Campus expansion, demolition begins

TISD starts construction on new CTE buildings

Story by Nicholas Spivey, Staff Writer

September 19, 2023

The old CTE building lies on the Texas High Campus. Texarkana Independent School District passed a $189 million bond for both additions and reconstruction of buildings on campus.

In early November 2022, Texarkana passed a $189 million dollar bond for Texarkana Independent School District to replace old learning centers, such as the CTE center, with two brand new buildings. With a bright future in sight, students and staff are eager to learn more about the status update of these new buildings.

“The facilities’ infrastructure is [too] outdated to keep up with the demands of the community,” Assistant Principal Julius Anderson said. “The campus was built in 1969, so numerous factors led to the bond upgrade passing through for our district.”

Now, construction began in the southeast sector of our campus. By closing off the outside pond area for students, the contractors can now begin work in November 2023. The process is projected to finish in the fall of 2025, with teachers and students moving into the new facilities during the 2026 school year.

“I’m glad that the new CTE buildings will be built,” CTE teacher Mark Ahrens said. “It’ll definitely bring more careers to TISD and help kids get an idea of what they want to do early on in their lives. I’m thrilled that we will get a new robotics room and arena for UIL competitions.”

To make room and space, the school will start gutting out the old CTE buildings in December. Accommodations will be provided for all of the CTE classes that will be moved for the construction, including a new staff parking lot next to the multi-purpose center.

“We have temporary structures that will be built on site for teachers and students to use for the next two years while we are in the building process,” Anderson said. “We want our students in our district to have an ideal learning environment, and the bond construction was necessary for this.”

Although juniors and seniors will not be able to witness the new buildings, freshmen and sophomores are thrilled to learn that they will be able to walk into the brand new education centers.

“I’m very excited for the new buildings,” freshman Zoe Aldridge said. “I’m looking forward to the new spaces and new opportunities for the students.”

About the Contributors

Nicholas Spivey, Staff Writer

Nicholas Spivey is going into newspaper for the second year in a row. He is a part of NHS and the Robotics Club, where he spends most of his time working with classmates and interacting with friends. He is always on the go with work and planning for his future college career in computer science. He strikes when the opportunity is right and tries to make everyone satisfied. Spivey has a passion for engineering and retro science. Last year alone he won six awards in UIL Robotics and doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

Caden Jackson, visual journalist

Caden Jackson is a second-year staff photographer for Tiger Times. When he isn’t shooting assignments he is either hunting, fishing or slaving away at Lost Pizza. After high school Jackson plans to go to Harding University and get his criminal justice degree and then go to Game Warden Academy to become a game warden in Arkansas.