Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Proposed 2022 Bond package aims to provide more SBISD students with a robust Career & Technical Education experience

On Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, the seven-member Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) Board of Trustees voted unanimously to call a $381.6 million bond election to appear on the May 7, 2022, ballot. No tax rate increase is expected as a result of this bond.

The board is asking voters to consider two propositions, one of which is responsive to the commitment made under the 2017 Bond Program to develop the vision for a robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and the facility improvements needed to move toward that vision. 

Proposition A, if approved, would provide funding to:

  • Replace the Guthrie Center, SBISD’s central CTE facility
  • Make classroom, lab, and facility improvements at all district middle schools* and high schools as well as Guthrie’s Agricultural Science Center
  • Fund CTE-related technology equipment

Proposition B, if approved, would provide funding for:

  • Teacher devices district-wide
  • Secondary student devices district-wide

Read more about the proposed bond package here.

Did you know that more than half of SBISD middle and high school students currently participate in CTE? Our focus is on ensuring we have the capacity for Every Child to have access to robust CTE experiences. 

Work done over the last four years through multiple community-led task forces and committees affirm that SBISD has opportunities to significantly impact the CTE experience for our students moving into the future. 

Right now, SBISD CTE classrooms are undersized, outdated, and lack critical infrastructure needed to reflect industry standards. They also lack simulation labs that prepare students to be certified for real-world occupations such as Patient Care Technicians, Pharmacy Technicians, and Dental Assistants.

The Guthrie Center is 50 years old and would be replaced under the proposed bond. A rebuild of the Guthrie Center means the district would be able to have expanded course offerings, such as Automotive Technology, Construction Technology, Dental Assistant, Cybersecurity Capstone, and many more.

View the 26 CTE Programs of Study SBISD currently offers here.

Rebuilding Guthrie would provide the real-world industry settings that SBISD students need to have an authentic educational CTE experience. These opportunities would invite the community in and allow students to practice skills and gain hours needed to advance their coursework and meet technical certification requirements. Imagine being able to bring a car in for an oil change, have lunch at the bistro, book an appointment for a haircut, or take your small dog in for grooming - all these services being provided by SBISD students in CTE programs.

At the Agricultural Science Center, also known as the Ag Farm, the proposed bond includes funds for needed classroom additions and facility upgrades to enable expanded programming to include a veterinary tech lab and animal science lab.

Through this proposed bond package, all middle* and high schools would be impacted and receive CTE improvements.

Most current CTE spaces at the secondary schools were regular classrooms first and have been retrofitted over the years for CTE programming. These classrooms would receive the necessary upgrades to be brought up to industry standards, with expansions of classroom spaces as needed to better align programming across our high schools.

Middle school spaces would be properly equipped with industry-standard equipment and learning spaces dedicated to:

  • STEM labs for engineering, robotics
  • College and Career labs for problem-based learning
  • FLEX labs for architecture, construction

These updated spaces would enhance career exploration experiences for middle school students. With a new, expanded Guthrie Center, SBISD would be able to provide more introductory, or lower level CTE courses onsite at home campuses for high school students, without a need to go to Guthrie until they reach their advanced courses and capstone experiences. 

*Landrum Middle School is not included in this proposal as it was newly rebuilt under the 2017 Bond and included CTE educational specifications in the program design.

For more information about the proposed 2022 Bond package, as well FAQs, voting information, and presentations, visit www.springbranchisd.com/2022bond.

Join us at an upcoming community meeting to learn more about the proposed 2022 Bond.

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Campus Cafeteria

April 5 – Memorial High School

April 12 – Spring Woods High School

April 19 – Northbrook High School