GAINESVILLE, Texas — Construction crews will move onto three Gainesville ISD campuses this summer as the district shifts its 2025 bond program from the drawing board to the job site.
Phase I of the $58.8 million bond — the package voters approved in 2025 — covers expansions and safety upgrades at Edison Elementary, Chalmers Elementary, and the Gainesville Intermediate School. The district has filed building permits with the state for all three campuses, clearing the way for work to begin over summer break, when students are away.
What each campus gets
According to the district’s bond plan, the three Phase I campuses will see:
- Edison Elementary — an eight-classroom addition, a new gymnasium that doubles as a storm shelter, a cafeteria expansion, a library addition, a secure entry vestibule, and new flooring.
- Chalmers Elementary — a classroom addition that doubles as a storm shelter, plus secure fencing, a new parking lot, and a playground.
- Gainesville Intermediate School — a classroom addition, secure fencing, a fire-alarm upgrade, a new parking lot, and a playground.
Building permits filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in late May value the Edison work at roughly $13 million, the Intermediate School work at about $7.5 million, and the Chalmers work at about $7.4 million — together close to $28 million of the bond. Phase I is scheduled to run through December 2027.
Part of a larger plan
The 2025 bond was Gainesville ISD’s largest ever and its first since 2005, touching every campus in the district. In an earlier update to the school board, the district reported the bond projects were tracking about $422,000 under budget, with Phase I expected to save roughly $347,000.
“We’re wanting to make sure that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Superintendent DesMortes Stewart told trustees.
A second phase — November 2026 through July 2028 — adds a new career and technical education wing and black box theater at Gainesville High School, along with a cafeteria expansion and secure improvements at the junior high. A Bond Oversight Committee of community members is tracking the work to keep it on time and on budget.
Learn more
Detailed schematics and a project timeline are posted on the district’s bond website. Families weighing a move to the area can also see how the county’s districts compare in our newcomer’s guide to Cooke County schools.