Plans to breathe new life into a tech center offering a hands-on, project-based elementary education to students were recently revealed.
The project to install new signs, replace sidewalks and pavement, and provide new lighting at Dallas Independent School District’s James S. Hogg New Tech Center is scheduled to begin in September. The school is located in North Oak Cliff and boasts a learning strategy centered on collaboration, project-based learning, a culture of trust, and technology integration.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, Hogg and New Tech High School at B.F. Darrell revealed a new method for teaching mathematics using LEGOs. In a news release, the curriculum was described as a way to “bring abstract concepts to life” for students. Despite the hard work of its faculty, DISD has been struggling in academics, with only 39% of students scoring at grade level in mathematics on the 2021-2022 STAAR exam, according to the latest accountability report from the Texas Education Agency.
According to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, the estimated cost of construction at Hogg is $8 million, and the renovations are expected to be complete by December 2025. Covering more than 10,600 square feet, the bond project at that campus includes the installation of new HVAC rooftop units and water pumps and pipes.
These improvements will be made to Hogg’s campus thanks to two propositions voters approved from DISD’s record-setting $3.5 billion bond package in 2020. Originally, the package amounted to $3.7 billion spread across five propositions, but voters rejected spending for the construction of a performing arts center, as well as stadium and natatorium improvements.
Nonetheless, the approved propositions fund improvements and repairs at more than 200 campuses.
Several other campuses in the design stage as part of the bond initiative include Dallas Environmental Science Academy, Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School, William Lipscomb Elementary School, Victor H. Hexter Elementary School, Lincoln High School, Justin F. Kimball High School, and Harry C. Withers Elementary School. So far, the work on four campuses has been completed, while 14 others are under construction.
Other DISD campuses scheduled to undergo construction this year include Edison Middle School and Urban Park STEAM Academy, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
