Oklahoma City Public Schools is gearing up to ask voters to approve a massive bond package.
Superintendent Sean McDaniel told reporters in a Thursday news conference that the district hopes to ask for between $600 and $900 million in a bond measure that would ultimately need approval from voters in the fall.
“Bond elections are not just about building new buildings,” McDaniel said. “They are about that, but they're also about operating a school district.”
If approved by voters, the bond would pay for things like district building repairs, new buses, new technology and new textbooks. Without a price tag, it’s unclear how much property taxes could rise as a result.
But the need is great, McDaniel said. The average age of an OKCPS building is 72 and nine buildings are more than a century old.
The district will host two community forums and has opened up an online community survey in hopes of gathering feedback.
- 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
For more information, visit the OKCPS website.
OKCPS has had trouble passing bond measures in the past. The district has only passed two bond measures in the last 15 years. Further complicating bond measures is that state law requires 60 percent of voters to approve a measure rather than a simple majority for it to pass.
