Some Cashion students have to eat lunch as early as 10:30 a.m. everyday.

Some don’t get to eat until 1 p.m.

The school district uses four portable classrooms because it ran out of space. Other teachers have to “float” between classrooms because there’s not enough space.

These are just a few of the side effects of Cashion’s booming growth the last several years.

And it’s only going to get worse.

“But we have a plan,” said Cashion Superintendent Shane Hood.

That plan will be voted on by those residing in Cashion’s school district Tuesday, Feb. 11.

On the ballot is a $39.93 million bond issue that Hood and other proponents say will not only help Cashion catch up, but also prepare for what is an exploding population both in the town and school district.

“This two-step approach allows us to manage our budget effectively while providing room for growth,” Hood said in an informational video made available to Cashion’s patrons both on the school’s website and via social media.

“Our vision is to build the best possible environment for our students, maximizing the use of our resources.”

The largest chunk of the bond proceeds will be for the construction of a 30,000 square-foot addition to the high school.

To make room for that, however, other changes will have to be made.

••• The need

It’s proximity to Oklahoma City plus a school system that has shown the ability to excel in the classroom as well as extra curricular activities has made Cashion a popular destination for families.

In 2015, the school district boasted 503 total students.

By 2020, that number swelled to 634.

It currently sits at 760 and isn’t slowing down.

However, Cashion’s facilities haven’t kept up with the growth.

“We are experiencing significant growth, which has required us to reassign teachers annually to meet increasing demands,” Hood said. “Unfortunately, we lack the available classroom space to sustain this growth. Currently, we rely on four portable classrooms and several teachers must ‘float’ between classrooms to facilitate learning.”

It affects more than just the classrooms, Hood said.

“Our cafeteria is also at capacity, with lunch periods beginning as early as 10:30 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m.,” he said. “Scheduling facilities for practices and physical education has become another significant challenge, with some teams starting practices as early as 6 a.m.”

Previous school boards and administrations have attempted to get out ahead of the growth.

Twice in 2018 - once in March and once in November - bond issues were voted down.

The March bond election was for $21 million and garnered a 290-251 majority of “yes” votes, but the 53.6 percent approval fell short of the 60 percent-plus one necessary in bond elections.

The November 2018 bond issue was for $25.5 million (the increase due largely to increased construction costs), but didn’t even get a majority of yes votes as 575 voted “no” while 549 voted “yes.”

Cashion voters did pass two bonds in one election in September 2019. 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 those fixes were merely Band-aids on Cashion’s growth.

The district tried again to pass a measure in May 2023. The 10-year, $21.5 million bond issue got a majority of “yes” votes, but the 332-248 was only 57.2 percent. It essentially fell 16 votes shy of passing.

That prompted the ordering of portable classrooms and other “fixes.”

“While we are actively exploring solutions to address these issues, the lack of suffi cient cafeteria and facility space remains a critical concern that cannot be fully resolved without expansion,” said Hood, who is in his first year as the superintendent.

Still growing...

Projections don’t lend to the space situation getting better.

New home construction in Cashion is exploding and it’s projected there will be an additional 700 new homes built in the school district’s boundaries within the next five to 10 years.

That means as many as 700 to 1,000 additional students during that time frame, which could more than double what Cashion currently has.

It will push Cashion’s enrollment from somewhere between 1,400 to 1,700 students. That could be as much or more than three times as many as the 495 that were enrolled in Cashion in 2010.

For comparison, Kingfi sher is currently the largest school district in the county and has about 1,335 enrolled in all grades.

Cashion’s could be significantly larger than that in a decade.

All of the proposed changes, said Hood, will lend themselves to providing to the growing number of students in all facets...and not be just temporary fixes.

“We are committed to providing a well-rounded education that supports academics and personal development for all students. As we’re looking forward to the future, we’re planning for significant growth,” Hood said in the video.

“We need to update our campus to avoid over-crowded classrooms and portable buildings.”

The plan

Hence the latest bond election.

However, significant planning went into the measure before it was approved by the school board to go to a vote of the people.

One of the obstacles facing planners?

“We’re landlocked,” Hood said.

The football field sits directly north of the high school and relocating it to where the current track facility sits has been a part of past bond issues.

Doing so will make way for the high school expansion.

As Hood said earlier, it’s a two-step approach.

One is a lease-purchase plan for part of the project.

“The solution starts with a lease purchase to cover some of the cost by using direct funding without using bond money,” Hood said.

That plan does include the relocation of the football field to the inside of the track, which sits across State Highway 74F to the east of the rest of the campus.

Part of that move would mean repurposing the existing bleachers at the track for the visitors side while also adding new home bleachers and a press box.

Also part of the lease-purchase plan would be:

• Upgrading the softball field with new turf;

• Repurposing the existing football fieldhouse to accommodate wrestling;

• Repurposing the green room for both cheer and elementary PE;

• Repurposing the current wrestling room into a new FFA classroom.

The lease-purchase portion is $3.5 million, or about 12.1 percent of the construction costs.

The next part is what will be funded by bond proceeds.

The high school expansion would take place in the area where the football field currently sits.

It will include:

• Six new classrooms doubling as safe rooms;

• Four science labs;

• Secure entry and office spaces;

• New kitchen/commons area/cafeteria;

• New parking lot; It will also fund the construction of a new fieldhouse at the current track facility.

This bond portion is $25.5 million, or 87.9 percent of the construction.

The additional part of the bond covers the interest over the life of its 13 years.

According to Hood, the projected increase to property taxes is 15 percent.

That equates to an increase of just under $150 a year (just over $12 a month) for every $1,000 paid in property taxes currently.

Hood feels it would be money well-spent on Cashion’s future.

This investment in our schools is an investment in our community’s future,” Hood said. “Together, we can create opportunities that empower every student to succeed while building on our tradition of excellence and staying ‘Wildcat strong’ for generations to come.”

Ask your questions at a public forum Hood has invited the entire community to a bond information meeting this weekend.

It will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, at the school auditorium.

There is a virtual form on the school’s website to submit questions for the meeting. Written questions can also be submitted at the door before the meeting.

Hood and Cashion Board of Education members will be present to answer any questions, as will be Van Storm of Joe D. Hall General Contractors, which is the construction manager for the project, and representatives from Renaissance Architecture of Oklahoma City, which designed the proposed plans.

For those who can’t make it, they can watch a live stream of the meeting on cashionwildcats. tv.