$14.9M bond awaits Sequoyah voters

By Rebecca Hattaway The Claremore Daily Progress Mon Oct 13, 2008, 09:08 AM CDT

October 12, 2008 — Patrons of Sequoyah Public Schools will vote on a $14.9 million bond issue Dec. 9.

Superintendent Terry Saul says that projects to be funded by the bond include:

• A sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade building with the sixth-grade students housed in a separate area. The building will include a full-service cafeteria.

• A fine arts rehearsal area for band and choir students. It will be built as an addition to the vocational agriculture building.

• Renovation of the Pope Athletic Complex, including additional public restrooms, a concession stand, locker room, co-ed weight room and office space. It also includes bleacher renovation, a new track, and synthetic turf.

• Three additional school buses.

The proposed bond issue is Phase II of Sequoyah’s three-phase plan to be completed over 15 years.

“We’ve been planning for our future over the last four years,” Saul said. “That started with involving all our stakeholders in parent and committee meetings to decide what types of things were needed. There were lots of projects, lots of requests — some needs, some wants.”

After the list was narrowed, a facility-planning team and the Board of Education began to prioritize the primary and secondary needs to be part of a capital improvement project that would “not only take care of today, but also be proactive for needs of the future,” Saul said.

Phase I, completed without a bond issue, included the purchase of 50 acres east of the campus, construction of a practice gymnasium and construction of a vocational agriculture building.

“Sequoyah and its community will always build facilities for what our kids do,” Saul said. “Sequoyah kids are very extracurricular-minded, and so are their families. Not only does this allow students to be with our very best teachers for extended periods, it also encourages them to be more academically accountable. Students must have a meaning and purpose for coming to school and performing their best.”

An example of Sequoyah’s commitment to strong extracurricular programs that promote academics is its FFA program.

“Our community asked for that program five years ago,” Saul said. “Our board of education committed to providing a facility and a teacher and we actually began the program in 2004.”

Last year, Sequoyah FFA was the largest single-teacher program in the state.

“This year, we added a second teacher and currently we are in the top five of two-teacher programs,” Saul said. “Sequoyah’s vision for the future is focused on providing students with the best learning opportunities, as well as preparing for continued growth.”

Phase III of the long-range plan includes construction of an elementary school for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

The bond issue will not raise property taxes, Saul said.

Voters will have the opportunity to learn more about the projects and ask questions in the coming weeks. Informational displays will be set up at home football games, and three public forums will be held in November. District-wide newsletters detailing the proposal also will be mailed next month.

“Our goal is to make sure there are plenty of opportunities for our patrons to feel as good as we do about the projects for our kids,” Saul said.

If the bond issue passes, construction is projected to begin in late spring.

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