By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
To keep up with growth, Yukon Public Schools is in talks to buy property for a new school site.
“We are looking at acquiring some land in the northwest part of our district for an elementary school that will be needed in the next several years,” YPS Superintendent Dr. Jason Simeroth said.
“For an elementary or intermediate school, we try to get between 15 and 20 acres.”
The owner of property near Frisco and Hefner roads reached out to the Simeroth to see if school officials were interested.
“We’re going to need a school out there,” Simeroth said. “That will be the growth point on the west side of Highway 4 as we move forward.”
The Yukon school district’s 2021 bond funds would be used to acquire the property. A proposed purchase price has not been disclosed.
A new bond issue, approved by YPS voters, would be needed to fund construction of the district’s 13th school.
Dr. Simeroth predicts that enough existing bond debt will be paid off in “three to four years” so YPS could finance a new bond issue without raising property taxes.
HERE WE GROW AGAIN
Yukon’s student enrollment has climbed steadily in recent years and is expected to surpass 9,200 for the 2022-23 fall term. YPS now has about 1,200 employees.
New residential developments continue inside the district’s boundaries that cover Yukon city limits and outlying areas in Oklahoma City limits.
A 150-lot housing addition has been platted in the Frisco/Hefner Road area and “there’ll be more soon”, Simeroth noted.
Much of this new housing has families with young children.
In fall 2020, YPS opened Redstone Intermediate School at Mustang and Britton roads on the east side of Highway 4 north of Yukon. The district acquired 15 acres to build that school.
YPS has 12 school sites: Yukon High School, Yukon Middle School, Redstone Intermediate School, Lakeview Intermediate School, Independence Intermediate School, Ranchwood Elementary School, Skyview Elementary School, Central Elementary School, Myers Elementary School, Parkland Elementary School, Surrey Hills Elementary School, and Shedeck Elementary School.
YHS is grades 9-12, YMS is grades 7-8, the three intermediates are grades 4-6, and the seven elementaries are grades preK-3.
