Richardson’s ISD promised that their newest school will be getting the maximum budget of $81 million dollars according to a Dallas Morning News article from April 20 which reports,
“Richardson ISD’s new Lake Highlands Middle School is on track to open in August 2024, but with a price tag that is $11 million higher than anticipated.
During its April 11 meeting, the Richardson ISD school board approved the guaranteed maximum price of $81 million for the project. The figure is about $11 million greater than initially projected.
Increased construction costs and supply chain disruptions exacerbated by the pandemic have led to the higher price tag, according to the district.”
The Richardson ISD officials couldn’t be any happier with their grand project that will transform the middle school and eventually the entire campus according to a Community Impact article from April 11. They say,
“We are very excited for this,” Assistant Superintendent Sandra Hayes said. “This is the first time that the district has taken on creating a new school since the early 2000s, with the exception of Memorial Park Academy. We’re very excited to get this off and running.”
This improvement project is part of RISD’s larger middle school transformation plan. This large-scale renovations project is aiming to use facility adjustments at junior high campuses over the course of several years to make room for sixth graders, district officials said during a Nov. 15 meeting. The junior high campuses are currently used for grades seven and eight.
Trustees previously approved a guaranteed maximum price at a March 7 meeting for the Forest Meadow Junior High renovations. That construction is scheduled to be completed by July 2023, according to district officials. Forest Meadow Junior High is located at 9373 Whitehurst Drive in Dallas.
The goal of the middle school transformation project is to have construction completed at all campuses by the 2030-31 school year, according to a district presentation on the 2021 bond earlier this year. Funds from the 2021 RISD bond will be used to pay for the Lake Highlands and Forest Meadow projects.”
The new projected building will be three-stories tall and will be capable of accommodating up to 1,500 students in total.
