This is the seventh in a series looking at projects in an Enid Public Schools Dec. 11 bond issue election. The series continues daily through Dec. 9. Anyone wishing to submit questions about the proposal can e-mail them to trasp@enidnews.com.



Sandy Lippard is almost certain the runny noses and watery eyes her students experience regularly are environmental and specific to the space where they spend hours each day.

“We have lots of allergy problems in here,” said Lippard, a third-grade teacher at Hoover Elementary School. “I think it’s the carpet.”

Hoover has the same gold and orange-colored carpet as other buildings constructed in the same era. Most of it is more than 20 years old, and teachers and school administrators say it is more than just an eyesore. They say it’s a health hazard.

Principal Karen Heizer said they are anxious to see the carpet replaced in classrooms.

They also are in need of a four-classroom addition to house their growing student population — many of whom have special needs and require specific accommodations.

“We serve a lot of medically fragile students here,” Heizer said. “We need a lot of space to meet their needs.”

Some of those needs were addressed through bathroom renovations this year funded by a 2003 bond issue. Improvements already completed include enough space to take care of at least a portion of those special needs.

“It certainly allows them to be more independent,” Heizer said.

Sixth-graders currently attend class in two portable buildings situated on the northwest corner of the campus. If voters approve a bond issue Dec. 11, those portables would be replaced with a four-classroom addition that would provide enough space to house sixth-graders and special education classes.

Other improvements needed at the school, including painting, replacing gutters and downspouts, and replacing casework and stage curtains, will be done by the school district as revenue becomes available from sources such as the school’s building fund, excess sales tax collections from the city and interest earnings from the 2003 bond issue.



Last summer ...



Work progressed on replacing flooring and mop boards this summer. Several bathrooms also were gutted and renovated. New ceiling tiles and lighting were installed throughout the hallways.

The projects were funded through a 2003 bond issue and sales tax measure.

Heizer said workers and school staff are waiting patiently on the rest of their new windows, which also were funded through the 2003 bond issue proceeds. The new windows will replace those with cracked glass and inadequate casing.

The windows have been ordered for some time, but shipping was slowed dramatically and has been backed up by the rebuilding of the areas devastated by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes.



How it started ...



In 2001, a professional facility assessment company identified $30 million worth of needs in the district’s buildings. A little more than $20 million was provided through the 2003 bond issue and sales tax measure.

About $10 million in facility needs remain, and school administrators and board members are addressing the needs through the $11.5 million bond issue Dec. 11.

Voters will be asked to consider two propositions — one for $9.725 million for facility improvements and $1.2 million for technology. Technology im-provements would include technology updates and interactive white boards.

The proposal also includes a new Garfield Elementary School, which would be the first new elementary school for EPS since 1963.

A second question would provide $600,000 for transportation. The transportation portion would allow the district to continue its bus replacement plan.

Funds generated from bond issues can only be used for capital improvements, technology and transportation. It cannot be used for general operating needs, such as salaries.

The current measures scheduled for the Dec. 11 ballot would increase property taxes by 3.9 percent. For example, someone who currently pays $500 in property taxes annually would see an increase of $1.63 a month. Someone who pays $1,000 annually in property taxes would see an increase of $3.25 a month.