by Nicole Bradford
Still considered a high growth area in greater Houston, Alvin ISD is planning years into the future to prevent overcrowded schools.
“We’re still forecasting growth at 600 students next year,” Rocky Gardiner of Zonda Demographics told the Alvin ISD school board during an April report.
Gardiner was aware of plans for a four-story apartment complex in Pearland’s Town Center. It is one of five multifamily projects in various stages throughout the school district.
Overall, Gardiner said, apartment occupancy in the Houston market have dropped below 90 percent.
“There’s been talk that since demand has dropped that we will see 10,000 less apartments built in Texas in the next couple years,” Gardiner said. “So, we’re going to be slowing down a little bit.”
Also in Alvin ISD, there are 60 actively building subdivisions and 35 more in various stages of planning.
Made up of community members, business leaders, parents and administrators, a Citizen’s Advisory Committee has been tasked with giving recommendations to the school board on dealing with population growth.
“We felt like with the data we’ve been getting that we’re probably going to need some more schools,” Superintendent Carol Nelson said. “Just because we say we need a school in three years, you don’t start it and open it the next year. It’s a process, and once the construction starts it’s about 18 months.”
Nelson said one question that has come up among committee members is: “What if we propose a bond, and it doesn’t pass?”
The answer, she said, lie with many options, including portable buildings and busing students to campuses with room.
“Those are the things you have to look at — how do we maximize the seats that we have?” she said. “Fortunately, we have schools that are close enough together and we have seats in some of the Shadow Creek elementary schools, so we would probably have to bus,” she told the board. “There are all kinds of options, depending on what direction the community goes, the taxpayers go.”
Upcoming meetings of the citizen committee are 6:30 p.m. on April 29 and May 6 at the Alvin ISD Heritage Complex in Iowa Colony, and meetings are open to the public.
More information and updates or to submit a question or comment, visit www.alvinisd.net/cac
