January 9, 2010

Teachers look forward to intelligent classrooms if bond issue passes

By Julianna Parker Jones

Intelligent classrooms may be the next big thing in education. And Norman Public School teachers and administrators say they are ready for the new technology.

"Teachers are ready for it," Eisenhower Elementary School Principal Susan Powell said. "It's not something that's gonna go in our buildings and not be used."

All that's missing is the funding, but that could change if voters approve the NPS bond issue Dec. 8.

NPS is asking voters to approve $109,760,000 in bonds over the next five years. If the bond issue is passed, the district tax rate would stay the same so taxes would not increase from current levels.

The bonds take advantage of a new financing option that many districts in the state recently have used. The district will get five years' worth of bond revenues up front by asking another entity -- such as a county trust -- to bond the entire amount. Then the district will issue bonds at the annual rate it is legally allowed to do, paying back the other entity with interest.

There isn't any change in the amount of debt being incurred by the district each year, but the difference is that NPS will have access to a larger amount at one time.

The bond issue is the largest amount the district has asked the voters to approve at one time. Administrators say the large price tag shouldn't intimidate voters.

"What people need to understand is this is gonna be a huge remodeling of our district," said Roger Brown, assistant superintendent of administrative services.

Superintendent Joe Siano said this method will allow the entire district to benefit from bond revenues up front. Every school building in the district will be improved in one way or another. Every classroom will get upgraded technology.

Technology

It's the new technology that's excited many in the district.

While many of the bond projects involve new construction and thus will take time to implement, Brown said technology is an area students will see much more quickly.

The bond proposal will provide $9 million for new technology in all district classrooms. That includes digital projectors, document cameras (similar to overhead projectors without the transparencies), interactive white boards, voice distribution systems (similar to a microphone and speakers making one's voice clearer), student response systems (a.k.a. "clickers") and wireless laptop carts.

Powell said she is most excited about the technology that will be provided to Eisenhower if the bond issue is passed.

"We just are thrilled we're going to the intelligent classrooms," she said.

Teachers have been trained in the new technology and students live in a technologically savvy world, but improvements in this area are costly, she said. That's why the bond issue's support will enable vast changes in the classroom that wouldn't be possible otherwise, Powell said.

Some classrooms in the district already have some of these improvements through grants and PTA gifts. One of Eisenhower's classrooms has an interactive white board, and PTA treasurer Tiffany Rico said her son loves using it in class.

"That's the highlight of his day, 'Mom, I got to play with the Smart Board today,'" she said.

Eisenhower fifth grade teacher and PTA president Kem Marley said technology is important to keep today's students engaged.

"In a Smart Board you can make all the things come to life," she said. She said she and the other fifth grade teachers often talk about what they would do with new technology.

"We talk all the time about how great it is," Marley said.

Powell agreed that new technology opens a whole new world of teaching opportunities.

"That's gonna keep our students engaged," she said. "That's gonna get them asking deeper questions."

Elementary Schools

In addition to new technology, the bond revenues will pay for improvements to every building in the district. For the elementary schools, that includes classroom additions for growing student populations at Adams, Cleveland, Eisenhower, Jackson, Monroe and Wilson.

At Eisenhower, the additional classroom space couldn't come soon enough, Rico said

"Every year I just laugh because I know that there's gonna be a new classroom and I don't know where it's gonna be," she said.

She said she's amazed at the ingenuity of the Eisenhower administration in creating new classrooms by rearranging the "walls" in the open school. Bookcases and file cabinets form walls that have been pushed in over the years to create smaller and smaller classrooms to accommodate greater numbers.

"There's no more squeezing these rooms," Rico said.

The classroom additions at elementary schools also are meant to get the district out of the temporary-building business, Brown said.

"We're trying to get out of where we have these temporary facilities that are really permanent," he said.

The district owns dozens of temporary buildings, or portables, at many of the schools, he said.

With the classroom additions, Brown said the district will be able to eliminate many of the portables, providing better facilities for students.

"A portable building is not a classroom," he said. "To me, it's a safety issue as well."

Many of the elementary schools will get other improvements, such as new heating and air conditioning systems or flooring, but the most costly improvements in the district will go to the middle schools.

Middle Schools

Each of the district's four middle schools will get more than $5 million in improvements, essentially a major "face lift," Brown said.

"It's really kind of a walk-through remodel," he said. "... It'll have that new-school look."

On a recent tour of Whittier Middle School, Brown pointed out a variety of improvements that will be made to this open-floor-plan school.

For one, the walls that have been created by teachers lining up partitions, rows of bookcases and file cabinets will be replaced with real walls.

The walls won't reach to the ceiling, however, and also will keep their open feel by the addition of glass entryways on the front of each room. Brown said it's important to maintain the benefits of the open-classroom environment, but the quality of the building will be significantly improved. He said teachers and principals like the open-classroom format.

"They still want this open-area feel but teachers still want to have some boundaries within their classrooms," Brown said.

He pointed to leaning partitions and dented file cabinets and said they would be replaced.

"What we're trying to accomplish here is to give it a good look," Brown said. New floors will be installed and the decades-old lockers will be replaced.

Irving will get similar improvements to Whittier because they are the same floor plan. Longfellow and Alcott will also be improved significantly.

Brown said Longfellow will see major upgrades as one of the oldest buildings in the district.

Brown was principal of a Putnam City school before taking his position at NPS. It was one of the oldest buildings in the district as well, and while Brown was there he said the district received MAPS funding to improve the school dramatically. He said he saw what is possible for an old building and envisions that for Longfellow.

High Schools

The high schools also will see improvements, including replacing flooring, adding new coats of paint and parking improvements.

Additionally, the district's agriculture building will be replaced for nearly $2 million. Located at Norman High School, the building is used by students at both NHS and Norman North High School.

The old building will be torn down and a new one in its place will feature classroom space, a shop area and a greenhouse.

Support Services and Athletic Facilities

The bond project includes $2 million to add lighting to the Administrative Services Center as well as modify the curriculum center and special services building.

The district's high school and middle school athletic facilities will be greatly improved if the bond issue passes.

Almost $2.4 million is designated to remodel the competition gym at Norman High School. About $1 million is designated to turf the district's football field at Norman North High School as well as another $1 million to turf the football field at Alcott Middle School.

Big Picture

The first step for the district if the bond project is passed will be to hire a project manager to coordinate the large number of projects that will be taking place around the district, Brown said.

"All across this district there will be construction going on at the same time," he said. The comprehensive bond issue will take care of many of the pressing needs of the district.

"That doesn't mean it's gonna complete everything, but it's gonna put a huge dent in it," Brown said. He said this is important to aid student learning.

"The question is what kind of environment are they learning in?" he said. "It's just time for a remodel."

For those who don't think these projects are necessary, Brown said visitors should check out the school sites around Norman.

"That's what I encourage people to do," he said. "Just go to the schools and walk those halls."

Julianna Parker Jones 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com

On the Net

To view a complete list of the projects that will be funded by the proposed Dec. 8 bond issue, visit normantranscript.com/schools