Cedar Hill ISD reviews bond construction progress and technology upgrades

Cedar Hill ISD trustees received a progress update Thursday on bond-funded construction and parallel technology upgrades, including schematic design work at High Point Elementary Fine Arts Academy and districtwide wireless and network replacements supported by federal E‑Rate funding.

The update explained why the campus work is moving forward now and how district technology investments will support classrooms. Superintendent Gerald B. Hudson told the board the High Point project team has completed schematic design and that the campus will receive a black-box theater, dedicated rooms for vocal music, dance and orchestra, a ceramics lab and an updated computer lab. He gave a construction timeline of about nine months and said, as presented, the High Point project budget is $14,600,000 with expected completion in July 2026.

District staff said schematic design is also underway for Waterford Oaks Elementary and for an auxiliary services center that will include a bus barn and fueling area. The district reported that it has reached purchase agreements for some parcels needed for expansion but that a closing date on a small, remaining parcel was not yet set.

On technology, a district IT presenter reported the bond program will pay for a broad refresh: core network infrastructure replacement, a disaster‑recovery site split between the administration building and the high school, a districtwide wireless access‑point replacement this summer and later in‑year firewall upgrades. The presenter said the district increased Internet bandwidth from 5 gigabits to 15 gigabits and had been awarded nearly $600,000 through the federal E‑Rate program; because Cedar Hill ISD’s free/reduced lunch rate is about 80 percent, the presenter said the federal program will cover roughly 80 percent of eligible costs and the district will cover the remainder.

Communications staff described a refreshed bond web page and outreach plan: campus pages with progress updates, a monthly video and handout rotations, mailers to nearby neighborhoods, new on‑site signage at High Point and enrollment of students on the bond oversight committee to give updates.

Trustees asked about schedule and community outreach, and staff said presentations to campus staff and mailers to neighbors are planned in coming weeks. No formal board action was taken on the bond or technology items during the update.

Trustee and staff remarks occurred in the presentations portion of the meeting and during later budget and academic discussions that referenced bond planning and use of construction “swing space” if campuses are repurposed. The district noted that bond funds must be used in ways consistent with the bond order (construction, acquisition, renovation, improvement, safety and equipment) and that any diversion from the order would require board approvals and legal review.

The board will receive future, detailed design documents and regular bond oversight updates as projects progress.