GREENWOOD (KFSM) - Voters in Greenwood are headed to the polls on Tuesday (Sept.16) to decide if they want to fund an expansion at the school district. Greenwood school officials are hoping voters will approve a 1.9 mill increase. It will bring a new freshman center to the campus.
Greenwood Superintendent John Ciesla said they're just overcrowded with students. "The state determined we need additional classrooms space for about 360 students to meet our current needs and our future needs,"said Ciesla. If approved, the facility would be added on to the current high school and would make room for 400 students.
The school has already secured $2.3 million from the state, but need voters help with the rest. The building’s price tag comes in at close to $12 million, according to Ciesla. For homeowners, that means they would pay an additional $3.17 tax increase per month.
Ciesla said the Greenwood School District keeps growing. "This new facility would not just increase the compacity on our high school campus but also increase the compacity in the district which we think is very important," said Ciesla.
According to Ciesla, the new facility will provide the freshman a better learning environment. "For freshman, its such a tranistion that takes place socially and academically," said Ciesla. "We felt like this allows students to do the process by housing them in one central location and not having to travel across campus."
If the facility gets approved, crews will start construction of the new freshman center in January. The building will be up and running in 2016.