The Duncan Banner

Local News

Related Photos

  • Central High Superintendent Bennie Newton gives a big hug to Duncan Superintendent Sherry Layber Tuesday night, after voters in the two district passed school bond issues. Derrick Miller

    Central High Superintendent Bennie Newton gives a big hug to Duncan Superintendent Sherry Layber Tuesday night, after voters in the two district passed school bond issues.

  • Unofficial Duncan School Bond Results

    Unofficial Duncan School Bond Results
February 16, 2012

Oversight committee will assist in DPS planning

By Jeff Kaley & Joshua Kellogg The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — Less than 24 hours after a $19.030 million school bond issue passed Tuesday, architects are already vying for attention from Duncan Public School Superintendent Sherry Labyer.

But in the wake of the bond passing, even though Labyer spoke with four different architects Wednesday there will not be any hasty selections made as the district prepares to go out for bids.

“I will be putting together an oversight committee,” Labyer said. “To be good stewards of taxpayers money, I think it’s important to interview different architects.”

The committee will interview the potential architect candidates and make a recommendation to the Duncan Board of Education. Labyer said they hope to present a proposal at the April board meeting.

Duncan voters gave the bond issue a 68 percent favorable vote on Tuesday, accepting a bond issue after turning down two others in previous elections in the past 12 months.

“I am so happy that the citizens of Duncan understood our need and that they reacted to it positively,” Labyer said Wednesday. 

Prior to securing an architect, the school must begin working with the bonding firm, which has been hired, to draft a schedule for funding. After that comes the design and development phase. That could last from four to six months.

“We have to get a funding mechanism in place for our bonds. When you work with one for something of this magnitude, the bond advisor, they will sit down with each teacher,” Labyer said.

“There is a lot of prep work, schematic drawings and development. This doesn’t happen very often but we want to get it right.”

One of the main issues will be when the construction begins. “When you renovate an existing structure and work around kids, you have a lot more to consider,” Labyer said.

Displacement of students could be the norm, during the construction phase, because school must go on. 

Labyer was involved with the Duncan Middle School planning, but in a different role. In addition, the DMS project involved constructing a new school on empty land, which didn’t affect students. 

“I have been fortunate to be involved in the middle school bond issue, and as a superintendent and in 2006 and 2009, to be involved in small bond issues; but of this magnitude, it is my first as a superintendent.

“I’m excited to be part of something that large and something that truly does impact students on a larger scale.”

To Labyer, the entire effort has been about the students and their future education. She has a Superintendent Advisory Council with 25 youth serving on the group. During Tuesday’s election, she texted the young people as the votes rolled in, and it wasn’t long before her phone started blowing up with replies.

“That level of enthusiasm is priceless,” she noted. “This is for our kids. But beyond that, it is for our community. I think it’s such a positive thing for our community and I’m really excited for our kids.”

Labyer said there were so many people involved in helping get this bond passed, and everyone was dedicated.

“This was a group effort and no one person got this bond issue passed,” she said. “But Hal Pennington was the one who stepped up and made sure we all stayed on track and keeping us focused.

“Hal really helped us facilitate this process so we could see about moving Duncan forward. We have a lot of dedicated people.”

Text Only
Local News