What’s in a name? In the years to come, the students at New Braunfels Long Creek High School will be able to tell you.
New Braunfels Independent School District trustees approved the new name at its Monday night meeting out of a list that also included New Braunfels Heritage High School, New Braunfels Legend Point High School and New Braunfels East High School.
The vote passed 5-2 with board president Sherry Harrison and newly-elected trustee John Tucker voting against. Board vice president Wes Clark, secretary David Heefner, newly-elected trustee Nancy York and trustees Keith D. Smith and Eric Bergquist voted in favor.
The name “Long Creek” reflects the creek behind the campus, currently the New Braunfels Middle School.
“Looking at surveys and some other things — and I even surveyed some high school students and some people out in the community — and I’m a fan of Long Creek or Legend High School,” Clark said. “It seemed Long Creek, unbeknownst to me, got a lot of people who seemed to like that one. That wasn’t even in my radar until I learned that the creek is right there.”
NBISD superintendent Randy Moczygemba said families attending the new high school will decide its mascot sometime around 2023 when students begin transitioning over.
The district’s high schoolers will be divided between New Braunfels High School and the new school, with about 1,500 students at each.
Based on projected enrollment, NBISD predicts it will finish transitioning all students over to the second high school by 2026-27.
In August 2021, Ninth Grade Center students will move to the current New Braunfels Middle School building on Klein Meadow, which will remain a ninth-grade center until conversion to the new high school begins. The current middle school facility was designed and built as the first half of the second high school.
The current Ninth Grade Center will be demolished to become the new elementary school with two stories to accommodate Carl Shurz and Seele Elementary. It is scheduled to open August 2023.
Three-Year Plan
In the spring, NBISD board will discuss a bond election, likely for November 2021, to fund conversion to the second high school, Moczygemba said.
The board will need to call an election 78 days, around July 16, before the next election day on Nov. 2.
The board discussed accepting both appointments by the board and new applications to its 2021 bond committee to get new perspectives. Those on the 2018 bond committee are welcome to come back.
The bond will cover funding for an additional 1,250 seat capacity needed for instructional classrooms and additional fine arts spaces.
They also will need to add a new gym and baseball and softball fields, career and technology classrooms and additional parking.
The conversion to the new high school is a three-year plan beginning in 2023.
All Oak Run Middle School and New Braunfels Middle School eighth-graders going into ninth-grade will go to the current New Braunfels Middle School building — serving as the Ninth-Grade Center — for three years.
After three years the ninth-grade-only campus will become the new high school.
In the estimated 2024-25 school year, the split begins.
Oak Run Middle School will be the feeder for the current New Braunfels High School and New Braunfels Middle School will be the feeder for New Braunfels Long Creek High School.
The ninth-grade students housed at New Braunfels Middle School will stay there as it becomes the new high school. They will be the first class of 10th-graders there.
Until then, high school allegiances are clear, Moczygemba said in a Zoom meeting with parents.
“For the next three years coming up, everybody at that Ninth Grade Center is absolutely a Unicorn,” Moczygemba said on Thursday. “They’re absolutely headed to the high school, tenth, eleventh and twelfth. After that, the split happens.”
The district is set to have three high schools total, with each at about 2,000 to 2,200 students at maximum. A third high school and a third middle school is estimated at 19 years out.
New trustees
Also on Monday night, newly-elected board trustees York for District 2, and Tucker for District 4, were sworn into office.
Technical issues with the poll pads used by the Comal County’s Election office caused some ballots to omit some races, including the school district race.
Outgoing District 4 trustee of 3 years, Matthew Sargent, said the issue was a disappointment but it is in the past.
“I’m a little disappointed, but in the end it is what it is and we just have to move past it and get on with ourselves,” Sargent said. “Mr. Tucker is going to do a fine job, so I’ll still support him whenever I can.”
The board will meet again in January.
The Texas Academic Performance Reports will be held on Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the NBISD boardroom at 1000 N. Walnut Avenue in New Braunfels.
A regular board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. after that session.
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