OKC Public Schools proposed $955 million bond vote

[Laramie]

Highlights proposed in the 2022 bond: Sources: Oklahoma City Public Schools Tentative Bond Election Process Timeline, Oklahoman, August 13, 2022

Two propositions:

First proposition, $936 million, would build five new schools, a new regional stadium, flexible space additions at five high schools and classroom expansions. It would spend millions on technology devices, furniture and renovations for all district schools.

Second proposition would allocate $19 million to new school buses and vehicles.

Replace:

Capitol Hill High School $116,144,000.
Belle Isle Enterprise High School $76,160,000.
Taft Middle School $57,792,000
Consolidate Capitol Hill Middle School & Wheeler Middle School $58,680,000.
Adelaide Lee Elementary & Shidler Elementary $29,334,000.

Some schools – like Adelaide Lee, Taft and Capitol Hill – have a large enough campus footprint that their replacement could be built on the same property, McDaniel said.

Oklahoma City school district would spend $15,344,000 to place a regional stadium on the far end of northwest Oklahoma City at John Marshall Enterprise High School.

Five district high schools – Frederick A. Douglass, John Marshall, Northwest Classen, Star Spencer Mid-High and U.S. Grant – would gain 20,000-squarefoot flexible spaces and athletic facility improvements.

The bond would dedicate $20.6 million for additional classrooms at Britton, Kaiser, Nichols Hills and Quail Creek elementary schools and at Jefferson, Southeast and Webster middle schools.

Note: The Oklahoma City school district has the lowest bond levy of Oklahoma’s 10 biggest school districts, despite having the second most students.

Community meetings: Sessions will begin at 5:45pm and Spanish interpretation will be available.

May 2 at Southeast High School, 5401 S Shields Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73129
May 3 at Douglass High School, 900 N Martin Luther King Ave, OKC, 73117

Survey: We’re also launching a short bond survey which will be open until midnight on Sunday, May 15. It will be available in English and Spanish, and we hope everyone will take a moment to share your thoughts with us. Your feedback will be critical as we finalize the pieces of our bond package.

Full link Oklahoma City Public Schools: https://www.okcps.org/domain/2014

Full link: Oklahoman, august 13, 2022 https://oklahoman-ok.newsmemory.com/...UU9q836SB6ubCU

Target Bond Election: November 2022

If anything has been omitted or need corrections please add to this thread.

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[Laramie]

Glad to see the investments that our city has made thru 2017, $967 million GO Bonds and MAPS 4's $978 million; this $955 million school bond vote if passed in November '22 will address all of the major infrastructure throughout our city. You'll see major construction projects into 2025.

These are the types of investments that increase a city population (OKC has room) and attract more firms and businesses to chose Oklahoma City and retain those we have educated here at home.

[scottk]

This is a bond, which is funded through property taxes for property located within Oklahoma City Public Schools District correct?

For those that live in Oklahoma City Limits, but in another school district (Moore, Deer Creek, Yukon, Edmond, etc) you wouldn't get to vote on the bond, and it wouldn't impact your property taxes?

[Laramie]

This is a bond, which is funded through property taxes for property located within Oklahoma City Public Schools District correct?

For those that live in Oklahoma City Limits, but in another school district (Moore, Deer Creek, Yukon, Edmond, etc) you wouldn't get to vote on the bond, and it wouldn't impact your property taxes?

That's correct.

[okccowan]

Why would we want to tear down Taft? That is a beautiful historic building.

[SouthSide]

I'm not convinced this is going to resolve the overcrowding issue in south okc which should be a priority. The overcrowding has gone on so long because they refused to account for the growth south of the river in Maps for Kids.

[Laramie]

The growth in south area schools in Oklahoma City reflects a similar pattern with the Oklahoma City Archdioceses growth of south side churches where the largest Catholic Church in Oklahoma is under construction.

This is what I see the district addressing with new schools:

Capitol Hill High School $116,144,000.
Belle Isle Enterprise High School $76,160,000.
Taft Middle School $57,792,000 (Built in 1930)
Consolidate Capitol Hill Middle School & Wheeler Middle School $58,680,000.
Adelaide Lee Elementary & Shidler Elementary $29,334,000.

Overcrowding is the District's top priority...

Children are not going to learn in buildings that are inadequate, out of date to accommodate the student learners. Prior to MAPS for Kids 2001, only a handful of schools had air-conditioning. This is how long we have neglected those physical plants.

True, Taft Middle School, like Taft Stadium (Built 1934) is historic and beautiful. Get involved, mark you calendars and get to those meetings where your questions and concerns can be addressed.

I know for a fact the District spends a ton on 'energy' to keep these building operating & functional. Inquire and see what the concerns are with Taft Middle School.

[Laramie]

Attended Douglass High School, recall MAPS for Kids and some of the concerns people had when they built the new Douglass High School. Our football stadium at the time was the former Grand Stands when the State Fair of Oklahoma was held on that site. The Vocational Building and Print Shop were leftovers from the fairgrounds as was Douglass Center (recreational), part of Oklahoma City Parks system.

Now we have a beautiful high school and stadium on that site.

[Plutonic Panda]

It’d be nice to see electric school busses

[SouthSide]

Unless Belle Isle Enterprise High School is going to have an attendance area that extends to both sides of the river I'm not sure the overcrowding will be relieved. Some schools have had portables for years.

[corwin1968]

Why would we want to tear down Taft? That is a beautiful historic building.

OKCPS has many buildings that should be replaced, regardless of their age or beauty.

There is no amount of renovation that could adequately modernize these buildings and sending kids to them for school is an insult to the kids.

[mugofbeer]

Taft felt like going to prison everyday.

Seems that new regional stadium could be worked in with the new soccer stadium.

[Plutonic Panda]

Where is Belle Isle Enterprise Highschool? I’m only seeing a middle school.

[corwin1968]

Where is Belle Isle Enterprise Highschool? I’m only seeing a middle school.

Probably got changed during the district's restructuring a few years ago. It seems like the number of middle schools doubled when they combined 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th into "middle school". It makes more sense to dedicate half of those buildings to 5th & 6th grade centers and the other half to 7th & 8th middle schools.

[Edmond Hausfrau]

Probably got changed during the district's restructuring a few years ago. It seems like the number of middle schools doubled when they combined 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th into "middle school". It makes more sense to dedicate half of those buildings to 5th & 6th grade centers and the other half to 7th & 8th middle schools.

The 7th and 8th grade school is on Villa, and there's no way you could fit a high school (9-12) on that property. Back in the 80s it was a special ed school before the kids were mainstreamed. It's tiny.

[Laramie]

The Belle Isle School back in the 80s was an open classroom layout with a concourse hall/all purpose room--school lunches were served. Do recall when the Special Education services were moved there from Carver in Sandtown.

Served on the committee that helped Odessa Wycoff (Vocational Business & Office Education, Director) for I-89 transitioning with the newly formed V-22 District that later moved the school operations to the current Springlake Metro-Tech campus where the former amusement park use to be.

There were preliminary plans as far back as the 80s concerning plans to expand the campus at 5904 North Villa. Some nearby homes were targeted for the expansion plans.

[BoulderSooner]

Oklahoma City school district would spend $15,344,000 to place a regional stadium on the far end of northwest Oklahoma City at John Marshall Enterprise High School.

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this is funny only because OKC goes 5 miles further north ... and 11 miles further west then this location ... so not quite the "far end"

[shawnw]

Do we know if the timing is typical/expected (e.g. is this on a schedule like the GO bonds are), or did the school district jump on getting this on a ballot because they know over the next decade there will be a billion asked for by GO Bond 2027, a billion asked for to build an arena, possibly a billion asked for separately for MAPS 5, And there's still an RTA vote to happen at some point?

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Public Schools bond vote election will be held Tuesday, November 8, 2022.



It will need 60% of the vote to pass.

[Teo9969]

Do we know if the timing is typical/expected (e.g. is this on a schedule like the GO bonds are), or did the school district jump on getting this on a ballot because they know over the next decade there will be a billion asked for by GO Bond 2027, a billion asked for to build an arena, possibly a billion asked for separately for MAPS 5, And there's still an RTA vote to happen at some point?

This process started in 2021.

[scottk]

KOSU ran a story today about the bond issue.

As with any bond in Oklahoma, it needs 60 percent approval to past.

This is the first ask by OKC Public Schools to increase property taxes since 2000.

If I understand correctly, they said residents inside OKC Public School District would see an average of an $8 increase in property taxes for each $1000 assessed. Meaning if you live in a $200,000 home in OKC Schools, your property taxes would increase by $1600 annually, or roughly $133 a month. That seems high, but I may have misunderstood how the story broke down what the average increase would be.

[chssooner]

KOSU ran a story today about the bond issue.

As with any bond in Oklahoma, it needs 60 percent approval to past.

This is the first ask by OKC Public Schools to increase property taxes since 2000.

If I understand correctly, they said residents inside OKC Public School District would see an average of an $8 increase in property taxes for each $1000 assessed. Meaning if you live in a $200,000 home in OKC Schools, your property taxes would increase by $1600 annually, or roughly $133 a month. That seems high, but I may have misunderstood how the story broke down what the average increase would be.

If it is that high, then I can see it being a close call.

[DowntownMan]

KOSU ran a story today about the bond issue.

As with any bond in Oklahoma, it needs 60 percent approval to past.

This is the first ask by OKC Public Schools to increase property taxes since 2000.

If I understand correctly, they said residents inside OKC Public School District would see an average of an $8 increase in property taxes for each $1000 assessed. Meaning if you live in a $200,000 home in OKC Schools, your property taxes would increase by $1600 annually, or roughly $133 a month. That seems high, but I may have misunderstood how the story broke down what the average increase would be.

this is incorrect.
It will be an about $80 per 100,000 in value.

A 200,000 home would see a $160 increase.

Please don't scare people away with those high numbers! here’s a quick summary on how how it works. Your Tax is Taxable Value x 11% then mill rate of say $115 for example per thousand. So a 200,000 home would come to 22,000 in Tax Value, meaning 22 thousands times the mill rate = a tax bill of $2530 (using my example of mill rate of $115 which is close to what OKC is)
It's just about a 6-7% increase on average for most OKC district residents. This still will have OKC areas cheaper than most suburbs taxes

[Zorba]

KOSU ran a story today about the bond issue.

As with any bond in Oklahoma, it needs 60 percent approval to past.

This is the first ask by OKC Public Schools to increase property taxes since 2000.

If I understand correctly, they said residents inside OKC Public School District would see an average of an $8 increase in property taxes for each $1000 assessed. Meaning if you live in a $200,000 home in OKC Schools, your property taxes would increase by $1600 annually, or roughly $133 a month. That seems high, but I may have misunderstood how the story broke down what the average increase would be.

8 mils is a big increase. Remember, though, the "assessed" value for taxes is not actually the value of the home in Oklahoma. On my house the net assessed value is 9.6% of the "market value." The better way to look at it is as an increase in the millage rate. My millage rate in Edmond is 105, so an increase of 8 would be a 7.6% increase.

[Laramie]

I remember seeing an actual mill, which is 1/10 of a penny. Mother has some of these in her jewelry box, they were so strange looking--round like a coin with a hold in the middle.

Unfortunately for us, our home was broken into in 1980 and those coins were stolen. My mom had over 20 silver dollars with several dating back to the 1800s. Don't have any idea if the thieves knew what they stole.