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An expansion of the Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center is part of facility improvement plans.
Photo provided by Ozark R-6 School District
An expansion of the Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center is part of facility improvement plans.

Ozark schools move forward on $58M long-range plan

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The Ozark R-6 School District has the green light to work on an estimated $57.5 million long-range plan.

The proposal calls on facility improvements and new construction over the next decade, said district spokeswoman Amelia Wigton. The plans on were unanimously approved March 21 by the Ozark R-6 School District Board of Education, according to a news release issued April 5.

“We must look toward the future in order to serve our students today,” Ozark Superintendent Chris Bauman said in the release. “Planning doesn’t happen overnight, and we need to ensure our facilities and services are in place as soon as students need them.”

Phase I of the plan, at an estimated $25.5 million price tag, seeks to:
• purchase an existing commercial property and remodel it for a career and technical education center;
• expand the Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center; 
• remodel the Ozark Middle School and add a storm shelter; and
• remodel the district offices. 

Through the $32 million second phase, officials would construct a new $30 million elementary school and add a $2 million wing to the junior high school, according to the release.

To fund the improvements, officials say a bond issue is in the works, possibly as early as April 2020.

Nearby voters favored school districts in the most recent election.

On April 2, Springfield Public Schools received permission for its $168 million facility improvement plan via Proposition S, and Nixa Public Schools got the nod for a bond issue and levy increase for construction projects.

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