By Kyle Roberts
Saturday’s election went in favor for both Ruston School District No. 1 and Choudrant, passing the respective bond measures for upgrades at both schools.
The votes for the Choudrant proposal were 292 to 173, while Ruston’s was much closer at 1,161 to 1,001.
“For Choudrant first, I think we certainly appreciate people supporting adding classrooms, which will be huge for the elementary school and for the multi-purpose room for the high school to give more classroom space,” Lincoln Parish School Board superintendent Ricky Durrett said. “It’s a very important vote for tonight, especially with the school growing and the community growing.
“And for Ruston, I want to thank all of the people that worked hard to get the word out and get this passed. The winners tonight are the students of the Ruston school district that will reap the benefits of the security systems and the upgrades in athletics for the school. We really appreciate those that turned out and supported it. I just can’t be more excited for our students.”
Ruston principal Dan Gressett echoed Durrett’s statement about the vote being a win for the students.
“We always want to do what’s best for our kids,” Gressett said. “This benefits the majority of our students, and I’m glad to see it passed. It’s a good night for our kids.”
Gressett added that even with the passing of the proposal, there is not a timeline for any of the projects to begin.
For Choudrant principal Chris Jones, tonight was a testament of the community coming together to support the school.
“Tonight shows the support (the community) has for our students and the school,” Jones said. “Our community gets a lot of value out of the money they invest in the school. We’re very proud of it. We’re going to get a multi-purpose room out of it, which is going to help alleviate some stress in our classrooms. We’re really excited about it.”
Turnout for both measures was low with 12.5 percent turning out for the Choudrant vote and 11.4 percent voting for Ruston.
The Ruston District 1 proposal for capital improvement will include:
Ruston Junior High School ($1,820,000 total)
– Security Upgrades (Fencing & Gates): $1.3 million
– Additional Parking: $320,000
– Body Scan Machines: $200,00
Ruston High School ($14,780,000 total)
– New Roof: $1 million
– Entrance Upgrades for Security: $950,000
– Body Scan Machines: $300,000
– Parking Lot by Gym: $330,000
– Covered Pavilion: $5 million
– Softball Field Upgrades: $3.5 million
– Boys & Girls Basketball Renovations: $1.5 million
– Baseball Upgrades: $2.2 million
Transportation ($900,000 total)
– Activity buses: $900,000
Choudrant School District No. 6 will include:
Choudrant Elementary School
– Additional Classrooms with Boys and Girls Restrooms ($1.5 million)
Choudrant High School
– New Multi-Purpose Room ($500,000)
