Last Updated on August 16, 2022, 8:34 AM | Published: August 15, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education turned in a unanimous vote Monday to hold an election for a bond issue that will pay for a broad range of new buildings and improvements to existing buildings. Only one board member was missing from the vote, Adrian Anderson.
This comes after the district formed a Bond Oversight and Planning Committee (BOPC) that has been collecting ideas from school site staff, parents, and community members in a district-wide process since September 2021.
Next up is the campaign to convince the voting public living in the district of the importance of the projects.
Bonds are how public schools borrow money. Bonds are purchased by investors and are paid back with interest by the taxpayers in the school district through tax levies on real estate property they own.
The bond will pay for a multitude of projects that cover these general areas:
- Transformational projects that would represent large changes in the district’s facilities, like a regional stadium
- Key capital improvement projects for each of the existing schools like playgrounds
- Yearly capital purchases like band instruments and busses
Board President Paula Lewis praised Superintendent Sean McDaniel for leading a complex process of putting together so many details.
“From a board perspective, our priorities are the things that should happen first where the kids need it the most, where our buildings need it the most,” said Lewis.
“So, as a mom and a community member, that’s what I expect to see as a board member,” Lewis continued. “I know that they have done the work ahead of time, so that all the priorities are going to be exactly in line with where they need to be.”
“From a detail standpoint, one of the next things we’ll do as a staff with many of our partners is get together and talk about the scope and sequence of projects,” said McDaniel to the gathered press. “But, generally, when you think about a new school, when you think about a significant addition to a school and existing campus, those are the things that will line up first, as far as major projects.”
Historic bond proposal
During the press availability afterward, Free Press asked if this was the biggest bond package not just in terms of dollars but in terms of its scope.
“It is the biggest ever for this district,” said McDaniel. “And, again, what we like to be able to tell our community is that one of the most exciting parts is that everybody, every school in the district, will benefit from this election.”
McDaniel also surmised that if it’s not the biggest bond proposal in state history, “but it’s up there, if not the biggest bond election.”
Surprise ‘yes’ vote
Board member Gloria Torres voted for the bond after having held out for a completely new high school to be established on the south side of the district. That part of the district is where packed school buildings have been the routine for decades.
The BOPC plans do not call for a new high school there. Citing demographic studies, district officials believe that the explosion of children seen on the south side in past decades will not continue into the future and the current, three established neighborhood high schools and feeder patterns into them will handle the student population. They cite the new high school building for Capitol Hill High School as being a factor in handling the southside numbers into the future.
Torres disagreed in the past but chose to vote for the proposition Monday. We asked her why the vote in favor.
“We are making sure that we take care of all of our kids and ensuring public education in Oklahoma City continues to make the turn for the best.,” Torres told Free Press after adjournment. (See Torres’ full statement as read into the record at the bottom.)
The P2G plan implemented in 2019 relieved some pressure on the three high schools by zoning some students on the south side into Northwest Classen High School at N.W. 30th and May. But, the pressure is now being felt there, too.
Emerson South Mid-High School is located on the south side and is often listed as one of the southside high schools. But, it is an uninformed or perhaps cynical argument to include that school in the southside count.
Emerson is an alternative program that is designed to stay small to effectively meet the needs of students from throughout the metro who need that program. Its mere presence on the south side will do little to relieve the numbers pressure on the other three neighborhood high schools there.
‘Can’t fix everthing’
Meg McElhaney, the other Board member representing the south side, told Free Press that there is a broad range of views represented on the south side even among Capitol Hill alumni, some of whom were initially distressed that the historic old building would be replaced by the new one. “It really varies almost by graduating class what the view is of the new plans,” McElhaney told Free Pres after adjournment.
“What’s good for us to remember is this bond cannot fix everything. No bond can,” continued McElhaney. “This is a historic investment in our community. If it does pass, it will be transformational, specifically across the south side of the river with a brand-new state-of-the-art high school [building] at Capitol Hill, middle school and elementary expansion of classrooms and facilities at every school on the south side as well.”
“Transformational” projects
Major building projects or changes to current buildings are items in the bond proposal that are called “transformational projects.”
By feeder pattern, here they are:
Capitol Hill High School Feeder Pattern
- New Capitol Hill High School
- New Middle School – Combining Capitol Hill & Wheeler
Douglass High School Feeder Pattern
- Douglass High School Flexible Space Addition
- FD Moon Middle School Gym & Locker Room Renovation
John Marshall Enterprise High School Feeder Pattern
- John Marshall Enterprise Middle School Multi-Building Renovation
- John Marshall Enterprise High School Flexible Space Addition
- Regional Stadium Addition
NW Classen High School Feeder Pattern
- New Middle School – Combing Taft & Taft-Linwood (5th – 8th)
- NW Classen High School Flexible Space Addition
Star Spencer High School Feeder Pattern
- Star Spencer High School Gymnasium Addition
- Star Spencer High School Flexible Space Addition
- Star Spencer High School Entrance & Administration Remodel
US Grant High School Feeder Pattern
- US Grant High School Flexible Space Addition
- US Grant High School Cafeteria Expansion & Outdoor Eating Area
- Jefferson Middle School Competitive Gym Addition
Application Schools
- New Belle Isle Enterprise High School (9th – 12th)
- Classen SAS Middle School Auditorium Renovation
- Southeast High School Auditorium Renovation
- Southeast High School Aviation Program Space Renovation
District Administration will work with each school and school community to establish programming for their flexible learning space. Below are examples of possible programming options.
- College and Career
- Vo-Ag (FFA & 4H)
- Aerospace / Aviation
- Trades – Workforce Development
- Mechanics
- Film Production & Studio Arts
- eSports
- STEAM / Innovation Space
- Visual & Performing Arts
The specifics
Here are the specific projects and their stated budget as passed by the Board Monday:
OKCPS-Resolution-Authorizing-ElectionStatement from southside Board Member Gloria Torres
Gloria-Torres-Bond-Comments-Aug-15-2022-v2
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
