Mustang OKs school projects to meet growth

MUSTANG — The Mustang school district is moving forward with a series of construction projects designed to meet the needs of an expanding district, which added an estimated 400 new students this fall alone.

In a special meeting last week, the Mustang School Board voted to allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars for projects and designs in the span of 35 minutes. Among the projects is a new $17.1 million elementary school near SW 44 near Czech Hall Road.

School information director Shannon Rigsby said the new school should be ready for the 2018-19 academic year. A new middle school also will be built near the elementary.

That is estimated to be ready for the 2019-20 school year. In addition, a new intermediate school is under construction at SW 15 and Czech Hall. “There’s not another school district in Oklahoma that has as many projects going up at once,” Rigsby said.

During the special session, designs were approved for the new middle school, as well as an educational resources center, improvements and expansion of the soccer facility, tennis courts and science academy.

The science academy, tennis courts and the education resource center will be near the high school.

All of this is being funded by a $180 million school bond issue Mustang School patrons passed Feb. 14 with just more than 66 percent of the vote. More special board meetings likely will be needed as bids will need approval during the construction and planning phases, Rigsby said.

“When bids come in, we need to get them approved,” Rigsby said.

Seven months after the bond passage, Mustang schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel remains grateful to patrons for their support.

“We owe the voters a debt of gratitude. Mustang Public Schools has maintained around a 3 percent growth for several years,” he said. “Growth at that rate adds the equivalent of the population of an elementary school to the district every two to three years. Thanks to their support, the February 2017 bond issue has made it possible for us to add a new elementary, intermediate and middle school.”

That growth, Rigsby said, has seen district student enrollment growth swell to 11,400.

The construction change orders, as well as the design plans, were both approved in a 3-0 vote with board members Stacy Oldham, Chad Schroeder and Chad Fulton voting in the affirmative. Members Dr. Jim Davis and Jeff Landrith were absent.