TISD Announces Proposal for Stewart Campus
Posted/updated on: March 6, 2013 at 12:30 pm
TYLER Tyler ISD officials said Tuesday that if the May bond issue passes, they will work toward creating a new high school on the current Stewart Middle School campus. The school would be called A.T. Stewart Academy of Excellence. The academy would offer several different programs in college readiness, job readiness, math, technology, fine arts, language arts, mentoring, and science. The facility would be designed for what TISD calls 21st century learning to help students thrive in college and the workforce, carrying forward the legacy of excellence of Rev. A.T. Stewart, for whom the school is named. Students would have to apply to be accepted to the school, and any student who graduates will get a diploma. School officials tell KETK that everyone will be encouraged to apply.
If the bond passes, the board would take two years to plan, design, and get community input on the project. During that time, students would stay at Stewart Middle School. If and when the new academy is built, students from Stewart would split and attend two different middle schools. Stewart students who live south of Highway 31 will have option to attend a new middle school in the southwest quadrant of Tyler, said TISD Superintendent Gary Mooring. “Students living north of Highway 31 would attend new Boulter Middle School. Board members say a rumor about the Plyler Alternative School moving to the old Stewart Middle School is not true.
The new academy would be in addition to the Career and Technology Center, which is based more toward gaining skills to enter the workforce. The board says it would envision about 400 to 500 students at the new high school eventually. They are also considering adding extra curricular activities for those students if in fact this bond goes through.
A number of people in the neighborhood surrounding Stewart have expressed concern about plans to repurpose the school. Officials noted that the whole proposal would be subject to court approval. The also said the renovation and repurposing of Stewart would not require any additional funding on top of the bond proposal.
