On Dec. 11, 2006, the North East Board of Trustees adopted the attendance boundaries and appointed a principal for Jose M. Lopez Middle School, located on Hardy Oak Boulevard. The board selected proposal #1 without a grandfathering plan and appointed Dr. Barry Lanford, former director of the Design and Technology Academy at Roosevelt High School, principal of the new middle school.

This boundary adoption affects students in the Bush Middle School attendance area. Lopez will open for the 2007-2008 school year. The adopted boundaries will keep students from Canyon Ridge and Stone Oak elementary schools feeding into Bush. Students from Hardy Oak and Wilderness Oak elementary schools will feed into Lopez starting next school year. Prior to the board adoption, the district held a public hearing in November to gather community input on new middle school boundaries. A map of the adopted boundaries appears below.

Lopez Principal Barry Lanford received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He received his Master of Science degree in 1994 and Doctorate degree from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He began his career in education in 1989 as a teacher with Northside ISD. Lanford joined North East in 2000 as an assistant principal of Lee High School.