By Bailey Coyle, FOX23.com News Staff
JENKS, Okla. — A petition to save the Jenks Planetarium is gaining momentum after the district announced plans to close the facility at the end of the school year.
Jenks resident Paige Guymon says the effort started close to home — inspired by her son after attending a recent school board meeting.
“We attended the school board meeting last Monday as a family… and we left there just feeling so discouraged and upset with their answers,” Guymon said. “My son — he’s a junior at Jenks High School — he says, ‘Mom, we should start a petition.’ So it was actually my son who was the inspiration behind it.”
Since launching the petition less than a week ago, Guymon says community response has been overwhelming. As of now, the petition has gathered more than 1,300 signatures, along with hundreds of comments from residents sharing personal stories.
“It’s been amazing to read all the comments that people have left,” Guymon said. “It’s just so much more than a planetarium to so many people. I think it’s a symbol to the community that Jenks cares about education and the sciences.”
Many of those signing the petition describe the planetarium as a point of pride in the district and a tool that helped students better understand science and astronomy.
“I’ve heard from countless people who credit the planetarium to being able to grasp the concepts of science and astronomy,” Guymon said. “It’s what sets us apart as a community and as a school.”
Jenks Public Schools previously announced the closure citing the high cost of maintaining and upgrading the facility, with technology upgrades expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over time.
However, Guymon believes there are still options worth exploring before shutting it down.
“I watched a show at the planetarium two weeks ago, and I know the equipment is working just fine,” she said. “I propose that they keep it open for a year using the current equipment and spend that year trying to seek grants and funding. We as a community want the chance to save the planetarium.”
She says many residents were surprised by the closure announcement and unaware of the financial challenges facing the facility.
“Everybody was shocked with the announcement of the closure,” Guymon said. “I don’t even think anybody realized that there were funding issues.”
Guymon also says some in the community have expressed concern about how the space might be used in the future if the planetarium closes. She hopes the facility continues to serve educational purposes.
“That’s what the bond was passed for — education, for math and science,” she said. “So I think using it for anything other than that is not what taxpayers voted for.”
Despite frustration over the decision, Guymon says community support has been encouraging.
“It’s been bittersweet… seeing everybody’s memories they have on the planetarium and their love for it,” she said. “But it’s also been disappointing how the board has reacted to our comments.”
Guymon hopes to present the petition and its signatures directly to school board members in the near future.
“I’d like to print it out so they can see every name that’s on it and read every comment,” she said. “So they can see what an impact this closure will have in our community.”
Jenks Public schools said in a statement:
“While the Planetarium will no longer be open to the public for community shows, JPS is committed to using the space as an instructional tool in the most responsible way possible. District leaders will work closely with teachers and staff to evaluate the existing infrastructure and equipment to find cost-effective ways to use the space to enhance the curriculum across multiple subject areas. The Planetarium dome is not going away, and the ceiling will remain intact. If an affordable, sustainable projector can still be used to display earth and space subject matter, those possibilities will be examined in the months ahead.”
The Jenks Planetarium is scheduled to remain open through the end of the school year.
Residents who want to sign the petition can find it here.
