School Bond Issues Pass

by Curtis D. Tucker
Updated: 02/09/16
-

Enid Public School Bond Issue - February 9, 2016

-

Both Bond Proposals Passed by Over 65% – RESULTS

-

What do Enid's peer districts spend on their facilities?

-
Jenks High School has the highest spending level for their district at $2,110 sinking fund/student. There are five peer districts larger than Enid and five that are smaller. When ranked in order of spending all 10 rank higher than Enid including Stillwater, Ponca City and Muskogee. Enid currently has a spending level of $773 sinking fund/student. If the current bond issue were to pass it would only move Enid up to the ninth spot ahead of Sand Springs and Muskogee at a level of $986 sinking fund/student.
-

Enid School Board Calls For An Election On "Critical Needs" Bond Issue

-
With a packed house and overwhelming support, the Enid Public School Board on Monday called for a February 9 election to decide the fate of a 2016 school bond proposal. The current proposal is a scaled back version that was developed through a strategic planning process that included more than 1,000 points of feedback from the community.
-
The smaller and focused more critical needs include:

1. Classroom additions as several sites - Adams, Garfield, Longfellow, Taft, Waller and Enid High - to support student enrollment growth.
2. District-wide safety upgrades including secure vestibules, parking lot lighting, cameras and visitor management systems.
3. District-wide technology, including 1:1 student access to digital devices, which will help support electronic textbooks.
4. Transportation to replace aging buses in order to provide safer, reliable and ADA-accessible student transportation.
5. Playground upgrades for all elementary schools.
6. Expansion project at EHS, where enrollment is expected to grow by 800 students in the next nine years, to include a gym and fine arts center and provide additional classroom space.
   -

Did You Know?

• EPS has grown by 25% since 2003 - an increase of more than 1,600 students
• EPS is expected to grow by another 1,500 students by the year 2023
• Multiple schools will be over capacity by 2019 as a result of growth
• After listening to community feedback, EPS reduced athletics in the package by 35% and invested more in classrooms for instruction
  -

The Facts

-
Total cost of this bond issue is $92,795,000. The bond includes $13.9 million for new classroom space; $9.8 million for a new fine arts center, also allowing for more classroom space; $6 million for district-wide technology updates; $2.6 million for transportation; $13.7 million for a new high school gymnasium to meet daily needs of student athletes; $880,000 in playground equipment and improvements; and $1.8 million to improve safety and security. The bond issue will provide $55.9 million for improvements as outlined, and the total cost with finance interest charges is $92.8 million.
-
The increase varies slightly each year of the bond. The overall increase is 6.14 mills. One mill equals one dollar per $1,000 of assessed property value. For example, if your home is valued at $100,000 in 2017, the first year of the bond, you would pay $71.88 more that year, or $5.99 more a month in property taxes.
-
State law prohibits bond funds from being used for employee salaries and/or regular operating expenses.
-
Under Oklahoma law, school districts are required to issue a ballot question to the voters to approve the issuance of new bonds. Under law, bonds can be used for transportation, textbooks, technology equipment, building new facilities or repairing existing facilities. For transportation and technology uses of bonds, the bonds cannot exceed ten percent of the district's total taxable valuation of property.
-
A 3/5 majority is required in order to pass a school bond election in Oklahoma.
-

Friends of Enid Public Schools

-
A group formed to support the proposal praised school leaders for "listening and uniting the community" behind the plan. "This election is called after nearly a year of seeking community input," said Jimmy Stallings, the co-chairman of the Friends of Enid Public Schools.
-
While the package also will build a new high school gymnasium, school leaders eliminated a proposed indoor athletic facility from consideration. "I think the community was clear and decisive that any proposal should not include the indoor practice facility, but be more focused on instruction, technology, transportation, classrooms, maintenance and security, and the proposal now reflects that," Stallings said.
-
Chad Dillingham, also co-chairman of Friends of Enid Public Schools, said, "This proposal reflects the most open and transparent process in the history of our schools. Leaders have listened and community input dictated the final plan."
-
In addition to more classrooms, a new Fine Arts facility will mean students can be introduced to more music and fine arts education with a facility to support band, chorus, dance, speech and drama, nut that also will allow for repurposed space for the expanding student population.
-
"A new gymnasium will meet daily needs of student athletes," said Brent Price, an EHS graduate and former NBA player. "Without such a facility, student athletes are seriously limited in their opportunity to practice, to be successful and competitive with other schools around the state." The gymnasium will include facilities for wrestling, cheer, volleyball, basketball, school assemblies and other activities.
-