During a November 12 tour of Byron P. Steele High School, the SCUC ISD Community Advisory Committee examined Fine Arts and CTE facilities and identified disparities in space, storage, and instructional capacity compared to Samuel Clemens High School as part of its bond recommendation process.
The Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (SCUC ISD) Community Advisory Committee (CAC) continued its facilities review on November 12 with a tour of Byron P. Steele High School, focusing on Fine Arts and Career and Technical Education (CTE) spaces. The visit allowed members to compare and contrast Steele’s facilities with those observed at Samuel Clemens High School during the October 22 meeting.
Committee members discussed how disparities in facilities can affect students’ access to learning opportunities and, in turn, college and career readiness—particularly in specialized programs such as culinary arts, welding, floral design, and veterinary medicine.
Amy Massey, SCUC ISD Director of Career and Technical Education, highlighted differences between the two campuses. Steele’s culinary kitchen measures 2,495 square feet and includes two stoves, limited storage, and one convection oven. By comparison, Clemens High School features a 5,184-square-foot commercial kitchen with multiple stoves, commercial mixers, and a convection oven, allowing several classes to operate simultaneously. Clemens also has an additional residential-style classroom with stoves, dishwashers, and a prep area.
Similar disparities were noted in the welding program. Clemens’ welding space spans 5,108 square feet, while Steele’s is 3,930 square feet.
“When kids are welding, you have a group of kids standing waiting their turn,” Massey said. “They don’t get to use full instructional time because they don’t have the resources.”
Additional space constraints were observed in floral design and veterinary medicine, which share a single classroom at Steele. Due to limited square footage, the room lacks a walk-in cooler for flowers, and animal kennels are stored beneath plant displays.
Beth Bronk, SCUC ISD Director of Fine Arts, led the CAC through Steele’s Fine Arts facilities, where growth in student participation has outpaced available space. The Steele band hall is significantly smaller than the one at Clemens, resulting in crowded rehearsals and insufficient storage for instruments, uniforms, music, color guard equipment, and percussion equipment. Many large items used for marching band rehearsals—such as drum major podiums, ice chests, large fans, and a scissor lift—must be stored outdoors year-round. At Clemens, a dedicated outdoor storage building adjacent to the band hall provides protected space for these materials.
The choir and orchestra programs at Steele share a single instructional space that is used throughout the school day—choir in the morning and orchestra in the afternoon. This scheduling structure prevents expansion of either program and limits the ability to add a mariachi course as the program transitions from a club to a credited class. Storage limitations further compound the issue, with instruments, uniforms, and equipment competing for space. Bronk noted that several string instruments are currently stored on the floor beneath choral risers due to the lack of appropriate storage. Clemens, by contrast, has separate, dedicated choir and orchestra facilities.
Concerns were also raised about the Steele auditorium, where outdated lighting and a lack of LED fixtures reduce visibility and affect performances, presentations, concerts, and signing ceremonies. An antiquated light board further limits functionality.
The tour concluded in several art classrooms, where members observed the need for larger instructional spaces with additional sinks, improved accessibility, and increased storage to better support safety and enhance the student learning experience.
Justin Archibald, a Steele High School Band Booster and CAC member, commended the district’s Fine Arts programs for maximizing current facilities while considering what additional investment could provide.
“Would additional funding, materials, and capabilities create more success?” Archibald asked. “I think the potential bond is another opportunity to invest in already successful programs and take them to the next level.”
The CAC will reconvene on November 19 and again twice in December before presenting a recommendation to the SCUC ISD Board of Trustees. The Board will then consider whether to call a bond election in the spring.
Learn more about the Community Advisory Committee and view the presentation from the November 12 meeting below.
November 12, 2025 Presentation
Community Advisory Committee Page