by Gunnar Davis

On Feb. 2, the PCM community held a vote for the General Obligation Bond. The vote was for the use of a property tax to fund $10 million of an approximate $20 million facility project. The rest will be funded with a combination of sales tax bonds and cash on hand. But what new things are we getting?
For the high school, the money would go toward getting rid of the two-classroom portable and adding on classrooms to the end of the school by the art room. Then, the front entryway will be made safer and more secure. Also, air conditioning will be added to the entire school. The music room will get a touch up as well, as the stage in the lunchroom will be taken out, making more space for the music room.
As far as outside the high school, the parking lot will be expanded out to where the old baseball field sat, and sprinklers will be added throughout the property to keep the grass fresh and green.
So why the updates? Director of Operations Jeff Shannon says it’s mainly a matter of safety.
“We have 270 students, approximately, that go from the school to the portable every day,” Shannon said. “This would give us a chance to lock the doors and keep the building safer and more secure. Especially with adding a different entryway so we could funnel everybody through the office.”
Shannon and District Business Manager Tami Thomas say that students can expect these updates to be completed by the late fall of 2018.
“There already has been some projects that are taking shape,” Shannon said. “We are in the design phase right now for the air conditioning in Monroe Elementary, and we’re working on finishing up the timeline so we can really stay on task.”
Shannon and Thomas say there is a lot to be excited about for the future of PCM, and that there are a lot of good things happening in the community.
“I think that the support that the whole district got, having such a large turnout at the polls, shows that right now that there is a lot of good things going on in the school district,” Shannon said. “People are excited, and this is a very good time for the school and the communities.”