A large part of the CCISD 2018 bond package is a new Mary Carroll High School.
CCISD Superintendent Roland Hernandez revealed some new, unexpected developments on Tuesday pertaining to that plan.
If voters approve that bond package, the new Carroll High School would no longer be on Weber Road, but instead, farther toward the city’s south side.
Hernandez said a combination of factors guided the proposal to move locations. He believes traffic congestion in the area may not accommodate a brand new high school campus.
Hernandez also said a new campus would relieve some of the overcrowding at Veterans Memorial High School, which he said is already at capacity. In addition, he said student enrollment is booming on the south side.
“When you’re looking at the growth going out Yorktown, Rodd Field and there’s still numerous housing projects that are being built. You know, you’re going to have the new Del Mar South campus. There’s going to be more and more coming,” he said.
Moving Carroll High School to that part of the city would require redrawing school boundaries, which would affect the new Carroll campus, Veterans Memorial High School and King High School.
Hernandez said most importantly, the current school’s open design raises safety concerns.
“It is our only high school with that outdoor wing concept, so that has continued to be on our plate, in removing all of those outdoor wing schools slowly but surely,” he said.
Parents who spoke with KRIS 6 News agree on the improvements, but not all of them support a move. Denise Sanchez has a daughter who is a junior at Carroll. She also has a younger daughter who will be in high school in several years so she supports a new and improved campus at another location.
“It seems unsafe. My daughter has to cross the street and there’s a lot of cars and it makes me nervous,” Sanchez said about the current location.
However, McKinley Darden, who has a granddaughter who attends Carroll, says a move would be a major inconvenience for his family and others who live near the present campus.
“They have other schools in that area…that are recently or pretty new. Now, what do they take from these people here that are in this neighborhood?” Darden said.
The plans for an exact location for the new Carroll High School have not been released.
