Alvin ISD describes 8-day recovery to reopen Walt Disney Elementary after tornado damage

Superintendent Nelson said the Alvin Independent School District reopened Walt Disney Elementary at an alternate campus eight days after a Dec. 28 tornado damaged the Walt Disney building, praising staff, contractors and donors for a rapid recovery.

The district moved students and staff into the former Alvin Elementary campus (referred to in meeting remarks as “Disney 2”) while the damaged building on Mustang Road was secured and assessed. "We had to accomplish a summer's worth of work in 8 days," Superintendent Nelson said. "It was a collective effort, and we could not have done it without the relationships that we built over time with contractors."

The relocation was organized immediately after the storm, with district operations, BELFOR (restoration contractor), the City of Alvin and volunteers assisting to clean, repair and prepare the temporary site. The superintendent described work that included cleaning, painting, installing access points and new security and communications equipment. "We had roofers, concrete workers, playground specialists...60 to a hundred folks in and out of the building," an operations lead said in the video update shown to trustees.

Why it matters: the district emphasized continuity of instruction and student safety. Donations managed through the Alvin ISD Education Foundation allowed staff and teachers to purchase classroom supplies quickly; the superintendent said donations exceeded $140,000 and that Region 4 offered up to $2,000 per affected teacher via Amazon wish lists to replace personal classroom items.

District officials said insurance claims are pending and will affect longer-term decisions about whether the original Walt Disney building is repaired or demolished. "They still have not said it's a total loss," Superintendent Nelson told the board, adding that the district expects a commercial insurance assessment and that there is a district deductible "which could be anywhere between $700,000 to a million dollar deductible on that building."

Bond program implications: the superintendent said the event will likely accelerate planning already under way for a replacement or combined pre-K–5 school for Walt Disney and Stevenson in the district bond program, but added that geological testing and insurance outcomes must guide final decisions. "We're planning behind the scenes, but we have to see what is it that we're even gonna get from insurance," she said.

District logistics: Transportation added bus routes for students who formerly walked or biked to Walt Disney; buses use RFID badges so the district and parents can track students boarding and disembarking. Technology staff replaced damaged student and staff devices and repaired or replaced access control, fire alarm communications and PA systems before reopening the temporary site.

Community response and donations: the superintendent credited the Alvin ISD Education Foundation, local volunteers, retired staff and news outlets for mobilizing supply and financial donations. Brandy Growth, executive director of the Alvin ISD Education Foundation, coordinated a donation hub and helped manage funds that could be deployed faster than district procurement allowed.

Next steps: the district said it will provide weekly insurance and recovery updates to the board, continue to gather teacher requests for classroom needs, and coordinate design and planning if insurance and site assessments indicate replacement construction is required. No formal action to select a reconstruction site or contractor was reported at the meeting; trustees were updated and thanked first responders, contractors and volunteers.

Trustee Peterson and other trustees commended staff on the speed of recovery and the superintendent closed the update by thanking operations, technology and maintenance staff for their work to restore learning quickly.