Construction Projects at Weatherford High School
As reported in the Weatherford ISD Board Briefs for September 18, 2017, the Weatherford Star-Telegram (9-26-17), and the Weatherford Democrat (9-19-17), last September the Weatherford ISD Board of Trustees approved the funding of two facility projects for the Weatherford High School campus at a combined cost of $9.884 million.
Career Tech Center - $5.535 million
Funding Source: Remaining 2015 Bond Funds
Multipurpose Activity Center - $4.349 million
Funding Source: 2017-2018 General Operating Budget
Weatherford ISD sought bids for each of these facilities and received a great response from companies submitting proposals through this competitive, sealed bid process.
Career Tech Center
The Career Tech Center will include five classrooms and four workshops designed to enhance career skills for students. This facility will reduce the need for students to travel to and from the Ninth Grade Center for CTE classes and it begins to address the overcrowded conditions at the main campus.
Dr. Jeffrey Hanks, superintendent, said, “Our 2015 bond projects were completed under budget meaning additional dollars were available to address further facility needs. As the Board considered projects, they were committed to following the priority of facility recommendations presented by the Facility Advisory of Citizens, Teachers, and Students (FACTS) Committee in February 2015. They honored the work of the FACTS Committee with the approval of funding for the Career Tech Center.”
Multipurpose Activity Center
The WISD Board of Trustees also approved the construction of a Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC) for the high school campus. The center is designed for extracurricular student groups.
The MAC:
· Minimizes the need for band, Blue Belles, and Color Guard to practice in the high school parking lot.
· Provides an indoor facility for extracurricular activity regardless of weather conditions.
· Minimizes the need to travel to Kangaroo Stadium for practice.
Dr. Hanks said, “Extracurricular activities are a critical part of providing our students a quality, well-rounded education. Participation in extracurricular activities increases student engagement and ultimately improves academic success. The General Operating budget will fund the Multipurpose Activity Center. No bond funds will be used for this project.”
