Back-to-school: Lockhart ISD makes improvements to campuses

LOCKHART, Texas - Summer break is officially over at Lockhart ISD and the district says they had crews working all summer to make sure students and staff have the best back-to-school experience.

"Everything from HVAC work, to plumbing repairs, replacing lighting in certain campuses. Their custodial teams work alongside our maintenance crew to make sure that our floors are waxed and stripped, our classrooms are clean," says Adam Miller, director of school safety and communications for Lockhart ISD.

This August we saw record heat and Lockhart ISD says the district has a dedicated HVAC team to make sure campuses stay cool.

"We had to replace 24 HVAC units in a particular campus, to make sure that that campus was going to be nice and cool for whenever the school year starts. But other than that, just constant maintenance. Just ensure that campuses are cool," says Miller.

The district hit a record enrollment for the first day of school last week. 

To keep up with the growth, Lockhart ISD passed a bond in 2022 to purchase land for a new elementary school and a new wing at Lockhart High School.

"The building of a new elementary school won't open until the fall of 2025, but progress is on track and running smoothly up to this point," says Miller.

The district also says they recently received newer buses with safer features.

"In terms of the actual operation of the school buses. We're in really good shape, and we feel very confident that we will be able to get our students to and from school, safely and comfortably," says Miller.

The district says any time a campus is dealing with any AC issues, the campus immediately reaches out to the maintenance team and a technician will come quickly to the school to make repairs.