Voters in the Tulsa Public School District on June 8 approved four bond propositions so the district could raise taxes to repay $414,000,000.00 in borrowed funds.
Here are the vote totals:
| Proposition | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | 12,731 (72%) | 4,868 (28%) |
| Proposition 2 | 12,748 (73%) | 4,810 (27%) |
| Proposition 3 | 12,488 (72%) | 4,951 (28%) |
| Proposition 4 | 12,836 (73%) | 4,762 (27%) |
The term of the bonds will be five years, or an average of more than $80,000,000.00 a year without adding the cost of interest on the bonds. They would be paid by an increase in property taxes within the district.
Historically, bonds packages were much smaller and were used for “bricks and mortar.” Now, public school districts are allowed to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars for buses, textbooks and other items that used to be paid for by the general operating budget.
Proposition 1, at a cost of $166,700,000.00 will pay for parking lot resurfacing at 60 schools and other buildings.
Proposition 2 will cost $90,700,000.00 and focus on technology, replacement of school marquees, computer networks and other projects.
Proposition 3, at a cost of $17,300,000.00, is centered on transportation.
Proposition 4 will cost taxpayers $139,300,000.00 for learning materials.