Godley ISD weighs converting purchased house on North Pearson into offices or classrooms as enrollment grows

Godley ISD trustees on Wednesday heard a staff presentation about potential uses for a district-owned house at 600 North Pearson Street and how the site could relieve immediate classroom capacity pressures.

The presentation by Spencer (district staff) said the house, bordering RB Godley High School parking on two sides, could be converted to administrative offices — freeing four to five classrooms in the main Legacy Elementary building — or could be used as rental housing for staff. "It's a great problem that we have because the community around us is excited about the opportunities that are here," Spencer said during the presentation.

Why it matters: district staff told trustees enrollment is growing and several classrooms across campuses exceed the district's typical target ratios. Converting the house to offices would move registration, HR and counseling functions off-site and open classroom space for students; keeping it as a residence would preserve flexible housing capacity but would not create classrooms.

Board discussion and options: Spencer said converting the house to offices would require modest renovation and estimated the district's goal would be to keep additional renovation costs below $75,000. He said that one large room originally used as a boardroom could be split, explaining why the estimate ranges between opening four and five classrooms. He also described a plan to pour a walkway to the RB Godley parking lot and to provide ADA spaces in the driveway for visitors.

Trustees asked about procurement and architect selection. Staff recommended using the district's current RFQ process and discussed continuing to work with architect Huckabee on the small project; Spencer said Huckabee had agreed to keep fees "way below what they would normally charge" for a low‑value project. Trustees asked whether the district had solicited other architects; staff said they would use the RFQ process for larger projects and could reach out to neighboring districts for additional vendor names for this smaller job.

Capacity impacts and alternatives: staff noted that the house solution would not address capacity at every campus (several elementary grade bands and pre-K/sixth-grade campuses remain near capacity). Alternatives discussed included buying or building new space in the future or using portables; Spencer cautioned that portables have become more expensive and require additional safety/site work when placed off the main campus.

Outcome and next steps: trustees did not take a final vote on converting the property. Spencer asked for authorization to use the district's current RFQ process and to continue studies of all options; he said a formal recommendation would return to the board with cost estimates and permitting steps if the board chose to proceed.

Ending: Staff said they would continue due diligence, bring more detailed cost and permitting information back to the board, and explore bidding alternatives and parking logistics before any action was scheduled.