SSPS Board of Ed discusses upcoming bond election, new Ninth Grade Center

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Board of Education President Bo Naugle administers the Oath of Office to Rusty Gunn. 

The Sand Springs Public Schools Board of Education met in a special meeting Monday, February 20th, to discuss an upcoming bond election, as well as to swear in board member Rusty Gunn.

Gunn, the lead pastor at Church That Matters and chaplain for the Sandite football team, filed unopposed for reelection last year and was sworn in for another three-year term. Gunn was previously the Board President, and was replaced by Bo Naugle. Each year, the Board rotates positions. Jackie Wagnon was elected as Vice President and Krista Polanski was named Deputy Clerk.

The biggest single issue discussed by district officials was a new Ninth Grade Center building, attached to Charles Page High School. The current building was constructed in 1923 in downtown and housed Sand Springs High School until CPHS was constructed in 1959. Of the 420 students who currently attend CNGC, 319 are shuttled to classes at the high school every day.

In addition to the ninth grade center, the district also hopes to add a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) lab. Phase One of the construction would see an expansion made to the existing CPHS lobby with an interior entrance to four new STEM classrooms. The addition would be two stories, but the second floor wouldn't be built out until Phase Two.

In Phase Two, the district would construct the ninth-grade building immediately behind the STEM lab. It would sit flush with the high school, but the two would only be connected through the front lobby. The addition would connect to the STEM building and would build out the second floor for a total of 22 new classrooms and a cafeteria exclusive to the freshmen. Food would be cooked in the primary cafeteria and carted over to the freshman cafeteria. That process is currently utilized at the Sixth Grade Center and Clyde Boyd Middle School.

New administrative offices would also be built, as the district does not plan to consolidate staff from the two schools. More parking would also be created. District Architect and Bond Projects Manager Jeanie Kvach is behind the designs.

Other issues that the district is considering for bond measures include new sound systems for Memorial Stadium, the Sandite Baseball and Softball stadiums, and the Ed Dubie Field House. The baseball program has been asking for new equipment for several years, and the field is severely in need of grading. The wrestling team, which won State and Dual State titles last year, is in need of new mats. The Pratt Elementary teacher's lounge has been operating without water, leaving faculty without a sink or coffee pot. 

All of the bond issues are still in the discussion and planning stages currently, and nothing is finalized. Community input is always encouraged at District Dialogue meetings and Board of Education meetings. The next District Dialogue meeting will be March 5th at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Board of Ed meeting at 7:00 p.m. Both will be held in the Performing Arts Building at the CPHS campus.