Friday, April 26, 2024
The approval of an interlocal agreement between Gatesville Independent School District, Coryell County and the Texas Department of Public Safety will allow the DPS to temporarily base seven troopers and a business manager at the Gatesville Primary School.
A building that DPS currently occupies on Leon Street in Gatesville is scheduled to be demolished as part of the plan to increase the capacity of the Coryell County Jail and to also build the Leon Street Annex nearby, which will include new space for courts and Coryell County justices of the peace.
GISD Superintendent Barrett Pollard said the district welcomes the presence of DPS troopers.
"We felt like this is the perfect setup," he said. "A lot of (the DPS troopers) live here and have kids in schools here."
The DPS move is expected to take place over the summer, and Pollard said the DPS presence at the Primary School is expected to last "about a year and a half to two years while their new offices are being built."
GISD school board Vice President Charles Alderson asked, "Do we have the space available for them?"
"Yes," Pollard said. He added that the presence of the troopers and their cars at the campus will enhance security and dissuade anyone from illegal actions at GISD.
