AUBREY — Finishing touches on a $34 million bond package approved by voters in 2006 are scheduled for completion by next week, weather permitting, Aubrey school officials say.

Punch list items and drainage work at Aubrey High School were expected to be completed over the Christmas break, bringing the projects to finish on schedule, district officials said.

“It’s been about a three-year process since we started, and I think everyone is glad to see this part come to an end,” said Assistant Superintendent H.L. Brockett, who’s in charge of construction.

Approved by nearly 52 percent of voters in a November 2006 election, Aubrey’s bond package included: a new school in the district’s southern region, Monaco Elementary School, which opened in 2008; renovations to Brockett Elementary School; an expansion of Aubrey Intermediate School into Aubrey Middle School; and an expansion of Aubrey High School.

Expansion of the high school started last winter, and students began using a new two-story classroom wing this fall.

Finishing the projects on time and within budget was a matter of timing, Brockett said.

In preparing for the construction, the district was able to get its bond rating increased — saving Aubrey $10 million over the 30-year life of the bonds and interest — and it was able to earn more than $1.7 million in investments, which it put toward construction upgrades. Low construction costs at the time of building also worked in the district’s favor, Brockett said.

When the projects are complete, Superintendent James Monaco said, Aubrey schools will “still have money in the bank.”

“We built all this and we’re still fiscally sound,” he said. “We’re really proud of that.”

School board member Ron Bullock said the district’s bond rating increased when many districts’ ratings were dropping, allowing Aubrey to build quality facilities unlike surrounding Class 2A districts.

Increasing the bond rating, which Bullock attributed to strong administration leadership, allowed the district “to go above and beyond what they promised voters and take care of students,” he said.

The new additions include technology and security upgrades at all campuses and additional parking, gymnasium, cafeteria and classroom space. The expansion at the high school means teachers no longer have to share rooms, Brockett said.

“Facility-wise, we have the best facilities that we’ve ever had in this district,” he said.

When the bond package passed more than three years ago, Brockett said, enrollment was growing by 12 percent annually and it was projected that 2,100 students would be enrolled in Aubrey schools by now.

Since then, the economy has slowed, and so has enrollment growth, officials said. The school district has about 1,800 students, Brockett said, and with its recent additions, the district should not have to consider building more facilities for another five to seven years.

Monaco said the district will wait to see if the famous line from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams — “If you build it, they will come” — will hold true in bringing more students to Aubrey. The district now has the space to accommodate additional growth, he said.

“We’re definitely ahead of the curve,” Monaco said.

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com.