Owasso superintendent trims bond proposal after public concern over cost; resident urges full-day PK alternatives

Superintendent Margaret Coates told the Owasso Public Schools Board of Education that staff will present a revised, lower-dollar bond proposition next month that is intended to meet students' needs without increasing local taxes.

Coates said the district has collected more than 16,767 points of engagement from meetings and surveys about the package and that the number-one concern was the total cost and worry about a tax increase. “We plan to present a revised proposition or proposal to the board for approval next month in June. That is a lower dollar amount that meets the needs of our students without increasing taxes for our local residents,” Coates said.

The revised package, Coates said, will focus on safety, academics, athletics and the arts including many projects proposed earlier this year. She also noted the district will continue outreach with parents, teachers, city officials and the chamber to clarify projects and gather feedback.

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, resident Doug Hall urged the district to provide the public with multiple, itemized bond propositions rather than a single all-or-nothing question. Hall said, based on his review of district materials and rough calculations, a districtwide fifth-grade center would cost an additional $10 million to $20 million to build and about $500,000 more per year to operate than expanding space at multiple elementary schools.

“Based on my numbers, which are the best I can do with limited information...the Fifth Grade Center costs an extra 10 to $20,000,000 to construct and on an ongoing annual operating basis, a half a million dollars extra to run compared to expanding at multiple elementary schools,” Hall told the board.

Hall recommended offering separate propositions for necessities, full-day pre‑kindergarten, a fifth-grade center or a districtwide “safe structures” approach, and other items so voters can approve specific elements. He also urged the district to publish detailed operating plans and annual operating costs for each alternative, and offered to assist staff with further analysis.

Coates and district staff did not adopt any new ballot language at the meeting; they said a revised proposition will be brought to the board in June. No vote on a bond proposition occurred at this meeting.

The discussion about the bond package occurred as part of the superintendent’s report; the public comment from Hall was heard during the public-comment period later in the meeting.