April 15, 2024 – San Antonio ISD’s Board of Trustees tonight approved the sale of undeveloped land to the City of San Antonio. The 12.221-acre tract at 4911 Lord Road was sold for $745,000.

The sale of this property has been in the works for more than a year, according to district officials. The city plans to use the land to address a need in the Eastside community for senior housing.

The sale of the undeveloped land is not part of the district’s rightsizing efforts to consolidate staff and students into fewer facilities and to repurpose vacated buildings. That process is being guided by a citizen panel with a goal of leasing, and not selling, properties with existing buildings. 

“This land was not identified for use as a school site. Although the sale of this undeveloped tract is not part of rightsizing, the sale will result in a community benefit,” said SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino. “While separate from rightsizing, tonight’s decision is an example of a community-focused solution that I envision happening across the district as we begin the process of repurposing facilities.” 

As part of the district’s process to implement rightsizing, it created a citizen panel to guide the repurposing of facilities so that a comprehensive and consistent approach is implemented. A Facilities Repurposing Panel was developed in December 2023, and the panel began convening in January 2024.

The Facilities Repurposing Panel is charged with the following tasks:

• Work with the district to issue a Request for Proposal, calling for proposals from external entities interested in having their repurposing concepts of buildings considered.

• Schedule community engagement meetings around specific campuses to discuss the proposals.

• Share proposals with the communities around these specific campuses, focusing on purposes that continue to provide services and value to the communities.

The goal of the Facilities Repurposing Panel, according to district officials, is to continue to maintain this portfolio of properties to honor the history of the schools, the legacy of the historical figures after which they are named, and the memories of the students and families who loved these schools.