comprehensively captures educational needs, physical condition needs, capacity needs, leadership goals, and curriculum plans, resulting in a true plan for readiness.
As of November 2021, a Long Range Facilities plan is required by the Texas Education Agency before a district can place a bond package on the ballot.
Up until this point, VLK has gathered feedback from district and campus administration, comprehensively reviewed existing facilities and has provided the district with the following documents:
- Curation Report - Curation studies the district philosophy in order to adequately approach the collaborative Long Range Facility Planning process.
- Programming and Capacity Analysis - This report looks at preferred adjacencies, number and sizes of spaces and how the spaces support the educational program. The report also includes a building capacity analysis.
- Facilities Condition Assessment - VLK performed assessments of instructional campuses, administrative buildings, maintenance warehouse and transportation facilities. The assessments include review of as-built drawings, site visits, reviewing district standards for new construction, surveys of campus principals and program directors, and incorporating current building codes and accessibility requirements.
- High School Athletic Facility Comparison - This report includes comparisons of fieldhouses, lockerrooms, showers, and shared spaces.
- Educational Adequacy Index - This assessment reviews how well a school supports the teaching and learning goals of the district. The form includes over 100 data points which involves a physical walk-through of every space. A combination of TEA Standards, Education Specifications and the districts educational mission serve as the base for comparison. Sample items include: Are the rooms the correct size? Are corridors wide enough for efficient traffic flow? Do classrooms have natural light? Is the furniture flexible?
Fleming gave an overview of the facilities condition assessment, noting that the purpose is to identify aging facilities, overcrowded facilities, inequities among campuses, and areas of growing and expanding programs.
Fleming also noted some examples of identified issues (not an inclusive list):
- Life cycle replacements of roofs and mechanical (HVAC) system
- Site improvements (paving, drainage, on-site circulation)
- Aging interior conditions at Rock Prairie
- Unequitable athletic facilities at middle schools and high schools
- Overcrowding at College Station High School (12 classrooms in portables)
- Need for additional space for science labs at A&M Consolidated High School
- Need for additional space for CTE and fine arts programs at middle schools and high schools
The board also approved the charter for an ad hoc Long Range Facilities and Bond Planning Committee.
Committee membership will be presented for approval at the March 21, 2023 board meeting and the committee will meet from March through May to determine the appropriate solutions and projects in relation to cost and priority of needs through a consensus building process.
The results of the committee’s work and any potential bond referendums and associated timeline will be presented to the board in June.