Norman Public Schools broke ground Wednesday morning on the new Oklahoma Aviation Academy building.
According to Terry Adams, director for the Oklahoma Aviation Academy, the new building will be able to hold up to 700 students, and the academy currently employs 10 teachers and has 240 students.
The Oklahoma Aviation Academy was established in 2022 in partnership with OU, Moore Norman Technology Center and other private and public partners. The academy provides a curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math; hands-on experience; and industry connections in the aviation and aerospace industries.
“For every 25-30 kids you had, you probably have one teacher, kind of a good ratio,” Adams said. “(The number of teachers) depends on programming and kind of what we need.”
Gary Armbruster, principal architect and partner at MA+ Architecture, presented floor plans for the new facility at the October NPS Board of Education meeting. The 120,000 square foot facility will hold classrooms, administrative offices, a cafeteria and multipurpose space.
Armbruster said the multipurpose space will be built to the scale of the Max Westheimer Airport runway for students to to walk and visualize how planes turn.
Adams said the building should be completed in 16-20 months and is slated to end construction in spring or summer 2026. The academy will be located at Max Westheimer Airport.
According to Adams, the project will cost about $50 million with around $30 million coming from a 2023 publicly approved bond that awarded nearly $354 million to NPS, and $20 million through American Resource Plan Act money.
The American Resource Plan Act is a federal program that provides relief to communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The act provided $362 billion in financial assistance to state, local, tribal and territorial governments.
Adams said he is thankful for the Norman community, Oklahoma Aviation Academy partners at Moore Norman Technology Center and the partnership with OU.
“I just think how much we appreciate the partnership with the University of Oklahoma. They’re very supportive of our project, and they’ve been very supportive of our students,” Adams said. “And then, of course, our partners at Norman Technology Center and the community of Norman has supported this, supports Norman Public Schools in general, and has been very supportive of this project.”
This story was edited by Ismael Lele, Ana Barboza and Anusha Fathepure. Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
