The CFISD Board of Trustees approved the namesake for Middle School No. 20, Roy J. Sprague Jr. Middle School, during its regularly scheduled meeting on March 6.

Sprague has a 42-year career in architecture, construction and facilities management, including 32 years in public education and 26 years in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.

His career began after graduating from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1981. He served 10 years in various private sector roles for architecture and real estate development firms as project manager, construction administrator, tenant coordinator, senior tenant coordinator, A/E site representative and development coordinator before moving into public education.

Sprague was named supervisor of construction and energy for Spring ISD in 1991, where he was responsible for the overall management and coordination of the design and construction of a major building program for renovations and new construction of educational and administrative support facilities.

He came to CFISD as the director of facilities planning and construction in 1997, managing a department of four and overseeing successful completion of a $264 million Bond program in 1998. In 2001, he was promoted to senior director of facilities planning and construction. He was instrumental in the development of a $470.5 million Bond program approved in December 2001, as well as a $713 million Bond program approved in December 2004. In this role, he developed the district’s standard architectural and construction contracts for all projects. He also developed districtwide facility design and construction standards for all new facilities and renovations.

Sprague was promoted to assistant superintendent of facilities and construction in 2006, a role he served in for seven years. In 2007, he took on the added responsibility of overseeing a maintenance department that included 180 employees. He helped develop another $807 million bond program in May 2007. During this time of unprecedented district growth, he managed three ongoing bond authorizations totaling more than $1.9 billion of new construction and renovation projects.

In 2013, he was promoted to associate superintendent of facilities, construction and support services—a role that was eventually named chief operations officer. As COO, he was responsible for approximately 3,500 employees in eight divisions consisting of facilities planning, construction, maintenance, custodial operations, energy management, transportation, nutritional services and procurement services along with handling all real estate acquisitions for the district. He oversaw and managed a successful $1.2 billion Bond program approved by the voters in May 2014 and a $1.726 billion Bond program approved in May 2019. He provided leadership, vision and support for the design direction, quality standards, administrative procedures and processes to develop 21st-century school designs for new construction and renovations of existing facilities. Sprague successfully negotiated multiple electricity procurement contracts to purchase electricity through 2028 resulting in more than $3 million in annual cost savings. He announced his retirement following an accomplished career effective June 2023.

He is a registered architect and registered interior designer with the State of Texas, and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He is an Accredited Learning Environment Professional (ALEP). He is a professional member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specification Institute (CSI) and   the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), formerly named the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International. He is also a member of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects (I-LinCP), Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) and Association of School Business Officials (ASBO).  Sprague served as the A4LE International Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2006-2007. He currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects (I-LinCP) as well as the Collaborative of High-Performance Schools (CHPS) as Vice Chairman.  He was instrumental in bringing CHPS best practices to Texas for K-12 educational facilities.

In 2014, as part of CFISD’s 75th anniversary celebration, Sprague was named one of CFISD’s 75 most influential honorees throughout the district’s history. Other accomplishments include being named an LE Fellow by the Association of Learning Environments (A4LE), Southern Region Planner of the Year and International Planner of the Year finalist by the Council of Educational Facilities Planners (CEFPI) and two-time A4LE Chairman’s Award winner (2013 and 2018).

During his tenure, Mr. Sprague has overseen the construction of more than 60% of the district’s current square footage totaling more than 11.7 million square feet. Altogether, he has completed the purchase of 41 property sites and overseen the planning and construction of 73 new facilities, which include 30 elementary, 10 middle, seven high schools, two special assignment campuses and 24 support facilities. He and his team have also handled hundreds of renovation and addition projects touching every district facility—enhancing instruction, health, and safety while providing campus equity that has impacted countless students, staff, parents and community members.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as the namesake of Middle School No. 20,” Sprague said. “This distinguished honor bestowed by the Board of Trustees is certainly the pinnacle of my 42-year career. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined I would be selected to receive this highest honor in public education—being a school namesake. It is an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to serve all our students and staff to provide them with high performance and quality learning environments so they can be successful in their academic years attending CFISD schools. None of this would be possible without the incredible support I received over the years from the Board of Trustees, my dedicated staff and colleagues, district partners, our CFISD community and most importantly, my family.”

Sprague Middle School will be located at 10611 Mason Road in the Bridgeland community as part of the Bridgeland Educational Village site, which consists of Bridgeland High School and Wells Elementary School. The campus is set to open in the 2023-2024 school year.