Early voting for the new $125,000,000 bond began Monday, and the results will be in Saturday May 9.
“Since 2005, WISD had grown by nearly 2000 students, and the new bond package would be used to construct a new high school, and new career and technology facilities,” Dr. Jeremy Glenn, WISD Superintendent said. “[Also] It would allow the district to repurpose several district buildings for other uses.”
Seeing that a majority of the bond’s money will be used to construct a new high school and will greatly impact WHS students, Dr. Al Benskin, WHS principal, is in support of the bond.
“I am for the bond because I think it is the best opportunity to meet the needs of our students and the community,” Dr. Benskin said. “I believe in every fiber of my veins that each student rises according to their surroundings. That being said, if our surroundings are top notch, then our students will rise to the top and have more pride in our school; and when you dress like a hundred bucks, you feel like a hundred bucks.”
The current WNGA students would be the first seniors to attend the new high school, if the bond passes, and 9th grade students like Lila Dineen are eager to be there.
“I am for the new bond because it will provide more room for the larger amount of students,” Dineen said. “I am excited because it is an opportunity to be in a new school with new and exciting surroundings.
Not only students, but also teachers such as, Mrs. Melissa Huskisson, WHS English teacher, are for the bond as well.
“I believe that a new school will be beneficial for my students because it will offer them new learning opportunities,” Mrs. Huskisson, said. “ Anything that will benefit my students, I am in favor of.”
Even though it seems like WHS is the only group of students and faculty getting a new high school, Global High will be getting a “new” school as well.
“Global would relocate to the current WHS facility and it would allow them more academic opportunities,” Dr. Glenn, said. “ The students also will have more space for engineering, computer science, and robotics programs.”
As the plans have been laid out, Global High School Principal, Mr. Donald Snook, is in favor of the bond, under a few conditions.
Principal Snook is supportive of the move and believes the additional room and space that the current WHS campus offers is a necessity for his students. However, he wants to ensure that technology upgrade plans for the school will be conducted as stated in the bond, because his students need the updated technology for their STEM programs and other classes.
While it appears that most of the district is for the bond, Global student, Don Rutledge, has a different opinion.
“I am against the bond because the bond is going to be more focused on sports, as I have heard Dr. Glenn has stated,” Rutledge, Global High junior, said. “I think sports are okay but not when they completely over-cloud education.”
As listed previously, the ninth graders now will be the first students to attend a new school, and for Global High School 9th grader, Grant Fowler, the move is not pleasing.
“I am very much against the bond because I like Global’s current building,” Fowler said. “I have heard a lot of bad things about WHS.”
Early voting is going on now through May 5, and the official and last day to vote will be Saturday, May 9.