The Woodward News

Local News

January 5, 2013

Sharon-Mutual bond vote Jan. 8

Chris Cooper Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — The Sharon-Mutual School Board will hold a special meeting this Sunday to update school district patrons on an upcoming building bond election.

The special board meeting will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in the high school cafeteria in Mutual.  

Superintendent Jeff Thompson explained, "The item on the agenda is a building bond.  We're looking at doing additions at both Sharon-Mutual schools. The meeting is just to inform the public on what the bond is about and its impact on the taxpayer."

Voters living within the Sharon-Mutual School District will choose whether or not to pass the bond issue during an election on Tuesday, Jan. 8.

Thompson went on to describe the proposed additions to the schools.

"We'll be adding 6 classrooms new at the Sharon-Mutual Elementary School site. Two of those will be computer rooms and the rest will be classrooms. At the Sharon-Mutual High School facility we're planning on 5 new classrooms, 2 of which will be computer rooms," he said.

In addition, he said many of the new rooms will serve a secondary purpose as tornado safe rooms.

"Four of the 6 classrooms at the Sharon site will also double as tornado safe rooms. At Mutual, 4 of the 5 new rooms will be tornado safe," Thompson said.

These proposed additions to the schools are expected to cost $7.92 million, which Thompson said would result in a 7.27 percent tax increase for district patrons if the building bond is approved.

"Part of that will be $1 million dedicated to furnishing the rooms and upgrading technology, adding computers to the rooms and possibly iPads as well," the superintendent said.

Currently, Sharon-Mutual High School does not have a computer lab and Sharon Mutual Elementary has only one. Thompson predicts the additions made possible by the building bond would therefore have a significant impact on the education of students by expanding facilities, providing students with updated technology, and providing teachers "with the tools they need to teach."

Thompson said this weekend's school board meeting will be the latest in a series of meetings held by the Sharon-Mutual School District regarding the proposed school bond issue.

"We've been holding various meetings for the last 6 months, talking about what we might do as a project and receiving public input, now we're putting it to a vote. We're holding the meeting to keep the public updated on the various details of the project and so that they can keep informed."

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan. 8.

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