Today, Bryan ISD dedicated the new Ruby Haliburton Auxiliary Complex with a special ceremony and ribbon cutting.
Members of Ruby Haliburton’s family were in attendance at the Sept. 23 ceremony, which also featured a performance from Sadberry Intermediate School’s choir led by Ruby Haliburton’s stepson Kevin Haliburton. Community members, Bryan ISD employees and board members, and representatives from PBK Architects and Drymalla Construction filled the facility’s training room to celebrate the dedication.
The new complex, located at 3851 Leonard Road in Bryan, is the new home for the Bryan ISD Warehouse, a large multipurpose training room and the following departments: Transportation, Maintenance, Custodial, School Nutrition, and Records Management. Having all this under one roof helps the district operate more efficiently and provides a much-needed space for meetings and training sessions.
The complex, which was funded by the 2020 Bond, replaces other outdated facilities that had previously housed these departments. This upgrade will benefit many employees who work behind the scenes every day to ensure student success and serve an integral role in Bryan ISD.
Bryan ISD Superintendent Ginger Carrabine mentioned multiple numbers in her remarks, including “thousands,” representing the thousands of lives touched by the new facility and the departments housed within it.
“We cannot serve and support our students without the support of our transportation, food services, custodial, warehouse, records management and this beautiful space for professional learning and training,” she said.
Carrabine made a special note of the number 2020 also because it is thanks to the voters and the community’s support during the 2020 Bond that Bryan ISD was able to build the Ruby Haliburton Auxiliary Complex and celebrate the opening of Bryan ISD’s beautiful new complex.
The building’s namesake, Ruby Haliburton, was a veteran Bryan ISD bus driver. Haliburton, who passed away in April 2021, drove Bus 131 and in her 36 years in Bryan ISD, only missed two days of work.
“My mother was an extraordinary woman,” Ruby Haliburton’s daughter Rhonda Dunn said. “She was a God-fearing woman. She loved everybody. She loved her kids; she enjoyed the route, her bus number. … And we’re just grateful for today.”
Dunn said she could feel her mother’s spirit and approval as a balloon filled with confetti popped during the speeches. Then, during the ribbon cutting ceremony, guests also noted the bus that transported the Sadberry choir was Bus 36.
The number had been mentioned earlier by Carrabine also, saying how in those 36 years, Ms. Ruby Haliburton touched the lives of so many students and their families.
“She set the tone for a great morning and a good afternoon with a smile on her face,” Carrabine said. “Parents rested easy knowing that their children were in safe, caring hands. 36 years.”
A quick timeline:
November 3, 2020: Voters approved the 2020 Bond that included funds for the new auxiliary complex.
January 19, 2023: Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Ruby Haliburton Auxiliary Complex
July 31, 2023: Topping Out Ceremony. In a special presentation during the Sept. 23 Dedication, the Haliburton family received the flag that was used in the Topping Out Ceremony.
May-July 2024: Departments moved into their new space
August 13, 2024: First day of school with buses rolling from the Ruby Haliburton Auxiliary Complex
September 23, 2024: Dedication and Ribbon Cutting
Children First. Always.