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Voters approve Wyoming Public Schools' $79.5 million bond proposal

In Tuesday's general election, voters in Wyoming approved a $79.5 million school improvement bond. Wyoming Public School District officials had argued before Tuesday’s vote that its schools were in desperate need of renovation. Now, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reeder says, thanks to the voters, the bond will completely overhaul the district and bring it into the 21st. Century.

“This is huge in the sense that it will remodel and update every facility inside and out within our whole district," Reeder said. "So this is not a small scale project this totally revamps and brings all of our buildings up to codes up to everything that we can imagine.”

$40 million of that bond will be used to update Wyoming’s High School, including a new two story addition that includes 30 new classrooms. Superintendent Reeder says providing students in the area access to top notch facilities not increases a student’s chances of success, but it also increases the property value of the surrounding homes.

“If you’re taking the most challenged kids or a group of very challenging kids and you are giving them sub-standard materials and things to work with and asking them to compete academically and beyond, its going to be very hard," Reeder said. "This will help level that playing field and give them that facility that’s safe, that’s reasonable, and for the community, allows us to upgrade our facilities so that we can keep our schools viable, as we would want all schools to be, which keeps your property values stable.”  

Previously, voters in Wyoming rejected two similar proposals in 2013. While those required millage increases, the school improvement bond doesn’t raise the current tax rate--which Reeder says may have made the difference in voters’ minds this time around. 

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