Voters in Green Country head to the polls Tuesday to vote on school bond issues

TULSA, Okla. — On Tuesday, Green Country voters will head to the polls to decide on school board primaries and a number of school bond issues.

School districts in Oklahoma rely on the bond proposals for building upgrades as well as new construction.

While school bond issues typically draw only 6-to-8% voter turnout in Rogers County, and 4-to-7% voter turnout in Tulsa County, election officials told FOX23 that they have a significant impact on schools and on your local property taxes.

Skiatook Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Missy Bush explained that about 30% the district’s $14.2 million bond proposal would pay for a new gymnasium for their elementary and serve as a storm shelter large enough for grades 2 through 8.

“This will allow us to have a gymnasium for our students, but it will also serve as a storm shelter,” she noted. “We really depend on this bond money to be able to build gyms, to be able to finish out our stage auditorium, to be able to buy technology, to be able to even put asphalt down on a parking lot.”

She said money from the general fund is used to pay for things like teacher salaries.

The district’s proposal which is broken into two parts, includes $730,000 for new transportation. Registered voters who live within the school district’s boundaries can vote in Tuesday’s election.

Dr. Bush said the 10 year bond proposal will not increase taxes.

Jenks Public Schools is asking voters to approve two separate bond proposals totaling $17.2 million.

Union Public Schools has two bond issues totaling $152 million.

With so much at stake, Tulsa County Board of Elections Secretary Gwen freeman said she wishes more voters would participate:

“I’d love to be able to see that voter turnout increase for things that really really are important , things that affect your life; things that affect you know the amount of money you pay in taxes, things that affect the education of your children,” Freeman said.

Three school districts in Rogers County are asking voters to approve school bond issues.

The largest ask is an 18.7 million bond package that would allow Sequoyah Public Schools to build a new elementary school to replace a school building that dates back to the 1970′s.

If approved by voters, the bond package would not involve a tax increase.

Catoosa Public Schools is asking voters to approve an additional $9 million bond proposal in hopes of building its new elementary school without having to forego 14 classrooms due to cost overruns. That proposal involves a 5.52 percent increase in property taxes.

Julie Dermody, the Secretary of the Rogers County Election Board said that even if voters don’t have school age kids, these elections can impact them:

“I think that people just don’t know, and they think well I don’t have a kid in school, well how is it going to affect me? Well it does affect you because it’s going to affect your property taxes.”

The Inola School System also has a $2.5 million proposal package. In the state of Oklahoma, a school bond must have 60% approval to pass.

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