New Waco High near completion; district outlines move and salvage plan

District facilities director Gloria Barrera and architect Andrew Faust presented a construction and occupancy update for the new Waco High School, putting the project at roughly 92% complete and on schedule for staff occupancy and a fall opening. "We are on the brink of delivering this amazing building to y'all, so you can use it here next fall," Faust said during the presentation.

The presentation included interior and exterior highlights: a two-story classroom 'neighborhood' layout, a main gym with about 2,000 seats and a 600-seat auditorium, multiple distributed dining lines to reduce cafeteria bottlenecks, and specialized CTE spaces including a commercial culinary lab and six-bay auto tech classroom. Facilities staff described an organized move plan: teacher packing, an online auction of surplus items (scheduled 05/27'06/02), salvage and reuse of rooftop HVAC units and CTE equipment across district campuses, and recovery of a 1986 time capsule for later dedication. The contractor reported sufficient permits are in place for staged occupancy and that technology and furniture are being installed on a schedule timed to allow the campus to settle in over the summer.

District staff said they are producing a teacher "owner's manual" for the new building covering room systems and operation (movable partitions, lab hoods, etc.) and scheduling user-group walk-throughs and training so teachers and staff can practice routines like circulation, lunch flows and flexible-space usage before students arrive. The district also described plans to reuse or reallocate furniture and equipment where possible to limit waste and cost.

What happens next: staff will finalize punch-list items, complete staged occupancy permits for staff, and schedule vendor-led technology and operational training across the summer. An official dedication and grand-opening schedule will be announced once logistics are finalized.