Update on Borman Elementary Replacement Campus/City of Denton Land Swap

Denton ISD has been in continual communication with the City of Denton for the past 18 months regarding the rebuild of Borman Elementary that currently stands adjacent to a City of Denton park.

The positioning of the campus will increase student and neighborhood safety, as well as remove traffic from neighborhood streets during student arrival and dismissal – a concern that has been continuously shared by residents with the City of Denton and Denton ISD.

While we understand the short-term inconvenience of this project, the long-term benefit of upgraded facilities, traffic improvements and expansion of park land will improve the neighborhood overall. Denton ISD has recently completed similar projects with Shultz Elementary and Newton Rayzor Elementary.

Ultimately, when the campus breaks ground and opens is dependent upon the approval of the proposed land swap with the City of Denton. If an agreement for the land swap cannot be reached, Denton ISD will be forced to move the location of Borman Elementary to a different piece of property the district currently owns – removing the school from its current neighborhood.

It is important to note that Denton ISD is not a developer. It would be premature for Denton ISD to host a public hearing regarding property the district does not own and is not in its purview. In this case, the City of Denton owns the land that is being swapped for Borman Elementary’s replacement campus. The two tracts of land being discussed are currently not listed on the tax roll – they are both owned and maintained by public entities.

Building a replacement campus for Borman Elementary has been an ongoing public discussion since our local taxpayers approved the 2023 Bond Referendum nearly 18 months ago. Denton ISD presented the proposed plan during a City Council meeting in advance of the May 2023 election.

Borman Elementary’s replacement campus was one of the primary components of Proposition A approved by the community, and all of the information surrounding this project has been shared publicly and on Denton ISD’s website, located here: https://www.dentonisd.org/2023bond.

Additionally, Denton ISD has been intentional about involving our community throughout this process, which began with the Citizens’ Advisory Committee that recommended the 2023 bond to the Board of Trustees. This, along with our taxpayer’s approval of the 2023 capital improvement referendum, illustrate that our community has been supportive of Borman Elementary’s replacement campus for more than a year.

All of Denton ISD construction projects are reviewed each quarter by a group of citizens during our Bond Steering Committee. Projects are discussed with citizens, architects and contractors at the meeting and a citizen then provides a summary during our public Board of Trustees Meeting.

For full transparency, construction projects can be tracked at  www.dentonisd.org/construction.

Videos of the meeting are posted within 48 hours of each Board of Trustees Meeting. https://www.dentonisd.org/Page/101171.

There are currently 523 students that attend Borman Elementary, and the upgraded facility will be built to serve 750 students. The architect for the project is Corgan. Currently, the campus is tentatively scheduled to open in the Fall of 2026.