Voters in 19 public school districts across the Oklahoma cast ballots for school bond packages Tuesday, with 15 districts seeing their projects approved and others heading back to the drawing board after measures failed.
In the largest district with a bond proposition on the ballot, 1,082 voters cast ballots on El Reno Public Schools’ two bond propositions, which total $69.56 million of projects. Both propositions passed with nearly 80 percent of the vote. The propositions will fund new elementary classrooms, a multi-sport facility, a band building and storm shelter, construction at the district’s downtown campus, and technology and transportation purchases.
State law requires public school bond propositions to be approved by at least 60 percent of voters. Districts issue bonds, which are bought by private investors, to obtain the capital necessary for projects such as site upgrades, new facilities and transportation purchases. The bonds are paid back over time with property tax collections from landowners in the district.
All election results are unofficial until they are certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Districts with more than 1,000 students see mixed results
Beyond El Reno Public Schools, voters in four other districts with more than 1,000 students approved bonds Tuesday. Broken Bow Public Schools, Madill Public Schools, Oologah-Talala Public Schools and Washington Public Schools all saw propositions approved.
Broken Bow Public Schools voters approved a bond worth $69.5 million with nearly 76 percent of the vote. Most of the funds will go toward a new elementary school. The remainder, $6.5 million, will go toward improvements to the existing football stadium.
In Marshall County, Madill Public Schools voters approved a $37.37 million bond with 75 percent of the vote. The funding will be used to upgrade the district’s elementary school.
In northeast Oklahoma, Oologah-Talala Public Schools voters approved two propositions. Proposition One, worth $33.97 million, passed with 75 percent of the vote and will fund improvements to the district’s high, middle and elementary schools; technology, transportation, uniform and instrument purchases; district-wide improvements; and district-wide athletic improvements. Proposition Two, worth $850,000, passed with 76 percent of the vote and will be used to purchase vehicles for student transportation.
For Washington Public Schools, 72 percent of voters approved a $7.15 million bond. The bond will be used for football stadium improvements, interior and exterior building improvements and districtwide site improvements.
Other districts with more than 1,000 students enrolled during the 2023-2024 school year saw some bond propositions narrowly fail.
Little Axe Public Schools voters east of Lake Thunderbird rejected two bond propositions totaling $58.41 million. Proposition One received just shy of 51 percent of the vote, falling short of the 60 percent threshold. It would have funded a new high school. Proposition Two was more narrowly defeated, receiving 57 percent of the vote. Proposition Two would have funded new vehicles for student transportation.
The old adage that each vote matters rang true in the Miami Public Schools District for a $14.72 million bond proposition. With only 59.84 percent of voters voting in favor of the proposition, improvements district-wide and construction at the Will Rogers Middle School Site narrowly failed. If two more of the 732 voters had cast their ballot in favor, the proposition would have passed.
In smaller districts, voters reject 5 bond propositions
Five other school bond propositions failed across the state.
Anderson Public Schools voters rejected two of the three propositions on their ballots. Voters narrowly failed to pass two propositions worth a total of $1.32 million, which would have funded student transportation and parking improvements. Anderson voters approved bond Proposition One, worth $1.1 million, with 60.15 percent voting in favor. Those funds will go toward a slate of renovation projects.
A $600,000 Rattan Public Schools bond proposition was rejected, receiving only a 53 percent approval rate. The bond would have funded the renovation of the existing school cafeteria.
Wetumka Public Schools voters rejected two propositions worth $700,000. Proposition One failed with just shy of 59 percent of the vote and would have funded district-wide acquisitions such as playground, technology and HVAC improvements. Proposition Two failed with 51 percent of the vote and would have funded transportation equipment.
Those failures mark the second straight time that Wetumka voters have failed to pass school bonds for their Hughes County district. After approving bond packages in 2019 and 2021, voters rejected a $1.9 million package in 2023 that would have funded renovations to district facilities, including the track at the athletics stadium. That vote came soon after a former student confronted former Superintendent Donna McGee with allegations that her husband, former Mayor Brent McGee, had sexually abused him and others in their home. Brent McGee was eventually charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse in August 2024 after an investigation that spanned more than a year.
Other districts see school bonds approved
Nine other districts’ bond propositions were approved by voters Tuesday:
- Carnegie Public Schools, $4.03 million for a new wellness center;
- Foyil Public Schools, $4.18 million for building upgrades and transportation improvements;
- Haileyville Public Schools, $1.4 million for building repairs and upgrades;
- Hinton Public Schools, $5.98 million for building repairs and upgrades, including asbestos removal;
- Lone Star Public Schools, $510,000 for for building repairs and transportation improvements;
- Morris Public Schools, $6.13 million for building repairs and upgrades;
- Okemah Public Schools, $11.72 million for building repairs and transportation improvements;
- Pond Creek-Hunter Public Schools, $1.29 million for vehicle, technology and gym upgrades; and
- Stuart Public Schools, $2.5 million for building repairs and transportation equipment.
