Bond oversight committee: Griggs High, specialized learning center to be substantially complete in May; several campuses finish this summer

The Birdville ISD bond oversight committee told the school board April 24 that multiple projects funded by the district's 2022 bond are nearing completion and that most have come in under budget.

“We're close to wrapping up so many of the projects from the 2022 bond. We're excited about that,” said Erin Powell, a member of the bond oversight committee, during a presentation to the board.

Powell said Bob Griggs High School and the Linda Kunkel Specialized Learning Center are expected to be substantially complete in May, pending the city’s occupancy permits, with a ribbon-cutting planned for May 16. The committee reported that the new Mullendore STEM elementary is complete this month and Smith Elementary is on schedule for completion in June with furniture installations in July. Renovations at Haltom High School, including the dance-and-cheer addition, are expected to be finished by fall 2025.

The committee outlined a list of summer projects with roughly 60-day windows for completion: roof work at multiple campuses, HVAC upgrades at several sites including the Fine Arts Center and portions of Smithfield Middle, flooring at Haltom Middle, electrical and outdoor lighting replacements, plumbing work, and elevator upgrades at Birdville High School. The committee also reported technology work: Chromebooks have been received for incoming sixth- and ninth-graders, new secondary students, and second-grade classrooms; wireless access-point upgrades and flat-panel display installations are scheduled for summer; and upgrades to servers and data-center equipment are underway.

“We are thrilled to see this finished campus at the ribbon cutting on May 16,” Powell said of Griggs High and the specialized learning center. Board members noted that a majority of projects in the bond have come in under budget; one trustee thanked district staff and the contractor Lee Lewis by name for that outcome.

The committee said there may still be punch-list items to finish after occupancy permits arrive, and several items require final city approvals before being used by students. The board did not take further action on the bond report at the April 24 meeting; the committee said it expects to provide a final recap this summer as construction wraps up.

Plans and timelines presented to the board will guide summer work to prepare campuses for students in the 2025–26 school year.