Austin ISD Trustees approved Sánchez Elementary School as the site of a $25 million Austin ISD 2017 Bond program investment, modernizing the campus in East Austin and creating a 21st-century learning space.

Trustees made the decision at the Sept. 24 Regular Board Meeting. The modernization of Sánchez will provide students with collaborative spaces, learning neighborhoods, integrated technology and outdoor learning spaces as part of the Bond investment.

Efforts to help the schools’ families become acquainted and form new friendships will begin soon.

Trustees deliberated on the school to be modernized from among Sánchez, Metz and Zavala Elementary schools. Trustees voted to concur with the recommendation of the Metz- Sánchez -Zavala Project Planning Team and district administration. The planning team is composed of faculty, staff and community members from the three schools. Earlier this year, the planning team undertook a months-long evaluation of each of the schools, all located in the Near East Austin/E. Cesar Chavez St. neighborhood.

To support the modernization of an elementary school on the east side, Austin ISD performed a high-level “constructibility analysis” based on district’s Educational Specifications. Overall, the study found that both Metz and Sánchez elementary schools could be fully modernized within the budget. Zavala Elementary, with significant constructibility challenges, could not. Findings show that Sánchez:

• Could be easily rebuilt to align with the district’s updated design standards and concepts to create engaging and effective learning environments,
• Has an existing building arrangement that allows for a separation of parent and bus traffic,
• Presents significant structural engineering to address lack of natural light within the building and
• Has strong links to outdoor spaces, including proximity to Lady Bird Lake.

Austin voters approved AISD’s 2017 Bond Program in November 2017. Districtwide, the $1.05 billion program will:
* Construct 17 new or modernized campus facilities,
* Address campus overcrowding and critical facility needs and
* Improve technology integration for teachers and students districtwide.

AISD Trustees Select Sánchez Elementary School for Eastside Modernization Project