Jill Haub could barely contain her smile.

The Dover English and reading teacher for seventh and eighth graders was walking through the halls of the high school late Monday morning.

The floors were freshly waxed and shining.

The walls showed off their new coat of paint.

Two new murals greet visitors at different entrances into the school grounds.

The cafeteria is now twice as big as it was the last time it was used and there are new offices for the superintendent, federal programs director, secretary and board meeting room.

“I can’t believe what they’ve done with it all,” Haub said, three days before students were set to begin their first day of school.

“It’s wonderful.” Dover is one of three school districts in the county to have major projects wrapping up or - in Cashion’s case - one of several major projects.

For Dover, the cafeteria expansion began with a groundbreaking last Ocotber.

The $1.6 million project was paid for from the school’s building fund as well as some leftover money from the bond issue to build the elementary school.

The expansion, which included the offices, was 12,600 square feet. It expanded the cafeteria capacity to 368 people, more than twice what it could hold before.

It’s needed as Dover’s enrollment - last year up more than 50 over the year before - continues to climb.

That trend is expected this year. In addition to serving more students, said Superintendent Jay Wood, the space can serve as a site for assemblies, banquets, reunions, plays, the prom and several other activities.

In fact, Wood conducted his first meeting with the district’s teachers on Monday morning before they broke off into their respective buildings.

•••

Chisholm Trail Technology Center now boasts of 10 full-time programs for students.

The newest of those is electrical trades, which will be housed in the newest facility on the campus.

“We received occupancy on Thursday, July 31, and began moving in that day,” said Superintendent Kurt Thomas.

He was referencing the 15,000 square foot building that was constructed on the east end of the campus.

Construction began on that last May and its completion is just in time as CTTC also begins this Thursday.

The electrical trades program will be instructed by Spencer Struck and is at current capacity with 17 students enrolled.

They’ll only take up part of the space in the new building as the ever-growing welding program will migrate to the south end.

That program, which currently has 40 students enrolled, is upgrading from a 3,400 square foot facility that it’s outgrown since becoming a program in 2018.

•••

Like at Dover and CTTC, Cashion is expanding out of necessity.

The fastest-growing district in the county has been “bursting at the seams” for several years.

In 2010, Cashion had 495 students.

It was 634 by 2020 and at 760 in January.

It’s projected that 700 new homes will be built in the school district in the next five to 10 years. Those projections could mean anywhere from 700 to 1,000 additional students for Cashion Public Schools.

That’s potentially 1,700 students. By comparison, Kingfisher has about 1,300 students currently.

Despite the steady growth for the last 15 years, Cashion’s facilities haven’t been able to keep up.

Two different bond issues were voted down in 2018, one for $21 million (53.6 of the 541 total voters were in favor, but short of the super majority) and the other for $25.5 million (this time 1,124 people voted with a majority - 575 - checking the ‘no’ box).

In September 2019, voters did pass a pair of bonds. One was for $10.875 million, which dealt mostly with renovations at the elementary and middle schools. It passed with 70 percent voting in favor.

The other was for $8.885 million and approved the construction of a new track facility and relocation of the baseball field. It passed with 64 percent approval.

But the school renovations weren’t going to fix Cashion’s need for space.

The district again went to voters in May 2023 with a $21.5 million bond issue. It fell 16 votes shy of passing.

But in February, Cashion voters narrowly passed a major bond issue that is expected to give the district at least some breathing room.

The $39.93 million bond issue includes a plethora of projects.

The biggest is a 30,000 square foot expansion of the high school.

To make room for that, the “old” football field had to be relocated across Euclid Avenue (S.H. 74F) and sit inside the track.

A large chunk of that project is already complete as the turf has been installed, although the home stands are still under conready struction.

Head football coach Lynn Shackelford said the chances of the stadium being ready for Cashion’s first home game are “about 50-50,” but it is expected Cashion will play on the new field this season.

When finished, the project will also include new field lighting, a 1,000 seat bleacher system with a press box and a digital LED scoreboard.

Once it’s ready, that will clear the room for the high school expansion.

Superintendent Shane Hood said the district will go out for bids on that project as well as a new fieldhouse - this week.

The fieldhouse is expected to be completed next August while the high school, it’s hoped, will be ready for the start of the 2027-28 school year.

Once the new fieldhouse is completed, the current fieldhouse will be renovated to support the boys’ and girls’ wrestling programs.

“After that, the existing wrestling room will be converted into additional classrooms for the agriculture education program,” Hood said.

Other projects include adding new turf, fencing and backstop at the softball field, which is currently under way, and repurposing the green room for both cheer and elementary P.E.