In order to address the growing community in and around Deer Park, the city government and school district are working together to address the increased population of students. A new elementary school is in the planning stage on property currently belonging to the city.

One thousand two hundred additional students are projected to be served by the Deer Park School District in the next five years. The Deer Park School District extends far beyond the city limits. As a result, continued growth inside and outside of city limits is putting pressure on the school district.

Four lots of land are included in an agreement currently before the Deer Park City Council. The agreement has already been approved by the Deer Park School District Board of Directors. The plots of land are to the south and east sides of the Deer Park Elementary (Bell) School.

The school district plans to build new elementary, transportation, and athletic facilities. To help alleviate traffic issues, there has been discussion about extending D Street and creating a new cross street, called South Aspen, between D Street and Crawford east of Weber Avenue.

There will be a public hearing at the next city council meeting on July 19th regarding the city declaring the land surplus and the agreement with the school district. 

The 42 acres of land has been appraised at $770,000. Because the School District will be paying for construction related infrastructure worth about 2 million dollars that the city will benefit from, the council has agreed to sell the land for exactly half of the appraised value.

Construction of the new school facilities would hopefully be completed by 2027. The City and School District agreement depends on passing a bond. The bond measure is expected to be on the February 2024 ballot. If the school can not pass a bond by the end of 2027, the agreement will be terminated.

You can view videos of the city council meetings and select school board meetings on our YouTube channel DPGazette.com/youtube.