Voters in Edmond area will decide Tuesday whether to approve money for two new schools

Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman
·2 min read
Edmond_proposed_elementary
Edmond_proposed_elementary

Edmond area voters will get a chance Tuesday to approve bonds that would fund the construction of two new schools.

The two bond proposals total $147 million. Approving them would not raise the current tax level.

The first proposal would raise $144 million to construct an elementary and middle school at the southeast corner of Air Depot and Covell in east Edmond. It also would fund construction of a new freshman academy at Edmond Santa Fe High School.

Anyone living inside the Edmond Public Schools district can vote on the bond proposals.

Edmond schools Superintendent Angela Grunewald said the new schools will help with overcrowding and give some residents closer proximity to a school.

More: Brand new Edmond schools are already overcrowding. Here's where 2 new schools might go if approved

"East Edmond is growing, and we need schools in east Edmond where new families are moving," Grunewald said.

That sentiment was echoed by Deanna Boston, CEO of the Edmond Public Schools Foundation.

"We see that the district is growing, especially east of I-35. And we know with that kind of population growth, there needs to be more schools so there's not overcrowding," Boston said.

What the bonds will fund if Edmond voters approve them

The larger of the two bonds would also fund the following:

  • Classroom addition at Boulevard Academy.

  • Classroom addition at Scissortail Elementary.

  • Media Center addition at John Ross Elementary.

  • Renovations and improvements at several other sites.

  • Construction of a safe room at the Edmond Early Childhood Center.

  • Construction or acquisition of a facility for the Edmond Transition Academy for special education.

  • Purchase of new technology equipment.

  • HVAC, roofing, flooring, lighting and playground improvements districtwide.

  • School security enhancements and upgrades.

  • School equipment for instruction needs.

  • Classroom furniture.

  • New turf for high school baseball and softball fields.

  • Improvements to Mitch Park Aquatic Center.

The second bond, worth $3 million, would go toward the purchase of new school buses and other vehicles.

The new elementary school is planned to open in August 2026, with the middle school opening a year later. The district hasn't yet picked out names.

"We allow community members to do recommendations and submit names. But right now our first goal is to get voters to approve building them," said Grunewald.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Edmond Oklahoma to vote on bonds to build two new schools