Crowley ISD Superintendent Michael McFarland started a chant as he kicked off a 2023 bond discussion.
“Can you repeat after me? Promises made,” McFarland said, letting his words trail.
“Promises made,” the audience gathered in the school board meeting room echoed the district’s leader.
“Promises kept,” McFarland said, the audience repeating after him.
The superintendent was excited during a March 28 school board meeting as the district publicly shared for the first time the architectural plans for the new Crowley High School. Also fueling McFarland’s mood was the near completion of the first project from the district’s $1 billion bond program.
Crowley Montessori Academy is the district’s newest elementary school and is expected to be finished sometime in May or June, said Randy Reeves, chief operations officer.
Crews are now working on the finishing touches, such as landscaping, electrical and moving furniture into classrooms. The $33.3 million school is scheduled to open for the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
The renderings of the new Crowley High School, which will replace the existing campus, wowed trustees.
Fort Worth’s VLK Architects designed a modern school with a college-like campus. The building will have plenty of windows, allowing natural light into the high school. A video showed a courtyard filled with plants and a library overlooking the space.
The new Crowley High School will be home to a district sports arena that will feature screens around a basketball court and a jumbotron in the center.
Board Secretary Nedra Robinon wished she could be a student again to enjoy the campus.
“You know those movies like ‘17 Again’? That would be the one time I would like to go back to high school just briefly. It’s a beautiful building,” Robinson said. “I know the students will enjoy it.”
The new high school is scheduled to open during the 2027-28 academic year. Trustee Kelicia Stevenson cannot wait, she said.
“I’m excited to see it,” Stevenson said.
Board Vice President Gary Grassia agreed with his fellow trustees. He told administrators that he has seen comments online from residents questioning how Crowley ISD could build new schools while facing a budget crunch.
The replacement campus for Crowley High School and the new Crowley Montessori Academy are funded through a bond that voters approved, said Leon Fisher, the district’s chief financial officer. Bond funds are approved specifically for construction and renovation projects.
“They cannot be used for payment of teacher salaries, utilities — maintenance and operations costs,” Fisher said.
The superintendent also pointed out that the district wants to capitalize on the construction of new homes. More homes means additional property tax revenue for Crowley ISD and a higher student enrollment.
Steady growth means administrators are realigning school boundaries to balance student populations, planning for new schools and attracting educators for new classrooms, McFarland said. Still, the district plans to tighten its budget where it can.
“Our district is growing astronomically,” McFarland said. “We are trying to stay ahead of the curve.”
As of March 28, 17,191 students attended Crowley ISD schools, according to district officials. The district had 17,036 students in the fall.
Trustee June Davis was thrilled with the district’s plans for new schools. She brought up another group who needed to be mentioned.
“One other thing: Thank you, taxpayers.”
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
