Bond Paying Off As Muskogee High School Expands

Muskogee High School is expanding with several building projects thanks to a recently passed bond issue for the construction. One building, opening up this school year, focuses on job training.

The first building being built after voters passed a bond issue a year ago is a new vocational tech building. The school administration said it’s very important because of the high demand for job ready skills.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our community and for our kids,” said Wayne Johnson with Muskogee Public Schools.

It’s the new home for all the classes that deal with trades; electrical, plumbing and mechanical. School administrators said up to 500 students take part in the program.

The old classrooms were crammed, and the new building will allow for more space to safely teach the classes.

Johnson said the layout of the new building will also benefit students and instructors.

"They go from classroom area here, to a door that goes right through to the shop area where they're cutting it to the exterior where they're building it,” he said.

Johnson said local industries need more high school graduates to be ready to work with skills in hand. The new facility will help the district fill a need in the community.

"I believe it was the driving force by the community and the business leaders in our community saying we've got to have work-ready skills in our community,” said Johnson. “There's so many students, they know that college is not the direction they want to go, but they do know they want to enter the workforce."

Students could start taking classes in the vocational tech as early as September 1st.