It’s elementary

With continued growth in the Walsh community, Aledo ISD and the team at Walsh have announced a partnership for a land donation for a future elementary school site for the district.

This is the second elementary school land donation to Aledo ISD by the Walsh family, which has been a longtime supporter of the district. Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Elementary — located in the heart of the Walsh residential community — was Aledo ISD’s fifth elementary school, opening in August 2017.

“We have made land acquisition a priority because of our continued growth and the rising prices of land,” Superintendent Dr. Susan Bohn said. “We are grateful to the Walsh family for their continued support of Aledo ISD, this time through yet another land donation. We appreciate their forethought and generosity in making sure their development includes school sites for the children of our community.”

Because of this partnership, Aledo ISD is able to accept the land donation — which totals nearly 13 acres fronting Quail Meadow Drive — with little impact (only closing costs) on the budgeted amount of money for land in the 2023 Aledo ISD Bond. 

Within the last two years, in addition to this new Walsh site, Aledo ISD has acquired land for future schools in the district, including 40 acres from the Beggs Ranch within the ETJ of the City of Willow Park and a 12-acre elementary school site near Kelly Road and Bear Creek Road in Kelly Ranch Estates. Aledo ISD also owns about 100 acres to the northeast of McKinney Elementary and around 20 acres adjacent to the Daniel Ninth Grade Campus.

“The Walsh family is honored to be able to support Aledo ISD and our local community through this land donation,” said Ryan B. Dickerson, CEO of Walsh Companies. “To us, it’s about so much more than land — it’s about the opportunities for students and families and the exceptional experiences they will receive. We are proud of our continued partnership with Aledo ISD.”

Although sites are being acquired by Aledo ISD, there is no determination being made about the timing or location of the next AISD campus, whether it be elementary, middle, or high school space. Having these sites will allow the district flexibility to accommodate growth, and the timing, location and type of school will be recommended by a future citizen-led bond committee after they look at projections for enrollment, demographics, bonding capacity, infrastructure, and more.

Any new school construction would begin only after a newly-formed citizen-led growth committee convenes and recommends a bond proposal to Trustees and the community, followed by a successful bond election for the district.

“Where and when Aledo ISD builds its next school — and then how attendance zones would be drawn after the school is built — will both be determined by citizen-led committees like the Aledo Growth Committee and the Attendance Zone Committee that will be formed when the time is right,” AISD Board President Forrest Collins said. “Having a site within the Walsh residential community north of Interstate 20 and I-30 will give us another option for expanding our elementary capacity when enrollment, growth and demographics indicate the need for more elementary space. Thank you to the Walsh family for taking the financial burden of purchasing an elementary school site off our shoulders.”