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



A story in the Feb. 5, 2003, edition of the Enid News & Eagle told of Emerson Junior High School honor students being ribbed by peers about the condition of their aging school.

“There’s really nothing we can say except for, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty bad,’” one student said.

Today, banners hang in hallways and more signs are planned that proclaim “The Pride is Back.”

“Four years later — to hear them say the pride is back — is like coming full circle,” said Amber Graham Fitzgerald, director of school and community relations for Enid Public Schools.

“This building has a lot of pride,” said Kim Jones, principal.

Significant improvements to the school have been completed since early 2003, and more improvements are planned if voters approve a bond issue Tuesday authorizing more renovations to Emerson and improvements to other Enid Public Schools’ sites.

“This is a great start, but there’s more to do,” Fitzgerald said.



The Emerson factor



Jones said every classroom has received new windows, blinds and central heat and air conditioning. Ceilings have been lowered and lighting upgraded.

“It gave the building a more finished look,” Jones said.

If the bond issue is approved Tuesday, a portion of the proceeds would allow Emerson to have central heating and air conditioning in the gymnasium and the auditorium. Currently, school officials only fire up the boiler heating system for the auditorium when they know it’s scheduled for use.

Different school groups and the school’s PTSA also has chipped in to do their part of the work and the fundraising.

Student groups have raised money and designed improvements for the girls bathrooms. The boys are in the process of raising money to do the same.

“We decided to clean it up,” Jones said. “At least paint is better.”

Each year for the school’s Make A Difference Day project in October, volunteers tackle one floor with paint brushes. Next year, a coat of paint is scheduled for the third floor.

Improvements also are slated for the locker rooms. The boys showers don’t work, so school officials have used plywood to cover the door to keep students out of the area.

This summer, five inches of water flooded the gymnasium and damaged a portion of the woodwork.

Paving the staff parking lot also is slated, if approved, Dec. 11. Holes up to 4 feet wide and several inches deep dot the parking lot on the north.

“This eats cars,” Jones said.

The school also is slated to fulfill needs for disability compliance laws.



Students get involved



Jones said when students see others willing to give for the good of their school, they also become more willing to help.

She said since the biggest portion of renovations were completed, students have taken ownership. She said she’s seen students get angry at anyone writing on walls or defacing it in any way.

“They stop them and clean it up,” she said. “Students tell other students to take care of this building.”

Completed by 2003 proceeds were additions and renovations at Eisen-hower, Coolidge, Hayes, Monroe and McKinley elementary schools, Emerson Junior High School, Lincoln Academy and Carver Education Center.

The new issue would address many needs remaining at these schools and other projects in the district.



At the polls



Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tues-day, and two questions totaling $11.5 million are on the ballot for Enid Public Schools district voters.

Superintendent Kem Keithly said propositions are a continuation of the 2003 campaign, and funds will provide needed facility, transportation and technology upgrades.

Needs the district is asking voters to address Dec. 11 include a new Garfield Elementary School, which totals about $3.4 million; continued renovations at Coolidge, Monroe, Taft and Glenwood elementary schools and Emerson Junior High and Enid High, totaling about $1.16 million; exterior renovations at multiple sites around the district totaling about $307,000; and ongoing technology and transportation needs.

Todd Earl, local businessman and chairman of the 2003 campaign, volunteered to lead the current campaign to secure funds he says will meet the district’s long-range goals.

The current measures scheduled for Tuesday’s election 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.