By Cathy Spaulding
WARNER — A slew of students coming into Warner Middle School in the next few years could make crowded classrooms even more crowded, officials say.
“I teach 90 kids a day in five sections of English now, and next year I’ll have 115,” English teacher Sandy Ross. “We’re pretty packed.”
Warner Public Schools officials say bond issues totaling $715,000 up for a public vote on Tuesday could help alleviate classroom crowding in the middle school, as well as fund long-needed repairs to school roofs, floors, driveways and heating/air conditioning systems and improve transportation.
The bond issue would not raise taxes, Warner School Superintendent Monte Madewell said.
Warner is presenting two bond issues to voters on Tuesday:
• Proposition 1, for $605,000, would fund replacing the roof and floor tiles at the elementary cafeteria; replacing floor tiles in the upper elementary and high school hallways; replacing heating and air conditioning units; replacing rutted asphalt in the driveway and construction of two classrooms and a multi-purpose commons area at the middle school.
• Proposition 2, for $110,000, would pay for a new route school bus and a school van.
Madewell said the middle school faces increasing enrollment.
Class sizes average 50 students, Madewell said. The eighth-grade has 54 students.
“The sixth-grade has 75 students, and the class behind it has 68 students,” he said. “We’re just filled to the hilt. Our English teacher meets in the old band room completely away from the school. We have some small classrooms that must have been built as offices.”
Madewell said the classroom addition would include two 24-by-32 classrooms, plus a commons area that could be converted into two classrooms if needed. There also would be a sheltered courtyard with tables that could be used as an outdoor classroom or commons area.
The bond issue also would pay to replace a roof that causes leaking in the elementary cafeteria.
“The ceiling has continuously leaked since I’ve been here, and I’ve been here four years,” said food service director Rachelle Pierce. “I patched three tiles myself.”
She said she can’t keep any records on her shelves “or they’ll get wet.”
Meanwhile, cafeteria floor tiles are mismatched because matching colors for the old tiles no longer are available, Madewell said. Some patches of the floor have no tiles at all. Halls in the high school and upper elementary have similar problems.
“I think there are six different colors here,” he said, showing tiles in the high school.
The bond issue also fund driveway improvements by replacing replace bumpy, rutted asphalt in a driveway with concrete.
“We patched it and patched it,” he said. “We’ll just cut it out and pour all concrete.”
The district also needs to repair aging heating and air conditioning units, Madewell said. “In these times, we can’t continue to take money out of the general fund to fix the air conditioner when we have to keep our people employed.”
Warner bond issue
• Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
• Two bond issues totaling $715,000.
• Proposition 1: $605,000 to replace heating and air conditioning units in 23 locations; re-roof elementary cafeteria; new floor tiles for elementary cafeteria, upper elementary hall and high school hall; repair asphalt on the driveway; build two new classrooms and a commons area.
• Proposition 2: $110,000 to buy one route bus and one van.
• Bond issues would not raise taxes.
Reach Cathy Spaulding at 918-684-2928 or Click Here to Send Email
