Home | Community | Recreation | Location | Homes | Commercial Opportunities | Developer | Request Info | Press Room | Web Site Plan

Press Releases

>> Back

Alvin ISD plans for Pearland office

Superintendent James Gilcrease said officials want to better serve all parents

Alvin Independent School District wants to make it easier for parents and administrators who live in its fast-growing Pearland portion to access the same resources and services available at the district's main office, which is a 20-minute drive away.

The district is seeking a space in the Pearland Town Center, near where the planned Shadow Creek High School is being constructed to open next August at the corner of Broadway Street and Kirby Drive.

The proposed office would be a closer place for residents in that area to get general or seasonal services, addressing matters like student transportation or transfer options.

The district, which covers more than 262 square miles, also plans to handle recruiting and hiring from the site, Superintendent James "Buck" Gilcrease said.

"The heart of the district was in the city of Alvin. Now it's kind of spread out across the district with as many living on the other side as were originally in Alvin," Gilcrease said.

"We're looking for a way to better serve all of those people."

"There's a pretty significant commute for some of our staff," said Daniel Combs, the district's communications director. "If we're able to offer some of those resources and amenities in proximity, it'll be really beneficial."

Shadow Creek hot spot

As in many areas across Houston, population growth in Pearland has been exponential, more than doubling to an estimated 137,300 residents in the past 10 years, with one of the hot spots for growth in the Shadow Creek Ranch master-planned community west of Texas 288.

Pearland contains three Alvin Independent School District elementary schools in addition to Nolan Ryan Junior High School. The district's overall enrollment is 18,200.

Shadow Creek High School - which recently named its principal, Kelly Hestand, and its teams as the Sharks - will open with ninth through 11th grades.

Those entering the 11th grade next year who live within the Shadow Creek High attendance boundary will have the option to attend the school.

Texas 288 will mark the eastern boundary for the school's attendance zone, which will extend from north of FM 2234 south to a jagged boundary that includes parts of Texas 6 and County Road 5648.

According to Gilcrease, the attendance boundary established for Shadow Creek High indicates that 1,805 high school-aged students will live within the attendance zone for the school's first year. That number is estimated to increase to 2,534 by the 2021-22 school year.

District negotiates

Combs said plans for the office can proceed when the district settles on a price with the Town Center.

According to Gilcrease, the exact square footage of the space will determine the number of services the location will be able to offer.

Even still, he said, "I think having a spare is a good thing."

http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Alvin-ISD-plans-for-Pearland-office-6522495.php