SALADO, Texas (KXXV) — Salado ISD is opening a new 250,000-square-foot high school campus in time for the upcoming school year, complete with a 5,000-seat football stadium and expanded career and technical education spaces.
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The upgrade comes as the district has nearly doubled in enrollment over the past decade.
"This is my 16th year as superintendent of Salado ISD and we have about doubled in size during that time," Michael Novotny said.
Novotny said enrollment has grown significantly since he took the role.
"When I started here in 2011, we had 1,300-something kids enrolled, and now we're about double that size," Novotny said.
The new campus features expanded career and technical education spaces where students can learn robotics, health science, welding, and veterinary technology. The facility also includes a commercial-quality kitchen for culinary arts and a media broadcasting program.
"We have a culinary arts program that is the quality of a commercial kitchen that a lot of restaurants would be jealous of. We have vet tech… welding… filmmaking… lots of programs for our kids to participate in and help them with their career and college beyond high school," Novotny said.
Athletics are also receiving a major upgrade. The new stadium seats 5,000 fans and includes new facilities for football, band, cheer, and other student programs.
"One of the things that we've known for a long time about Salado is that we have fantastic kids, we have fantastic parents, we have fantastic families, we've got great staff members and we have lackluster facilities. This new stadium holds 5,000 people. It's gonna give space for everyone, but it's still gonna remain that special culture that we have in Salado," Ted Smith, assistant superintendent, said.
Some residents say they are delighted to see the changes and believe the village is keeping its small-town feel despite rapid growth.
"They have a great team that runs the school system, as evidenced by this beautiful structure that you're seeing here today. With any town that grows and is growing quickly, there's always pains to wonder about is it right. Is it not? We're delighted to see what has happened here in Salado," Bruce Gordon, a Salado resident, said.
District officials say final preparations are now underway before students officially begin on August 17.
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