Magnolia ISD trustees approved a batch of construction contracts last Tuesday, clearing the way for builders to break ground on a new high school and two elementary campuses funded by voters' $465,688,326 bond package. The board handed contracts to Stewart Builders Inc. and B&C Constructors Inc. during its regular meeting on September 15, moving the district's most expensive bond in recent memory from paperwork to dirt work.
Stewart Builders Inc. picked up three separate contracts: one to construct High School No. 3, and two more covering additions to Magnolia High School and Magnolia West High School, according to Community Impact Newspaper. B&C Constructors Inc. was awarded separate contracts to build Elementary School No. 10 and Elementary School No. 11. All of the agreements fall under the 2026 bond program that Magnolia ISD voters approved on May 2, a single-proposition package totaling $465,688,326, per Magnolia ISD Money Matters.
District officials have said the bond was built to address growth along with aging equipment and systems over the next two years, and it funds a new high school, two new elementary schools, and safety and security upgrades, according to the same district source. The Texan separately reported the measure as one proposition totaling nearly $466 million for buildings, buses and land acquisition, and noted the district's plan to build three new schools total — one high school and two elementary schools, per The Texan.
Enrollment Growing Faster Than Expected
The bond isn't just a nice-to-have. Magnolia ISD reported that student enrollment growth was outpacing its own demographic projections as of January 20, according to the district's Money Matters page. By that date the district had grown by 670 students, 191 more than originally projected, a 4.6% growth rate — and officials expect roughly 4% annual growth to continue each year after the 2025-26 school year.
That surge follows a bruising defeat at the ballot box less than a year earlier. In November 2025, Magnolia ISD voters rejected three bond propositions recommended by a citizens committee that together totaled $516.9 million, per the district. Voters came back in May and approved the smaller, single-proposition package instead. The district has also said it saved taxpayers approximately $70 million in bond principal and interest since 2009 through an aggressive repayment plan, according to Money Matters.
Timelines Take Shape for New Campuses
At last Tuesday's meeting, Assistant Superintendent Erich Morris provided updates on Elementary School No. 10, Elementary School No. 11 and High School No. 3, Community Impact reported. Elementary School No. 10 is still in its early design phases, with 50% of construction documents completed and full completion required by December, the outlet's report states. The district plans to seek board approval of the guaranteed maximum price for that campus on February 8, 2027, with construction slated to begin the following month.
Elementary School No. 11 is further behind in the pipeline. Magnolia ISD is currently conducting topographic surveys and geotechnical exploration for the site, and officials are planning a design development presentation for the board in December, per the same outlet's report. Construction documents for that campus are expected to reach 50% completion by January 2027.
Conflicting Bidding Timelines Flagged
Community Impact's account includes conflicting details about when construction bidding for Elementary School No. 11 will actually begin — one part of the report describes bidding as expected to start in late fall 2027, while another describes contract bidding beginning in April or May 2027. The report also indicates exterior design on the campus is expected to start in early 2027. The board is set to receive a guaranteed maximum price presentation for the project at its June or July 2027 meeting.
Tim Bruner, the district's executive director of facilities, reviewed two presentations concerning the construction contract approvals at the meeting, according to the report. Trustees' review of the broader Bond 2026 update accompanied the vote to approve contracts for multiple projects tied to the bond program, moving the district's growth response from ballot measure to active construction planning.
