Laredo ISD proposes 'Next Step Center' to provide transition and vocational training for 18–21‑year‑old students

Laredo ISD presented a proposal Aug. 5 to create a “Next Step Center” serving 18– to 21‑year‑old students with disabilities, modeled on a similar center in a neighboring district and intended to provide vocational training, life‑skills instruction and therapy services.

Special education staff explained the center would occupy the east side of the former Sigaroa Middle School (2600 Pablo Blanco Street) and would include career labs (retail, culinary arts, hospitality, floral, hotel laundry and a multi‑career lab), four lecture classrooms, a classroom for severe and profound students, physical/occupational therapy and speech rooms, a sensory room (estimated at $35,000), a nurse’s clinic and an ARD/agency meeting room. The center plan would also include a greenhouse area for hands‑on instruction.

Mister Guzman (special education lead) said staff estimate staffing needs of seven teachers (four new full‑time equivalents) plus a vocational coordinator and a nurse. Equipment estimates presented to the committee included approximately $605,192 for lab and specialized equipment; total renovation and equipment costs were presented as roughly $1 million (district staff said they are refining construction estimates with Facilities/operations). The suggested timeline calls for renovation work in January–February 2026 after Sigaroa vacates the building in late 2025, purchase and setup in March–May 2026, and an opening planned for Aug. 2026.

Board members asked about selection criteria and capacity. Staff said an initial projection of 30 students would be served, with placement determined through ARD (Admission, Review and Dismissal) committee decisions and state IDEA/roll‑forward funding to be used for specialized equipment. Staff said general classroom renovations would be funded through standard capital budgets while specialized equipment and IDEA‑eligible items could be purchased with federal special education funds.

Ending: Trustees responded positively to the concept and asked staff to refine costs and funding sources for a future board action; staff said they would return with detailed construction estimates and funding plans.