The Plano Independent School District’s second Welcome and Enrollment Center, scheduled to be completed last next month, will bear the names of two longtime district officials. 

The PISD Board of Trustees voted at their Tuesday, Dec. 10, regular meeting to name the facility in honor of retired Plano ISD Superintendent Sara Bonser and Coordinator of Student Services James Thomas III.

The 11,000-square-foot Bonser-Thomas Welcome and Enrollment Center, located at 6210 Mapleshade Lane in Dallas, will provide West Plano ISD families with enhanced services.

Bonser served 33 years in public education, with 25 years in Plano ISD as a teacher, principal and ultimately as superintendent. She helped establish the district’s first welcome and enrollment center in 2021, located at the Bird Center, 1300 19th Street.

“If we are dedicated to caring, then we are going to wrap around them [families] and make it easy for families to come and feel welcomed,” Bonser said.

Thomas served more than 45 years with Plano ISD in various roles including teacher, coach and administrator.

His work has particularly focused on supporting students and families in need, making him an ideal namesake for this facility. Thomas said, “What an honor this is, and I am so blessed.”

The district said Thomas’ extensive work with community organizations and initiatives supporting homeless and at-risk students and families embodies the spirit of support and belonging that the center aims to provide.

“Together, Sara Bonser and James Thomas represent over seven decades of combined service to Plano ISD,” Superintendent Theresa Williams said. “Their dedication to education, student success and community outreach make them exemplary choices for this honor. The Bonser-Thomas Welcome and Enrollment Center will reflect their legacy of compassion, exceptional care and commitment to the students and families of Plano ISD.”