As HISD begins the planning phase for the 2012 bond program, which will replace or rebuild 40 schools across the city, the district is seeking valuable input from its most important stakeholders: students.

Architecture professors from Rice University and the University of Houston will lead four focus groups on Jan. 31 at the district’s headquarters to get students thinking about what kinds of buildings they would like to see. Each 90-minute focus group will include up to 12 HISD students, all coming from a bond campus high school. 

Students will have the opportunity to describe their ideal high school and the features it should include.

“The goal is to hear what the students think,” said Sue Robertson, general manager for Facilities Planning. “We want to make sure we incorporate ideas and suggestions from the people who know our high schools and communities.”

The feedback from the focus groups will be used by Robertson as she develops districtwide guidelines for planning the new schools.

“These groups will provide an opportunity to explore ideas and understand what will work best for each facility,” Robertson said.

Focus group facilitators include: Dawn Finley, associate professor of Architecture at Rice University; Andrea Manning, lecturer at Rice University; Liz Cordill, University of Houston visiting Architecture lecturer; and Rafael Longoria, Architecture professor at the University of Houston.