AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Independent School District (AISD) hopes to see voters approve a $2.44 billion bond in November. A total of $250 million from that would go to Travis Early College High School.
The school was built in 1953.
"To be honest, what is not outdated?" asked AISD’s Chief of Operations Matias Segura.
Segura said if voters approve the district's bond in November, the high school will see major changes.
"We are going down to the ground. It’s going to be a completely new facility," Segura said.
He said the entire school needs work.
"So, it will be the athletic facility, the visual performing arts facility, it will be, you know, all the core spaces, the educational spaces, it will be furniture, there will be turf here," Segura said.
Travis ECHS Principal Eric Posadas hopes voters will pass the bond.
“Hopefully we can get a school that our kids are proud to attend and be a part of," Posadas said.
Posadas added that the upgrades would improve not just the school itself but the community too.
"Will help improve our community that will help better our students' lives and educate them and prepare them for the future. And it starts with creating modernized learning spaces," Posadas said.
He said everything from classrooms to the athletic facilities need a lot of work. One example is the school's weight room.
"A lot of the equipment is old, like the AC, especially at the peak times of the day when it is hot, it really doesn't cool down very much," Posadas said.
He said the athletic fields also need changes and improvements and that the facilities don't have lights.
"There is holes and bumps and stuff so, it is sort of difficult to use," Posadas said.
Segura said the school would also see major security and technology upgrades as well.
"We want to position our students for decades to come, and you can't do that with Band-Aids. It just can't be done. And so, for us, an investment like this really allows us to rethink how Travis County Early High School is supported on this site," Segura said.
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