At the noon Board of Education meeting on Monday, July 10th, the school board approved a resolution authorizing an election for a proposed school bond to the tune of more than $279 million, most of which will be used for the construction of a new high school and performing arts center.
Board President Larry Hoover told Sapulpa Herald that the time had come for the high school to get the attention it needed for quite awhile.
“We’re to a point that we’ve addressed almost every building in our district. Holmes Park, Freedom, and Jefferson Heights—those are all pretty new facilities. We spent money on Liberty (Elementary), we’ve updated a lot of our athletic facilities. We’ve put lipstick and paint on (the High School) for years trying to make it work but at some point you go, ‘we need to do something.’”
The election will take place later this year, on September 12th.
The approved resolution proposes $218 million for a new 9th-12th grade high school and performing arts center and will include not only classrooms and restrooms, but a storm shelter, administrative space, a kitchen, and funding for improvements for 8th-grade instruction, as funding allows.
The language in the proposition does say that the school could “acquire” more property, but Hoover said the high school isn’t going to be moved to another site.
“We own some surrounding property around that square that that we have. So there may be opportunities, maybe for additional parking or whatever,” he said, but also clarified that the bond stipulates how most of the money has to be spent. “You have to spend a certain amount of your bond dollars on those items listed,” he said.
Since the construction of the new building would take place while school is in session, Hoover said that steps would be taken to make progress on the new building while minimizing the disruption for the existing high school. “It’s still kind of a work in progress, but it’s kind of like we did the middle school,” he said. “We started in the summer, and then we had classes on one side, and then we were able to open up (the new building). We’d have the same kind of plan, I think, as far as the high school goes.”
In addition to the new High School and Performing Arts Center, Proposition No. 1 also includes the following:
$23 million for a new indoor practice facility, new baseball and softball fields, upgrades and additions to the Westside Athletic Complex, and new football lockers and office space at Collins Stadium.
$27 million for improvements and upgrades to the Chieftain Center, including more gym space and additional locker room space.
$1.9 million for improvements to the Agriculture Education Farm Facility, including new barn doors, drainage improvements, security upgrades and parking improvements.
$1.6 million for new HVAC equipment, roofing equipment and building furniture, fixtures and equipment district-wide.
$3.3 million for “technology equipment and instructional materials and equipment district-wide as needed and as funds allow.”
$820K for athletic and band equipment and uniforms district-wide as needed and as funds allow.
$390K for playground equipment and improvements for certain school sites.
A second proposition is listed for $2.5 million for “transportation equipment and auxiliary transportation equipment.”
Also as a part of the meeting, the board approved the annual reorganization of the board, which resulted in Larry Hoover being made President, while Melinda Ryan and Wayne Richards were made first and second vice presidents, respectively.
The board also announced that Denzil Stamper would be the new Jr. High Principal, replacing Dru Dixon.
The Herald is collaborating with Reed Architecture and Sapulpa Public Schools to release a series of stories in the coming months detailing the different sections of each proposition and what’s to be expected should the bond issue pass. Stay tuned for future updates.
