BARTLESVILLE - A $36.7 million school bond proposal received overwhelming support Tuesday 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 undergo 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, the Bartlesville school board's president. "This was critical to us achieving what we want to achieve as a community."
The bond package 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 implement 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 the bond proposal, said he was touched by all the effort that went into gaining passage of the proposal.
"I have never worked with more people that got so excited, that got so mobilized about something," he said.
Election results
MAYES COUNTY
SPAVINAW PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
Proposition: $250,000 for
construction.
Failed* ............32-26 (*60 % supermajority required
for passage)
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
Original Print Headline: B'ville voters OK $36.7 million in school proposals
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