OKC Voters pass bond issue..

[metro]

OKC voters pass school funding measures

October 10, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – On Tuesday voters in the Oklahoma City Public School District approved a measure dubbed the “Yes for Kids Campaign” to continue school funding made possible by the MAPS for Kids program.

The school bond vote included four propositions, which will fund schools to the tune of $248.3 million to improve infrastructure in the district for the next six to seven years. MAPS for Kids originally passed in 2001. The measure will be funded by extending a tax increase put in place by MAPS for Kids in 2001 and will run for the next several years.

The individual propositions required 60 percent of the vote, not simply a majority to pass. With all 143 precincts reporting, all four measures passed by a wide margin.

Cliff Hudson, chairman of the Oklahoma City School Board, said the passage of the bond shows that Oklahoma City is a city on its way to continuing to invest in improving itself and its future.“

Oklahoma City Public Schools is thankful to its patrons and its supporters for this wonderful victory,” said Hudson, a 1973 graduate of Oklahoma City’s Northwest Classen High School. “It’s great for our children and it’s also great for our city.”Of the anticipated funding total, $212 million will be used for capital improvements for elementary school gymnasiums, 50 new classrooms and routine maintenance around the district. The technology portion will total $21.1 million and provide for networking to better track and evaluate students and update and add library materials.A portion will also go to transportation with $7.3 million to replace old school buses that are costly to maintain.The final proposition will provide $7.9 million for improved safety and security equipment throughout the district.

The issue was supported by the business community, including the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, which helped fund the push for the issue through its economic development program. Roy Williams, president and CEO of the local chamber, said passing the propositions was something Oklahoma City needed to do to benefit the schools and the community.“This is another sign that the voters agree that these are the priorities of the school district and they want to see them implemented,” Williams said. “What we have shown the taxpayers is that if they will invest and trust the people who are put in place to make those investments that their public dollars will be spent very wisely to the overall betterment of the community.”

John Q. Porter, superintendent of the Oklahoma City Public Schools, echoed the sentiment that the money will help enhance the schools and expand projects made possible by MAPS for Kids.“This means that we’re going to be able now to have funding to have a richer technology program,” Porter said. “In addition there’s money for new gymnasiums, there’s also money for safety and security; there’s also money in the budget just for infrastructure as well as transportation.”

Precincts 143 of 143 reporting

Proposition 1, passed Yes: 11,183 No: 3,038

Proposition 2, passed Yes: 11,082 No: 3,073

Proposition 3, passed Yes: 11,003 No: 3,121

Proposition 4, passed Yes: 11,080 No: 3,018


The Journal Record

[Pete]

On the same night Tulsa voters reject the huge river development plan.

OKC voters have far more faith in their leaders than their counterparts in Tulsa.

[Doug Loudenback]

On the same night Tulsa voters reject the huge river development plan.

OKC voters have far more faith in their leaders than their counterparts in Tulsa.

That seems so. Probably, before our gutsy former mayor, Ron Norick, got engaged and persuaded us to pass MAPS (and then Humphreys with the MAPS extension), we were the same way. When Andy Coats was mayor, a similar but piece-mealed bond election largely failed in OKC ... but the City did its part with MAPS and that fact, I think, and the great things that have happened because of it, is what changed the Okc citizens confidence level in city government. Maps for Kids would not likely have passed but for the success of MAPS, I think. Sure, there are points of disagreement, but, in the main, we've been blessed with good civic leadership ever since Mayor Norick and I expect that it will stay that way in the forseeable future.

There is such a difference in Oklahoma City's self-image before and after Mayor Ron Norick. This city and its future citizens owe a heck of a lot to him.

[Dark Jedi]

How much you want to bet all those people putting signs in the medians will fail to go clean up their litter now that it's over and passed?

I'd lay 100-1 odds they won't.

[Pete]

but the City did its part with MAPS and that fact, I think, and the great things that have happened because of it, is what changed the Okc citizens confidence level in city government.

No question about it.

Norick and others did a great job of selecting high-profile, high-impact projects and then brought them in on time and on budget.

I knew an already suspicious Tulsa voting base would have problems with future measures due to the cost overruns around their new arena.

And MAPS for Kids has done a good job of completing projects and reporting on progress.

Now, OKC is in the situation where any well thought out proposal is likely to get good support. I'm not sure where Tulsa goes from here.

[SouthsideSooner]

"The school bond vote included four propositions, which will fund schools to the tune of $248.3 million to improve infrastructure in the district for the next six to seven years. MAPS for Kids originally passed in 2001. The measure will be funded by extending a tax increase put in place by MAPS for Kids in 2001 and will run for the next several years."


Is this paragraph correct? Is this an extention of the Maps for kids sales tax? Does this push back Maps 3 for years?

[soonerguru]

Where is that one guy from Tulsa who always tells us how much better his city is?

Wow! Times have changed in OKC when voters approve school bonds with 78 percent of the vote!

[redland]

Where is that one guy from Tulsa who always tells us how much better his city is?

You are probably thinking of "Swakelander," who is totally blind to anything good about Oklahoma City (Psychology 101 would probably attribute this to jealousy, but I didn't say that!). He (she?) seems to have been lying low recently but I'm sure the attacks will resume.

[Slivermoon]

"The school bond vote included four propositions, which will fund schools to the tune of $248.3 million to improve infrastructure in the district for the next six to seven years. MAPS for Kids originally passed in 2001. The measure will be funded by extending a tax increase put in place by MAPS for Kids in 2001 and will run for the next several years."


Is this paragraph correct? Is this an extention of the Maps for kids sales tax? Does this push back Maps 3 for years?

That paragraph is technically correct, but your interpretation is not.

In November of 2001, the voters of OKCPS approved a bond issue, which at the time raised property taxes. That same day, the voters of OKC also approved a sales tax, which also increased taxes, because the "MAPS 1" tax had elapsed by that time (but it's only a temporary increase, as the sales tax ends at the end of 2008). However, both of those initiatives were branded together as "MAPS for Kids." When people refer to "MAPS for Kids," they're technically referring to both the bond issue and the sales tax that was approved on the same day in November of 2001. Both initiatives went to essentially the same purpose, except for the 30 percent of the sales tax which is going to the 23 other school districts in OKC.

The bond issue vote last night keeps the property taxes in the OKCPS at the same level as before (if it had failed, property taxes would have slowly gone down). But it had nothing to do with the sales tax, which ends at the end of 2008. And thus, it had nothing to do with a "MAPS 3."

I hope that helps clarify the issue.

[BoulderSooner]

thanks for the clarification silvermoon

[PUGalicious]

OKC voters have far more faith in their leaders than their counterparts in Tulsa.

With good reason. Tulsa's city leadership is a mess right now.