EUFAULA, Okla. — There’s a bond vote for Eufaula Public Schools happening early next month. If voters say yes, it would lead to a significant expansion of the campus.
2 News Oklahoma listened to area parents about the need for upgrades.
“Not only will it benefit our schools, but it's gonna benefit the whole community,” Rachell Jones said about the bond measure.
Jones has children enrolled in EPS and serves as president of the district’s parent-teacher organization.
With the cost of the bond coming in at nearly $24 million, there are some big-ticket items.
When asked what she would say the district needs most, Jones told 2 News it’s more space for events.
The construction of a brand-new event center is something multiple parents told us is a must-have. A new basketball court, performance stage, and concession area would call this space home while adding more room for dining.
When sports aren’t in play there, the event center would host community events.
“If you don't have children in the school, you're still gonna benefit,” Jones argued. “If you have a big event that needs to be done — a community event, a community town hall… we'll be able to utilize that. It's something that our town doesn't have at this time.”
Another major proposal is trading the grass football field for an artificial turf one. That’s on parent Tephanie Neill’s priority list.
“My son's a football player, so anytime that we can better our football field, that's a win for us,” she told 2 News.
“We've traveled to a multitude of different schools during the football season, and that's one of the things that stick out to us is every other school district has nicer facilities than what we do.”
Josh Cummings is a school resource officer with kids in the district. Every day, he patrols the halls of the campus.
When asked if he sees overcrowding when walking the elementary school halls, he replied, “I do see it. It's packed.”
Superintendent Monty Guthrie told 2 News that elementary school enrollment has grown steadily over the past few years, leading to cramped classrooms.
To accommodate that growth, they want to build a new middle school wing to add more fifth-grade classrooms.
“We are just trying to plan for the future because the community in the area around the lake continues to expand,” Guthrie explained.
“Increasing our facilities at our school,” Neill said, “draws more potential residents to our community.”
If the bond measure passes, area taxes will not increase. 60% approval is required for passage. Election Day is Tuesday, April 1, with Guthrie emphasizing it’s not an April Fool’s Day joke.
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