Canutillo ISD celebrates safety, security upgrades at Garcia Elementary

The Canutillo Independent School District celebrated a major investment in student safety Wednesday with the ribbon cutting of $6.3 million in renovations at Gonzalo & Sofia Garcia Elementary School.

The second of six ribbon-cutting ceremonies highlighting completed renovation projects funded through the 2024 Canutillo Bond, the Garcia project places a special emphasis on strengthening safety and security throughout the campus.

The centerpiece of the project is a new safety and security vestibule at the school’s main entrance. The secure entry area provides school personnel with greater control over access to the building by allowing visitors to be screened and verified before entering the main campus.

The vestibule is part of a broader, multilayered approach to school safety that also includes new security cameras and surveillance systems, upgraded fire alarms, emergency notification systems and a new pedestrian gate.

“Parents entrust us with their children and, thanks to the support of our community, we are investing in safer and more secure learning environments by installing features like these vestibules,” said Canutillo Superintendent Dr. Josue Borrego. “These vestibules will be a feature in each of our schools thanks to the Bond, and their construction means our teachers and parents can focus their energy on instruction and rest easier knowing that more is being done to protect them in case of danger.”

The security improvements are part of a larger renovation project designed to modernize Garcia Elementary and create a safer, more comfortable and better-equipped learning environment for students and staff.

Other improvements include new heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, roofing upgrades, network infrastructure to improve Wi-Fi and connectivity, interactive whiteboards in every classroom, playground canopies and aesthetic improvements throughout the campus.

For Garcia Principal Janeth Plaza, the impact of the project extends beyond the physical improvements to the building.

“When our students walk through this new secure entrance each morning, they enter a school designed to protect them and support them,” Plaza said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Once they are inside, they are learning in classrooms with new interactive whiteboards and stronger connectivity that give our teachers more ways to engage students.”

Plaza said the combination of safety, comfort and modernization provides a stronger foundation for teaching and learning across the campus.

“When students feel safe and comfortable, they can focus on what they do best — learning, exploring and dreaming big,” Plaza said.

The Garcia project was completed ahead of schedule and below budget, resulting in approximately $180,000 in savings from the guaranteed maximum price approved by the Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees.

The project is the second completed renovation celebrated through the District’s series of six ribbon-cutting ceremonies for existing campuses. Meanwhile, construction continues on the District’s larger bond projects, including new and rebuilt schools designed to accommodate continued growth throughout Canutillo ISD.

The 2024 Canutillo Bond was approved by voters in May 2024 and represents a historic investment in the District’s schools. Along with renovating existing campuses, the bond program includes the construction or relocation of four new schools and investments in safety and security across the District.

At Garcia Elementary, the completed project demonstrates how those investments can affect the daily experience of students, teachers and families, from the moment they enter the campus to the classrooms where learning takes place.

About Canutillo Bond 2024

Canutillo voters approved the historic $387 million Canutillo Bond 2024 on May 4, 2024. The program is the largest per-capita school bond ever approved in El Paso County and is modernizing existing campuses, expanding schools to meet continued growth, and enhancing safety and security throughout the district. Canutillo Bond 2024 includes the renovation of six existing campuses and the construction or relocation of four new schools designed to serve the growing communities of Northwest El Paso and the Upper Valley.