Brandon Twp.-On Sunday afternoon, Oakwood Elementary School Principal Kristy Spann spent the best part of an hour-and-a-half of a two-hour open house outside.
‘The crowd was steady all afternoon,? said Spann, who will lead the newly constructed Oakwood Elementary School when it opens this September. ‘I had very little time to come in and show off the school’there’s lots to be proud of here.?
Spann, along with school officials, construction managers and architects, welcomed more than 700 guests including parents, students and area residents on Sunday to the Oakwood Elementary School grand opening ceremony from 3-5 p.m.
The new 65,000 square-foot school will include grades kindergarten through fourth grade and replace H.T. Burt Elementary, which after renovations is the new home to the Sherman Learning Center. Currently, about 340 students will enter the new school this September. Brandon Superintendent Lorrie McMahon reflected on the efforts of the Brandon School District.
‘This community rallied and supported this school district,? said McMahon. ‘This new school will meet the learning needs of our children for years to come. From the technology reflective of today to a dedicated staff to the learning environment’education at Oakwood Elementary will be top notch.?
The day marked the culmination of almost four years of work:
n By a 7-0 vote in October 2005 the Brandon School Board initiated an investigation process for a possible district bond extension. The decision marked the first change since 1996 when voters OK’s an increase from 7.88 mills to 8.24 mills. There results netted $34,630,000 for a new Brandon Middle School and $6,225,000 for a swimming pool.
n In December 2005 school officials eyed the first Tuesday in May 2006 for a vote on a district bond extension netting about $73 million for several major renovations, technology upgrades and a new elementary school. Tom Miller, then Brandon school district superintendent estimated that following voters? approval of the bond extension it would take three to five years to complete all the upgrades and construction.
n On May 2006 more than 60 percent of voters in the Brandon School District approved a bond extension that will net about $73.4 million for several major renovations, technology upgrades, construction of a new elementary school and activities complex. The bond extension did not increase the 8.24 mills residents pay per year in school taxes, but rather added six years to a loan at $29 million and which would be paid off in 2026. The official total vote was 1,300 yes and 781 no.
n In May 2007 the board OK’d the purchase of 75-acre parcel north of Oakwood Road, just east of Hadley Road, for the construction of Oakwood Elementary School. At a cost of $850,000, the purchase also included a two-and-one-half acre parcel along Oakwood Road for access to the school.
n In June 2007, school officials, students and a host of area residents gathered for the groundbreaking of the new Oakwood Elementary School. The $14 million building project would be completed for the 2009 school year and included a 65,000 square-foot building to replace the aging H.T. Burt Elementary School. The project also provided a soccer field, playgrounds and natural areas.
n In June 2009 work on the new Oakwood Elementary School was completed and is ready for students in September.