The Pflugerville school district is back to square one on identifying a site for its fourth high school.
PISD cancelled its contract to purchase a 149-acre tract off Weiss Lane near Lake Pflugerville, citing concerns by community members regarding the purchase price and property location.
“We are reevaluating our options after learning of the concerns expressed by respected members of our community,” Pflugerville Superintendent of Schools Charles Dupre said. “Although we believe the site provided an ideal location at a fair price for the district’s fourth high school, no land deal is worth damaging the trust between our district and the community we serve.”
The district will immediately renew its search for a suitable property, but Dupre conceded starting from scratch to identify a new site will set the district’s timeline back and could ultimately delay the opening of PISD’s fourth high school. Hendrickson High School is projected to be well above its student capacity even with a new high school expected to open in 2015. However, given the circumstances, Dupre believes the district is making a wise decision.
“It is certainly possible that we may need to delay the opening of the next high school, which will push Hendrickson beyond its intended capacity,” Dupre said. “But after hearing from community members, we felt going through with the deal could erode the strong relationships the district has built with its stakeholders over many decades.”
Dupre believes that withdrawing from the Weiss Lane property purchase will allow the district to gain greater buy-in from community members about whatever property it ultimately decides to purchase.
“It is very important that the district is responsive to our community when we hear concerns,” Dupre said. “I hope that by slowing down our process and evaluating other options, we will establish an even higher level of trust with community members.”
