The student population for El Reno Public Schools is growing and the numbers are expected to keep increasing, according to a study done by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

With growth comes more need for space. That’s why in October, El Reno voters will be asked to consider a school bond issue designed to help address these needs. 

“We had them do an audit of our district to see what the growth would be over the next 10 to 15 years and what we would need to handle that growth,” said Superintendent Matt Goucher.

He said the study showed growth is expected to be 50 to 60 students per grade level, which is about three classrooms. 

Goucher said the bond issue is needed to add more classroom space as well as help free up space in other areas.

The construction bond issue will be just more than $69 million. A second bond issue, this one for about $500,000, will help address transportation issues such as new buses. 

“Our goal is to keep class sizes as small as we can. To do that we need more classrooms at every school site. It won’t be the same amount at every school because some need as many as three classrooms and some need six,” said Goucher.

Goucher said the key part of this $69.56 million bond vote, set for Oct. 14, is that it can be done without raising taxes.

In 2013, voters overwhelmingly approved bond proposals totaling more than $45 million. Those bonds built the Jeff Mills STEM Center and Lincoln Learning Center and made improvements at all seven school sites.

To pay that 13-year bond, property taxes were raised 6.5 percent in 2013.

Goucher said extending the current tax rate another 13 years, which is the term life of the new proposals, would mean the expansions could be made without raising taxes.

“If your taxes go up, it will not be because of El Reno Public Schools,” said Goucher.

Waiting until the 2013 bonds matured, said Goucher, was key in presenting the new proposals to a vote of the public.

“It’s what allows us to get this much money without raising taxes because we waited that amount of time,” he said. 

“We don’t want to be a burden to the community. But we want our kids, and I think the community wants it as well, to have the things they need and still be able to offer our parents smaller class sizes,” said Goucher.

Goucher said Proposal I, which is just over $69 million, would add classrooms at Hillcrest, Rose Witcher, Lincoln and Roblyer Learning Centers. Hillcrest and Rose Witcher would also get playrooms next to their current gyms. The gyms there now serve as the lunchrooms for both sites.

“Students should not have to eat in the same place where they have physical education classes and have to hurry up and finish breakfast or lunch in order to get the tables cleaned up and get out of the way so we can start those classes,” Goucher said. 

The superintendent said the play areas would not be gyms, but “just big enough to play or whatever the P.E. teachers want to do while kids are still eating.” 

The proposal would also build over the current parking lot between the high school and the media arts center.

This new building would house classrooms to be used by Etta Dale Junior High and the high school. It would also house transition classes for older special needs students.

The current parking lot would be relocated to central grounds east of Etta Dale.

The proposal also addresses the need for dressing rooms for female athletes in soccer, track and cross country. The girls teams currently do not have such space.

To do this, a new building would be constructed on the east end of Memorial Stadium.

The building would bring those sports under the same roof as well as boys and girls wrestling.

Wrestling and junior high football are currently housed at the old YMCA building in Adams Park, which is leased from the city of El Reno.

Junior high football would relocate to the current high school Blue Room and varsity football would move to the new building.

The band program would get a new building on the southeast side of the stadium to be utilized daily during marching season and football games.

The school board, in 2023, hired Chickasha-based CMS Willowbrook to serve as construction manager for future bond projects. It also hired Oklahoma City-based Larsen Group to serve as the design team.

Proposal II, which is $500,000, would be used for transportation.

“This would be for transportation needs. You can’t do it with the other proposal, it always has to be separate,” said Goucher.

The special bond vote will cost the school district $15,500, according to the Canadian County Election Board. 

Goucher said bond advisers recommended the Oct. 14 date. The October date is scheduled statewide for propositions such as the bond proposal, information provided by the State Election Board shows. 

There are 8,287 registered voters in the El Reno School District, information from the county election board shows.

State law requires 60 percent majority approval for passage of school bond issues.