North East ISD trustees have signed off on a five-year game plan for rolling out the district’s 2025 bond, putting safety projects and heat relief at the top of a long to-do list. In a March 9, 2026 vote, the board moved to fast-track chiller replacements, campus safety upgrades and sunshade structures at the district’s seven comprehensive high schools, while a slate of architects and engineers gets started on design work. The decision comes after voters last November approved most of a nearly $495 million bond, effectively shifting NEISD from talking about upgrades to actually building them.
As outlined on NEISD's Bond 2025 page, the program snapshot lists roughly $482,990,000 and links to a master project listing and schedule that put chiller replacements, sunshade structures and safety-technology upgrades in the highest-priority tier. The Bond 2025 pages include downloadable master project and project-assignment documents that the public can sift through. Those materials show work rolling out in phases as planning, schematic design, bidding and construction milestones are hit.
What voters signed off on
Voters approved three of five bond propositions in November 2025, unlocking just under $483 million for renovation and safety work, according to KSAT. The biggest piece, Proposition A, passed with just over 60% support and is set to pay for HVAC and security systems. Proposition B, which drew 56% support, is aimed at technology upgrades, while Proposition C squeaked by at 50.1% to fund athletic improvements. District leaders say that outcome finally lets them move ahead on projects they had put off for years.
Who the district hired and a lone no vote
From a pool of more than 70 applicants, the district tapped 12 firms to lead architectural design, eight mechanical, electrical and plumbing consulting teams, and six civil engineering firms. Several large contracts, some topping $20 million, went to firms including Phluger Architects, Cleary Zimmermann Engineers and Halff, as reported by San Antonio Report. The school board approved the picks in a 4-1 vote at a Feb. 23 meeting, with District 2 trustee Tracie Shelton as the lone no. Trustees David Beyer and Diane Villarreal were absent. Shelton said she wants NEISD to lean harder on smaller, local firms so more of the taxpayer money cycles back into neighborhood economies.
Timeline, planning and transparency
District staff say the planning phase began in December and that the master schedule runs through the end of 2030, with warranty phases built in, according to NEISD's Bond 2025 materials. Staff report they are entering contract talks for R-22 chiller replacements and a new districtwide telephone system. Planning is also set to ramp up soon for sunshade structures at all comprehensive high schools, along with security perimeter upgrades at Lee High School, ISA High School and Jackson Middle School. To help the public track it all, the district plans to launch a dashboard that will show project timelines and progress as work moves ahead.
Why chillers and shade came first
Replacing aging R-22 chillers has become more pressing. The EPA notes that production and import of HCFC-22, commonly called R-22, stopped in 2020 and that reclaimed supplies may grow more limited and expensive, which raises the urgency of swapping out older systems. EPA guidance helps explain why districts often bump chiller replacements ahead of less critical work on the priority list. Public-health recommendations also back built shade as an evidence-based way to cut UV exposure and make outdoor spaces safer for students. The CDC recommends schools and playgrounds increase built shade structures as a key sun-safety strategy, according to CDC guidance.
