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Kye R. Lee/Staff Photographer
The Highland Park school district proposal would buy about a third of Northway Christian Church’s property, but the church would stay on its site.
Highland Park ISD wants to purchase church property on Northwest Highway to build a new elementary school.
Superintendent Dawson Orr said Tuesday that the district is in “very productive conversation” with Northway Christian Church to buy 4.6 acres adjacent to the church building. He did not disclose the price.
The announcement comes after years of speculation about whether the school district could find property to expand, since there’s little vacant land in the pricey Park Cities. The site is in an area of Dallas that is part of Highland Park ISD.
The parcel is in Caruth Hills, a neighborhood near NorthPark Center. It’s on busy Northwest Highway, though there’s an access road buffering the property from traffic. It has a parsonage, handball court, baseball field and multipurpose activities building.
If the church and school district strike an agreement, Highland Park ISD would buy the land and fund construction through a bond package. The bond package could go to voters in May or November 2015.
Chris Nabors, a church member and liaison in the discussion, said “the district has approached the church many times over the last few decades.” He said officials approached the church again about 14 months ago.
Nabors said the timing seemed right. He said Northway Christian Church is in a strong financial position but could use the money for new programs or charity work.
“We were not contemplating a sale, but one of the missions of our church is weaving education into everything we do,” he said. “There’s a clear need for this fifth elementary school with the district, and we felt like it was worth having a conversation because we thought it could be a win-win situation for the community.”
If the plan goes forward, Northway Christian Church would stay on its site. The district would acquire about a third of its property.
Orr announced the plan Tuesday at a joint meeting of Highland Park and University Park officials. Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates also attended the meeting because her district includes the parcel.
Student enrollment has increased in Highland Park ISD since the 1990s. Demographic studies indicate growth has been driven by the rising number of children in single-family homes — a trend that is expected to continue.
Highland Park ISD trustees are drafting a master facilities plan and have discussed options including school renovation, moving fifth grade to elementary schools and building a kindergarten campus.
Orr said the fifth elementary school would help relieve crowding at the other schools and free up space for new programs, such as Spanish classes.
The land is zoned for residential use, and the district would need to receive a specific use permit from Dallas City Council to build a school there.
Nearby houses have pumpkin decorations on their doors and strollers and scooters parked in their yards. Some have signs that say “Home of a Hyer Husky,” the name and mascot of the local elementary school.
Laura Tyson, who lives blocks from the site, said she would love to see an elementary school built nearby. Tyson, who has a 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, moved into her home in 2012 to be in the academically high-achieving school district.
“Everybody is talking about it, and for the most part, it’s very positive — mostly because of convenience,” she said. But, she said, people who live farther down the street and send their children to Dallas ISD may feel differently.
Meredith Ridgway, a Highland Park ISD mother who also lives nearby, said the new elementary school could increase property values. She said she’s not concerned about congestion, since the parcel is large.
“If you look at University Park [Elementary], if you look at Bradfield [Elementary], those are tight and congested areas and they find a way to make it work,” she said.
She said some parents, especially Highland Park ISD alumni, may be disappointed to send their children to a school other than Hyer Elementary.
Highland Park ISD students have close ties to their elementary schools, each of whichhas a mascot. Parents can join preschool associations affiliated with an elementary campus when their children are infants and toddlers.
But Ridgway said parents will probably warm up to the new school after looking at blueprints and hearing a school name and mascot.
