SAN ANTONIO – Students on the first day of school at both Vestal and Carroll Bell Elementary walked into brand-new buildings as part of Harlandale ISD's attempt to improve aging campuses.
Last year, crews began building the new Vestal Elementary in a lot behind the old school. The new building is now in the 1100 block of Cantrell Drive.
District leaders said crews will soon demolish the old building.
“The parents are excited. They’ve been excited since last year, " Elva Garcia, a special education teacher at Vestal Elementary, said. "We saw the foundation as they were building it from the ground all the way up. Because it’s pretty much behind the old building.”
The school district also tore down the old version of Carroll Bell Elementary, which is located in the 500 block of West Harding Boulevard, and replaced it with a brand-new building.
Parents, students and community members had a chance to tour the new campuses last week during an open house.
“We are extremely excited. We’ve been waiting for two years. The students deserve the best, and we are finally getting the best,” Taleen Bloom, principal at Carroll Bell Elementary, said.
In 2015, voters in the Harlandale School District approved a $64.9 million bond package. The district said the original campuses were more than 50 years old.
The district said it used a combination of bond money and state funds to build the replacement schools and it was less expensive to demolish the old buildings than to try and renovate them.