By Fernando De Velasco, Chief Technology Officer, Prosper ISD
So where is Prosper? Prosper ISD (PISD) is located about 35 miles north of Dallas. The territory of Prosper ISD extends into six rapidly growing municipalities: Town of Prosper, City of Frisco, City of McKinney, City of Celina, Collin County, and Denton County.
In 2018 alone, more than 3,000 new homes were built within the district boundaries. Right now, there are more than 5,500 vacant lots already developed for new homes. In addition to that, there are 21,940 new residential lots platted for future use.
In 2007, Prosper ISD had 2,800 students enrolled. By 2018-2019, the district reached over 14,000 students and it is estimated that PISD will grow to over 40,000 students by 2028.
Prosper ISD Enrollment
While student enrollment had been steadily increasing for many years, a sudden rush of growth in 2016-2017 required the district to deploy 24 portables in order to create 48 additional classrooms. And that was just the beginning. In 2017-2018, the first modular portable building was installed at Prosper High School creating 11 new classrooms. That same year, the district opened elementary schools #8 and #9. In 2018-2019, the district installed a second modular portable at Prosper High School creating 12 additional classrooms and it opened elementary schools #10 and #11, middle school #3, a stadium, and a natatorium. By summer 2020, the district will open its second high school, fourth middle school, twelfth elementary school, and and a new bus depot.
How are we going to pay for more schools? In 2019, voters approved a $1.3 billion bond which is expected to cover the next seven years of growth and build the following:
- 9 or 10 elementary schools to house an additional 7,500 students
- 4 or 5 middle schools to house an additional 6,600 students, built every odd year
- 2 high schools to house an additional 6,000 students, built every even year
- a performing arts and staff development center
- a second athletics facility
- an administration and support services building
What is the Prosper ISD difference?
PISD's greatest strength is its people. The district has hired and retained a group of dedicated, highly-trained professionals who are capable of getting well organized, lining up projects and deadlines, and ensuring all construction projects – at new as well as existing schools – come in on time. Facilitating communication and relationships between departments has been the paramount concern; coordinating planning, via meetings, emails, and phone calls, has been a constant and dedicated effort from everyone, from architects to construction, to curriculum and instruction, to facilities, the business office, and human resources.
For example, construction meets every Tuesday and Thursday to handle up to eight concurrent jobs. While this takes some time away from ongoing operations, the meetings are much needed to ensure new construction meets our expectations. At the same time, there are meetings with vendors and curriculum and instruction departments in order to road map future technologies for new schools as well as bringing existing schools up to new standards.
Everybody loves change, but nobody wants to be changed
The rapid growth has placed everybody in a position of having to adapt to change faster than usual, evaluating existing methods, creating new processes, and simply considering new ways of thinking in order to get things done. For example, because we lack adequate warehouse facilities in the district, we have worked with vendors to “buy time” by purchasing services and “bought space” by having them store equipment until it is deployed. While this is an expense, it has created a good relationship with vendors who know and understand our situation and has further expedited orders and deployments.
Obstacle course
The primary risks we face in planning for continued growth are potential legislative bills which could remove state funding and the general wellbeing of the local economy. One issue we have faced is the fact that vendors sometimes lack the understanding or vision necessary to help the district realize potential economic opportunities and provide cost-effective products and become more than just a vendor. For example, for two years we navigated the waters of meetings, drafting, and testing what equipment could replace our interactive boards in the classrooms. While many vendors offered their products and promises, only one eventually offered the product that would meet the district requirements in quality and cost.
Another issue created by this rapid growth is the way in which technology refresh cycles are extremely close to each other. For example, in the last two years we have built 5 schools and 2 new facilities. These buildings required computers and network equipment, among other technologies. This means that in three to five years, up to 7 additional buildings will also need technology retrofits. Because of that, budgeting for a 5-year refresh cycle is presenting quite a few challenges.
Closing thoughts
From right to left: Dr. Bradley (Assistant Superintendent), Danny Scott (Director of Network Services), Scott Cox (Director of Support Services), and Fernando De Velasco (Chief Technology Officer). July 2019
