The Annual State of the Schools luncheon was coordinated today by the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce and representatives from Guthrie Public Schools, Langston University and Meridian Technology Center were in attendance.
Held at the Meridian Technology Center, the luncheon featured speeches by Superintendent of Guthrie Public Schools Dr. Mike Simpson, President of Langston University Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson and Meridian Technology Center Superintendent and CEO Dr. Doug Major.
Dr. Simpson took the stage first to give an update on proposed projects and add-ons for various Guthrie Public Schools facilities, all of which stem from the upcoming school bond election on Aug. 27.
First brought up were classroom additions to Guthrie High School, Cotteral Elementary and Charter Oak Elementary. The high school looks to improve the Bluejays wrestling program by renovating the locker rooms and practice facilities, as well as create a locker room for the school’s girls wrestling team, which has been without a proper locker room since the program was added in 2021.
The proposed facilities would provide a 40% increase in usable practice space and are designed to be easily expandable in accommodation with GHS’s growing wrestling participation. The current wrestling facility was built in 1971 and has not had any updates or renovations since then. Simply put by Dr. Simpson: “We need more space.”
“All of the growth along Pine Street where all of those neighborhoods were very close proximity to where this land is,” Dr. Simpson said. “It gives us the perfect geographical footprint to serve those kids in the future.”
The two elementary schools look to add new buildings to their school grounds that would add room for 150 more students each. Cotteral Elementary operates at over 100% capacity, while Charter Oak is 94% capacity.
Simpson also gave an update on the building of a new elementary school along East Noble Ave, which he says is entering phase two of the planning process. The new school would house up to 500 students and would be designed for potential future expansion. Construction would begin in Fall 2029.
Should the school bond pass, the total estimated cost of all proposed projects would come out to $45 million with the classroom additions, wrestling facilities and the new elementary school, as well as costs of district-wide maintenance.
“There’s a whole lot more to this plan than just this bond election,” Simpson said. “We have to pass this bond election in order to get to the next part of this (plan). It’s going to take time, it’s going to take patience and it’s going to take perseverance. And that is what we have demonstrated.”
Langston University president Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson spoke next, followed by Meridian Technology Center’s Dr. Doug Major. They each talked about the status of their institutions and dove into the close relationship that the three academic bodies in Logan County share with each other.
The three speakers ended the luncheon with a Q&A with the attendees of the event.
Guthrie residents that live within the Guthrie Public Schools district can vote on the proposed school bond on Tuesday, Aug. 27.