Coupland prepares for new school School board position is now open
COUPLAND — After a gap of more than eight decades, the Coupland Independent School District will officially debut a new high school in August, officials said.
In addition to discussions about the new campus during the Jan. 15 school board meeting, the district also gained a new trustee but now is in search of another.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Earl Parcell and trustees spent the first school board meeting of the year making decisions about Coupland Junior High and High School and its students.
The advent of the campus, which is paired with a junior high, is being billed as a “big event” for the community as the former high school closed its doors in the 1940s. It is located at 350 CR 460.
A voter-approved 2023 bond is funding the development of the combined campus.
Until now, Coupland students attended classes up to eighth grade and then transferred to other school districts.
Trustees voted to establish memorandums of understanding with several colleges, including Temple College, for dual enrollment and dual-credit options for future Coupland High students to earn college credits while still in high school.
Many of the surrounding high schools have similar programs, including Taylor and Granger.
Parcell said it does not cost the district any money to sign an agreement with the different universities.
“I’d rather have (the agreements) and not need them than need them and not have them,” Parcell said.
In December, Coupland ISD held an informational session for students transitioning to the junior high and high school.
District leaders addressed parents and students about what to expect, including electives.
Parcell said he spent many hours choosing electives for the new campus, taking into account what students need and what they want.
“I told them they’re not going to have everything, especially not at first,” he said.
A second informational session is 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Coupland ISD cafeteria, 620 S. Commerce St.
During the Jan. 15 meeting, trustees also accepted the resignation of trustee Royce Hatch. The district recently added Marcia Buffington to its roster to fill the trustee position left open by Andrew Gonzalez, who stepped down in September.
Hatch’s position still needs to be filled. An election is May 2.
For more about serving on the school board, call 512-8562422 or visit couplandisd. org/page/ school- board.
The next meeting is 6 p.m. Feb. 12 in the school library at 620 S. Commerce St.
