Sachse High School juniors and seniors stand to gain more career training options after the Garland ISD Board of Trustees considered the construction contract for an expansion of the Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center at a special bond meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The seven-member board took up Guaranteed Maximum Price Contract 510-04-4.1 for the Bond 2023 addition to the center, which sits at 4885 N. George Bush Highway in Garland. A GMP locks in a cost ceiling for construction, meaning the contractor absorbs any overruns above that price. The dollar amount was not posted publicly.

Superintendent Javier Fernandez presented both the GMP recommendation and a Bond 2023 Program Summary Update at the 4:30 p.m. session. Official minutes confirming the vote outcome had not been posted as of Wednesday.

The expansion will add five new programs and additional capacity to a campus that already draws 11th- and 12th-graders from all seven Garland ISD high schools, including Sachse High. Students split their days between home campuses and specialized labs staffed by industry professionals rather than traditional classroom teachers, according to GovTech. Programs range from cybersecurity and industrial robotics to pharmacy technician and dental hygiene, and the district covers the cost of industry certification exams so students can graduate with credentials at no charge to families.

"We are not looking for a certified teacher. I want someone who knows the job," GRCTC Principal Brandy Schneider said in February, describing the center's hiring philosophy at an open house.

Schneider said at the same event that the bond-funded expansion would add five new programs and more room for students, though the district has not named which programs are coming.

The Gilbreath-Reed CTE center is one piece of the broader Bond 2023 package voters approved, which also includes safety upgrades (Proposition A), multi-program activity centers at all seven high schools (Proposition B) and a technology device refresh (Proposition C). Construction on the activity centers, including at Sachse High, was already underway this summer.

The board includes President Wesley Johnson, Vice President Larry Glick, Secretary Daphne Stanley, Assistant Secretary James Miller and trustees Johnny Beach, Robert Selders and Linda Griffin.

Families interested in the center's programs can attend a GRCTC Open House on Wednesday, Aug. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Garland campus.