BARTLESVILLE — A $36.7 million school bond issue on Tuesday received overwhelming support from Bartlesville voters who approved the district’s plan to construct a new ninth grade center, upgrade middle schools and improve security in all buildings.
Voters approved the proposal with 4,437 yes votes and 1,379 no votes.
The “yes” campaign received 76.3 percent of the vote, bringing cheers from school officials, parents and students who had campaigned door-to-door, given presentations, sported T-shirts and made phone calls.
“This is a great moment,” Interim Superintendent Chuck McCauley said at a watch party. “This is a great day for our students, for our staff, for the community of Bartlesville.”
The largest amount of funding — $20.6 million — goes to Bartlesville High School, where the district will build a new freshman academy, as well as add more classrooms and a new cafeteria.
The additions will allow Bartlesville to move ninth- and 10th-grade students onto the campus that now houses 11th and 12th graders.
Bartlesville Mid-High School, which now is home to freshman and sophomore students, will become Madison Middle School, housing classes for sixth through eighth graders who live on the city’s east side. The district plans to add new lockers and air conditioning units and update the corridor in the building. The existing Madison building, which is in poor shape, will be torn down.
Central Middle School, a 1917-era building, will receive a $12.2 million refurbishment. A new gymnasium and cafeteria will be built, and the fine arts rooms will be expanded.
“This has set the course for our district for the next 30 years,” said Doug Divelbiss, Bartlesville Board of Education president. “This was critical to us achieving what we want to achieve as a community.”
The bond issue also will provide $1.4 million in security updates districtwide.
Improvements to be made include secure entryways at each school, visitor sign-in kiosks capable of background checks, new door locks, more security cameras for buildings and buses, and upgraded public address systems.
The school board will begin working quickly to start implementing the bond proposals. Officials have said they hope to have the new classrooms at the high school open in two years so that students who are in the seventh grade now would be the first to attend classes at the freshman academy.
Roger Box, who led the committee that crafted the plan for this bond issue, said he was touched by all the effort that went into gaining passage of the proposals.
“I have never worked with more people that got so excited, that got so mobilized about something,” he said.
MAYES COUNTY
Spavinaw Public Schools
Proposition: $250,000 for construction.
Failed 32-26 (must have at least 60 percent to win)
ROGERS COUNTY
Inola Public Schools
Proposition 1: $3.135 million for construction that includes eight new classrooms and four new computer labs.
Passed 365-45
Proposition 2: $190,000 for construction equipment.
Passed 376-40
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Bartlesville Public Schools
Proposition: $36.72 million for construction that includes the building of a 9th Grade Center and additional classrooms at high school.
Passed 4,437 to 1,379
CREEK COUNTY
Milfay Dependent School District
Proposition: To annex the district to the Depew Independent School District of Creek County.
Passed 77-40
OSAGE COUNTY
Bowring Public Schools
Proposition: $200,000 for transportation equipment.
Passed 47-3
Wynona Public Schools
Proposition 1: $105,000 for construction, repairs and remodeling of school buildings.
Passed 42-18
Proposition 2: $75,000 for transportation equipment.
Passed 42-19
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