The final project funded by the 2018 bond is complete, wrapping up a series of projects that took a little more than seven years to complete, including a new campus for Emeline Carpenter, an expanded McMichael Middle School and creation of Malcolm Rector Center for Advanced Careers & Innovation, state-of-the-art career and technical education center at Nacogdoches High School.
The last piece of the puzzle – the district’s Professional Development Center – is officially open for business following the ribbon cutting hosted Thursday by Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce.
Superintendent Grey Burton praised voters for their support of the bond in 2018 and their foresight to back facility improvements within the district.
Former NISD superintendents Dr. Gabriel Trujillo and Alton Frailey attended Thursday’s ribbon cutting. The choir from McMichael Middle School, under direction of Aaron Dominguez, also performed.
“I have no reason to doubt that Nacogdoches ISD can be the flagship district in East Texas,” Burton said. “The talent is there for us to be successful. You just saw our middle school choir perform, and they did a wonderful job.
“This facility will let us provide important training for our teachers, and as long as we support our teachers who are teaching our students, we will be successful.”
NISD purposely held off on moving forward with the Professional Development Center until it became clear all other projects would be completed. NISD’s Board of Trustees approved the low base bid in January 2024 of $7.03 million from Construction Managers of Southeast Texas LLC for the training and conference center. Nacogdoches architect Army Curtis designed the building.
The $77.9 million bond approved by voters in 2018 has nearly all been allocated. The district expects to come in right on target now that the professional development center is complete.
The 12,716-square-foot facility will serve as a training and conference center for the district’s teaching and professional staff and can accommodate meetings of more than 300 people.
The large meeting space can also be partitioned into two smaller areas that can simultaneously hold meetings or seminars, and two large conference rooms can hold up to 20 people each.