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With construction nearing completion, Parker Elementary School staff are making plans to move into their new building over Spring Break and open their doors to students on March 19.

The project is more than 80 percent complete. Interior painting and flooring are underway, and crews will finish pouring exterior driveways and walkways later this week.

“We’re really excited to get moved into our new school,” Parker Principal Lori Frodine said, praising the unique architecture of the new building. “It’s such a cool building with a lot of great space.”

Parker is being rebuilt as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. The $33 million project calls for a new fine arts magnet school that will accommodate about 850 students.

Building features include a 500-seat auditorium with collapsible bleacher-style seating, band, orchestra, vocal, and multipurpose rooms, and flexible learning spaces. A new cafeteria also includes a separate seating area for parents visiting their children for lunch.

The two-story, 113,000-square-foot building will house pre-kindergarten, and first and second grades on the ground level and third through fifth grades on the second floor.

The school originally was scheduled to open in January 2018. Though significant progress was made, the timeline ultimately had to be delayed due to project management issues.

HISD Construction Services assumed management of the project in December, pledging to have the facility completed by the first quarter of 2018. Crews have since been working diligently to maintain the project’s new schedule and allow the school to open its doors to students when they return from Spring Break.

Parker is among 40 schools being renovated or rebuilt as part of the 2012 Bond Program. Half of all projects are now finished and open to students. Once all work is finished, HISD will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the country. Follow @Build_HISD on Twitter for the latest updates on the 2012 Bond Program and school construction across the district.