Voters in the Meridian Public School District on Tuesday approved a $34 million bond for improvements throughout the district.

The vote was 1152 in favor of the bond and 540 opposed, according to the city clerk’s office.

Eight percent, or 1696 of the 21,101 registered voters in the district voted in the election.

Election results will be certified next week, according to the city clerk’s office. 

“The Meridian Public School District is so thankful to our community for helping us positively impact our students and their future,” MPSD Superintendent Amy Carter said after the special election. “The passing of the bond will allow us to make upgrades across the district in many key areas and allow us to continue to provide safe modern learning environments for our students.”

The bond will finance: 

– Additions and renovations to all schools, including improvements for safety and security.

– Upgrades to elementary schools’ learning spaces, labs, playgrounds, and auditoriums.

– Additions and renovations to the middle schools to improve dining areas, media centers, controlled administrative entries, fine arts areas, and ceiling repair and lights.

– Additions and renovations to Meridian High School, specifically the fine arts program and the Ross Collins building, as necessary.

– A new baseball/softball complex and related facilities on the high school campus.

Clay Sims, the district’s director of operations, said next steps include developing a  detailed timeline, identifying the projects that will start first, and meeting with architects to begin the implementation of those designs.

Minor projects could begin immediately and be done within a year, Carter said. Larger projects, such as the ballfields, could be finished by the end of 2024.