DAKOTA KAI RUNS DOWN SOME OF THE SCHOOL BOND ISSUES ON THE BALLOT. SEVERAL BONDS FROM ACROSS WESTERN NORTHWESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA ARE ON THE TABLE, AND SUPERINTENDENTS FROM AREAS LIKE THESE IN PIEDMONT TELLING US WHY THAT YOU SHOULD THINK THESE BONDS ARE IMPORTANT. WE NEED OUR PATRONS TO COME OUT AND VOTE, BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE VOTER APATHY, THAT’S THAT’S WHEN THINGS GET DICEY. DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE ARE ASKING FOR YOU TO VOTE ON TUESDAY. DISTRICTS LIKE SHAWNEE, COYLE, LUTHER, WOODWARD AND BUFFALO ARE ASKING FOR THOSE INCREASES ALONGSIDE PIEDMONT, WHERE THE SCHOOL BONDS WOULD BE FOR MORE THAN $100 MILLION. BUILDING SCHOOLS THEY SAID THEY NEED WITH THEIR GROWTH, RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE THE HUB OF THEIR COMMUNITY. THAT’S WHAT WE ARE. WE ARE THE CENTER OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND SO, UM, THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF OUR BOND ELECTION IN ENID A BOND REGARDING SAFETY, TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION IS ON THE BALLOT, WHILE SAFETY, LIKE NEW LOCKS, DOORS AND GATES ARE A TOP PRIORITY, THEIR SUPERINTENDENT TELLING ME THEY NEED UPDATED TECH LIKE COMPUTERS AND TABLETS FOR SCHOOL AND STATE TESTING AND THE PRICE OF SCHOOL BUSSES HAS GONE UP. STRETCHING THEIR BUDGET. BUT GETTING THAT MONEY FROM VOTERS ISN’T EASY. IT’S THAT I ALWAYS TRY TO REMIND PEOPLE OF IS IN OKLAHOMA IT SCHOOL BONDS ARE A SUPER MAJORITY, SO IT’S NOT JUST A SIMPLE MAJORITY OF 51%. IT HAS TO BE 60% OR MORE TO PASS. SO THAT’S WHY WE’RE MAKING A BIG CONCERTED EFFORT IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA. CLINTON WANTS TO UPDATE THEIR AGRICULTURE, FARMS, BARNS AND MORE NOT ONLY THAT, THEIR SUPERINTENDENT SAYS HE WANTS TO PREVENT SPENDING MORE IN THE FUTURE. ON MAINTENANCE ACROSS THE DISTRICT, SAYING THEY NEED TO ACT NOW. IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS IN OKLAHOMA, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN’T ALWAYS BEEN. UP WITH THE REST OF THE NATION IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, FUNDING FOR KIDS AND FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND SO I’M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT YOU KNOW, ANY INVESTMENT WE CAN MAKE IN KIDS, UH, AND ANY INVESTMENT WE CAN MAKE IN, IN OUR COMMUNITIES, REALLY, UM, IS IS A POSITIVE. NOW, ELECTION DAY FOR THESE BONDS IS TUESDAY, STARTING AT 7 A.M. U
Schools across the state seek voter’s bond approval
Districts are asking for increases for school bonds would be for more than $100 million.
Updated: 10:25 AM CDT Mar 30, 2024
Schools across the state will be asking for your help by voting next Tuesday.Several bonds across west, northwest and central Oklahoma are on the table. Download the KOCO 5 App“We need our patrons to vote because when we have voter apathy, that’s when things get dicey,” Piedmont Superintendent Dr. Drew Eichelberger said.Districts like Shawnee, Coyle, Luther, Woodward and Buffalo are asking for those increases alongside Piedmont, where the school bonds would be for more than $100 million.They said they need to build schools for their growth.”Rural school districts are the hub of their community, that’s what we are,” Eichelberger said. “We are the center of this community, so the vast majority of people are supportive of our bound election.”In Enid, a bind regarding safety, technology and transportation is on the ballot.While safety like new locks, doors and gates are a top priority, their superintendent said they need updated tech like computers and tablets for school and state testing. Also, the price of school buses has gone up, stretching their budget. But getting that money from voters isn’t easy. “In Oklahoma, school bonds are a supermajority. It’s not just a simple majority at 51% — it has to be 60% or more to pass, so that’s why we’re making a big conservative effort,” Enid Superintendent Dr. Dudley Darrow said.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.In western Oklahoma, Clinton wants to update their agriculture farms, barns and more.Not only that, their superintendent says he wants to prevent spending more in the future on maintenance across the district, saying they need to act now. “It’s one of those things in Oklahoma, we haven’t always been up with the rest of the nation in terms of funding for kids, schools,” Clinton Superintendent Tyler Bridges said. “I’m a firm believer that any we can make in kids and any investment we can make in our community is a positive.”Election day for these bonds and more is on Tuesday, starting at 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Top Headlines Friday’s March Madness Sweet 16 recap OCPD: Man calls 911 after shooting wife in head in parking lot Gov. Stitt vetoes bill allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe drugs
Schools across the state will be asking for your…
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