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Posted: Apr 15, 2021 5:34 PMUpdated: Apr 16, 2021 4:38 AM
Bartlesville Board of Education Special Meeting Featured Draft of the 2021 Bond Issue
Tom Davis
About 100 people attended the Bartlesville Board of Education Special Meeting on Thursday, April 15, at Bartlesville High School Commons. The special meeting featured the presentation of the draft of the 2021 Bond Issue with an election date targeted for August 2021.
The Bartlesville Board of Education is seeking to raise $27 million by extending the exisiting rate and claiming by doing this, the money can be raised without raising taxes.
The proposal seeks:
- $6.75 million for a Vo-Ag facility for animal and plant programs, including labs, small show arena, pens, and greenhouses
- $5.7 million for facility projects such LED lighting and digital clocks for all classrooms along with some improvements to the elementary school gyms and middle school stage riggings. It also calls fo an update for all elementary and middle school exterior marquees with electronic signs; improve entries/front façades at Kane and Wilson.
- $5 million for technology such as Chromebooks, hotspots, iPads, etc.. This would also include hardware, software and other services along with technology infrastructure.
- $2.6 million for curricular which includes text books, STEM/Science/Broadcasting and library books and software.
- $1.7 million for maintenance and improvment of existing facilities
- $1.6 million for athletics that would feature a new running track at the high school and indoor practice facilities to replace the baseball practice facility at Doenges Stadium and build a new softball/golf facility west of Madison with the expectation that this will help free up the Bruin Activity Center at BHS for others. This would also replace visitor seating at Custer Stadium and pay for annual equipment needs in FY24-25.
- $770,000 for Fine Arts going toward band and orchestra instruments, choir/band/orchestra uniforms, etc; replacing the band box trucks; Plus various auditorium improvements in Facility Projects.
- $125,000 for transportation to maintain the fleet of smaller passenger vehicles for student and staff travel.
- $500,000 for site needs/safety and print shop
There were only a handful of questions from the audience, which mostly pertained to the location of the propsed new Vo-Ag Center. One person asked if BPS would consider purchasing any new electric vehicle buses to which Supt. Chuck McCauley said that they would consider it on the next bond issue.
Bartlesville city coucilor Paul Stuart asked the board why they use the process of getting the bond monies through another party in the form of a loan instead of waiting for the bond monies to be released directly therefore paying some interest and missing out on that money going to the classrooms. Board president Scott Bilger explained the that the expediency in gettng the funds and the low rates makes the process work best for what needs to be done.
Facilities: Vocational Agriculture
Facility for animal and plant programs, including labs, small show arena, pens, and greenhouses
- Located south of the BHS student parking lot and ball fields on Shawnee Avenue
- Built up above 100-year flood level, relocating existing floodplain material to avoid increasing area flooding
- Animals pens would be over 600 feet, more than the length of two football fields, from the nearest residence
- Provide parking & access for the Shawnee Trailhead of the Pathfinder Parkway & relocate Shawnee Trails disc golf course
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