What happened: The Midland ISD Board of Trustees approved two related items on Tuesday, March 24, to move forward with a new facility for its Encore program, including reallocating approximately $5.9 million from the 2023 bond originally slated for the Legacy Freshman High School project and selecting new construction over renovation options.

Encore is a specialized program that currently serves 17 students and helps young adults ages 18–22 with special needs transition to independent living through life skills training, job readiness, and vocational experience. District leaders said the new facility is designed to serve more than 45 students and allow for future growth.

The big picture: District staff said the current setup limits what the program can offer and does not provide a dedicated space tailored to students’ needs. The proposed facility would include classroom space, vocational training areas, a culinary lab, and outdoor learning environments tailored specifically for the program.

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school districts to provide special education services to students with disabilities through age 21 to prepare them for “further education, employment, and independent living.” Texas Administrative Code allows a student who is 21 at the start of the school year to continue receiving services through the end of that school year, meaning some students may turn 22 before services end.

Those services must be tailored to each student and can include instruction, job training, community experiences, and life skills development. However, the law does not require a specific type of facility, a specific program size, or a specific level of capital investment. Districts must provide appropriate services, but how those services are delivered and how much is spent is determined locally.

Go deeper: Board members were presented with the option of either renovating an existing facility or building a new one. One renovation option for an existing building was estimated at $4 million but would rely on older infrastructure, potentially leading to higher long-term maintenance and operating costs, and would delay completion until closer to 2029.

The new construction option, approved by the board, is estimated at $5.9 million and is expected to open in 2027. Officials said some existing buildings were not only aging but also inefficient for the program’s size. They also noted that portions of the Legacy Freshman site remain under consideration for future campus use.

What they’re saying: MISD Trustee Matt Friez said on social media that the original $1.4 billion bond allocation included roughly $17–18 million for renovations to Legacy Freshman, but the district now plans to move toward demolition, estimated at just over $1 million, instead of upgrading the facility. He added that even after funding the Encore project, officials expect roughly $10–11 million in bond capacity.