Bixby & Jenks Public Schools Pass Bond Issues

Both Bixby and Jenks Public Schools' bond issues have passed.

Two Green Country school districts are attempting to address the needs of their growing districts through multi-million-dollar bonds that appeared on today's ballot.

Jenks Public Schools said its two separate bond issues totaling $14,250,000 impacts everyone in the community, whether you have a student in school or not.

"If you own a business, you know within our district boundaries, if you live here in the Jenks community and you want to see the community thrive and remain strong, then I think this is something everyone can get behind," said Rob Loeber, Jenks Public Schools.

Proposition one using 94 percent of the bond includes day to day items like district wide equipment and safety improvements, technology, and textbooks.

"Those are kind of the standard day to day items for the district to keep it running, to provide the necessary resources to our students and staff," said Loeber.

Plus, more specific items like the first round of funding include an artificial turf replacement and repairs and improvements to the videoboard at Allan Trimble Stadium.

Loeber said it's important to note how many students, groups and teams use the stadium and added that it's not just the football team benefitting.

Jenks also plans to upgrade its softball facilities and focus on the ongoing renovation and expansion of the freshman academy.

"We have something called a bond issue task force, which is made up of staff members, parents. District stakeholders come together and they meet several times throughout the year and talk about what are the needs, most pressing needs facing our district? How do we address those? What kind of funding could we potentially have available?" said Loeber.

Finalized items go before the board of education for final approval before being put on the ballot.

Loeber said it's not 'get the money, spend the money immediately.' It's there throughout the upcoming schoolyear to allocate or hold onto as needed.

He said specific items are budgeted and not all money is spent at once but is ready and there to meet the need that comes up.

Loeber said this proposition doesn't increase property taxes.

"Every 5 years we're paying off our bond indebtedness. So as one bond from several years ago rolls off the books, another one rolls on, which allows us to keep that property tax rate flat and not increase our mileage rate," said Loeber.

Jenks and Bixby Public Schools both have a proposition for transportation.

Bixby also has a $110,000,000 proposition with roughly $50 million going towards the new 200-thousand square foot high school building set to open in 2024.

About $10 million would go towards adding 20 elementary classrooms to the west campus by August 2023.

"About 65% of the jobs that our current first graders will fill when they finish with schooling don't exist yet, so we need to make sure that we build facilities that are flexible, adaptable, and also responsive to the needs of our students," said Supt. Rob Miller, Bixby Public Schools.

The rest is set aside for other district improvements including athletic and fine arts upgrades.

Jenks voters have now passed 58 of the last 59 bond issues.

Miller said he can't remember a Bixby Public Schools bond that didn't pass, adding the last two in 2010 and 2016 both passed by over an 80 percent margin.