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Arlington ISD’s next school building has been intentionally designed to not look like a school.

“We want it to actually look like a corporate learning environment where they’re going to work every day,” said Arlington ISD Superintendent Dr. Matt Smith.

That’s the vision for the district’s future 18 PLUSS center, a facility that will serve special education students who have completed their high school requirements and are now in a one-to-three-year program that teaches job skills to help them start their careers.

“The biggest thing about 18 PLUSS is working on specially-designed instruction in the area of vocation and employability,” said Brenda Cupps, the curriculum coordinator for the 18 PLUSS program. “We specialize in working on finding them a job that fits their needs.”

But it’s not all about just finding a job. It’s also about teaching independence.

“Our job is to help prepare them for life,” Smith said. “We are excited about this job.”

The district is also excited about what the new 18 PLUSS center will do for students. The schematic design – designed by VLK Architects – for the new facility was approved by the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees last week and will be funded by the 2026 Bond program.

“The schematic design for the new 18 PLUSS center will enhance the educational experience for our 18 PLUSS students,” Cupps said. “This new space has been thoughtfully designed to provide meaningful opportunities that promote independence, skill development, and community engagement.”

The new center will be built on the site of the former Blanton Elementary School. The plan involves demolishing much of Blanton but will keep and renovate the newer portions of the former school building. It will also feature a 43,500-square-foot addition that will completely reinvent the campus.

The design includes spaces for classrooms, vocational-training areas, collaboration areas, a makerspace, a gym/storm shelter, a fitness area, and a district science materials warehouse.

“The idea is that all of these spaces have multiple uses and can be used for different things at different times – trying to really activate every bit of this building to get the most use out of it as possible,” said VLK principal architect Marty Sims.

The new school will also house a café and spirit shop open to the public that will be run and staffed by the 18 PLUSS students.

“The idea is to create programming where students can learn in real life about how to function outside of a school setting,” Smith said.

He envisions the facility hosting community meetings while 18 PLUSS students operate a coffee shop for attendees.

Outside, the schematic design includes a basketball court, garden, greenhouse, and outdoor classroom.

“The addition of the garden will provide students hands-on experience planting, growing, and harvesting fresh produce,” Cupps said. “The garden will serve as an outdoor classroom, allowing students to develop vocational skills, learn about healthy nutrition, practice teamwork, and build responsibility through the care and maintenance of the garden.”

Arlington ISD voters passed Propositions A and B for the 2026 Bond election on Saturday as Election Day came to an end.

Preliminary results, which will become official on May 12 when the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees canvases the votes, show voters approved Prop A by 59%, and Prop B by 59%. Prop C failed by 52%.

With two propositions passing, the results indicate the community’s commitment to supporting Arlington ISD’s students and schools.

“This is a great day for Arlington ISD,” Superintendent Dr. Matt Smith said. “We are extremely grateful to the families and residents of Arlington ISD who came out to vote. The approval of Propositions A and B in Bond 2026 means we can improve aging facilities and equipment and ensure our students have the exceptional learning environments they deserve for years to come.”

Prop A provides nearly $439 million for a new South Davis Elementary, an additional elementary school, a new dedicated building for the 18 PLUSS program, renovations to facilities that are 50-70 years old, new Career & Technical Education equipment, new buses, and upgraded safety and security measures.

Prop B provides more than $30 million for the replacement of instructional technology for students, infrastructure technology devices, and staff technology devices.

The State of Texas provides limited funding opportunities for new facilities. By law, bond funds may not be used to fund daily operating expenses or salaries. Bond funds may be used only for projects approved by district voters.

Prop C would have given the district more than $31 million to replace grass with artificial turf at all six comprehensive high school baseball and softball fields, and the Multipurpose Activity Centers, as well as new equipment and athletic storage facilities.

With Prop A and B approved, Arlington ISD will immediately begin coordinating with architects to conduct a competitive bidding process and finalize a construction timeline. The district will also collaborate with financial advisors to establish a bond program schedule.

The first step in the process will be establishing a Bond Oversight Committee, made up of community members to provide transparency and accountability throughout the bond program.

“We value the trust our community has placed in us, and we will work hard to be good stewards of every dollar,” Smith said. “We will keep you informed every step of the way as we move forward with Bond 2026. We will continue to engage with our community to listen, learn, and determine the best path forward. Our commitment to our students remains unchanged.”

That’s how Foster Elementary principal Jacquelyn Burden described the school’s new gym built through the 2019 Bond program.

Three new gyms – all funded by the 2019 Bond – recently opened at Foster, Miller, and Johns elementary schools.

At Miller, the school celebrated last week during their Open House with a special ribbon cutting.

“The look on our students’ faces as they entered the gym for the first time was priceless,” said Miller principal Angela Robinson. “They have been so excited for this project to be completed, and they are even more excited now that our P.E. classes are taking place in their new gym.”

They are just as excited at Johns, where the principal has big plans for the new space.

“Our new gym is more than just a facility for physical activity,” said Johns principal Grecia Lopez. “It’s a space where our entire school community can come together. We’re excited to give our students a brand-new place to learn, play, and grow, while also creating opportunities to host events that bring families and the community onto our campus.”

The new gyms replaced older, much smaller facilities at each school. Each new gym is more than 5,000 square feet and includes six basketball goals with striping for basketball and volleyball, two restrooms, an office, and storage space.

“The space has been well thought out and will enable our P.E. teachers to offer more games, activities, and sports instruction to our students,” Robinson said.

The gyms were also designed to serve as storm shelters, large enough to accommodate the entire student and staff population.

“The fact that our new gym it is also a tornado shelter gives us peace of mind, knowing that our students and staff will be safe in case of a major storm,” Robinson said.

Meanwhile, the former gyms are being renovated into new classroom space. Miller already has new pre-K classrooms in what used to be their old gym, and Johns’ renovated space will be ready soon. Lopez plans to use the new rooms for pre-K 3, early childhood special education, and music next year.

The new gyms at Johns, Foster, and Miller aren’t the only new elementary gyms built by the 2019 Bond. Crow, Duff, Key, and Pope have also received new gym and storm shelters.