SPRINGFIELD -- Classrooms across the Springfield School District might be a little louder this school year. Taxpayers last year approved a bond issue to pay for updates to classrooms and buildings, and now those projects are well under way.

All of these projects have been in the planning stage but now they're actually in the breaking-ground phase. It's exciting and also distracting for the kids who have to learn inside a construction zone.

The groundbreaking for the expansion of Weaver Elementary was more a sigh of relief for Principal Janelle Andrus. Two years ago, the district closed nearby Fairbanks Elementary due to major structural problems and sent the kids to Weaver.

“It's been rather cramped but we're looking forward to more room,” said Andrus.

But, with the sounds of celebration also comes the sounds of construction.

“It will be difficult. We're staying in the same facility as building goes on and the children will have to put up with a lot of the construction,” said Andrus.

The kids at Weaver aren't alone. Kids at Wanda Gray Elementary will also deal with construction when the district breaks ground on a $5 million expansion on Tuesday afternoon. Over at Cherokee Middle School, the district has a $15 million renovation in progress.

“It was an elementary. Now they're going to tear some of it down and make it more of a middle school-type environment,” said Superintendent Norm Ridder.

Ridder says the district is on track after needing to re-bid several projects to stay on budget.

“The planning is pretty much done in most of the areas. It’s just going to roll out from here so we're on track,” he said.

In order to stay on track, crews will keep working through the school year. Andrus says that's okay.

“They're all so excited for the things that are coming that they handle it very well. I know, when they made the change from Fairbanks over to Weaver, they handled the change beautifully. I have no doubt they'll do the same this time,” she said.

The $96 million that the district is spending on these projects also includes air conditioning at several schools, and new science labs at Hillcrest, Kickapoo and Glendale.