News
School bonds are part of the sustained investments we've made to OKC
Source: The Oklahoman (November 6, 2022) by Roy Williams
An underrated but crucial component of Oklahoma City’s staggering growth and momentum over the last two decades is education. It is not a coincidence that the rise of Oklahoma City through the MAPS generation also coincided with the first real, sustained investments in the Oklahoma City Public Schools District in decades. From MAPS for Kids through various school bonds, the residents of Oklahoma City have decided investing in our schools is a critical part of improving the quality of life in our city over the last 20 years. Education, quality of life and economic prosperity go hand in hand.
This sustained investment has led to the most stable decade in the history of our school district. This kind of investment and stability does not go unnoticed. Investing in schools shows decision makers at companies that a community emphasizes the education of its kids. This helps create a community where people want to live and companies know they will have access to a well-educated and trained workforce to help them prosper.
On Nov. 8, our community will once again have the opportunity to push our city forward and continue Oklahoma City’s momentum with a historic school bond vote on the ballot. This investment will not only provide much-needed improvements to our district’s infrastructure it will provide critical job training opportunities for our kids and ensure our schools have the capacity for the future growth that is coming.
So please join me on Nov. 8 by voting yes for our kids’ future and Oklahoma City’s future.
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Urban League Head Calls For Support of Bond Issue
Source: The Black Chronicle (November 4, 2022) by BC Reporter
The president of the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City said she is supporting the bond issue on the Tuesday, Nov. 8, ballot that will go to the Oklahoma City Public School District and is encouraging voters to vote yes for the proposal on Election Day.
“On Nov. 8, Oklahoma City voters will head to the ballot box with the opportunity to pass a historic school bond proposal that would invest more than $900 million in the Oklahoma City Public School District,” Dr. Valerie Thompson, president of the league, said in a statement.
“A yes vote will help repair aging schools, build new ones in growing areas, buy new buses, provide workforce training, improve security, invest in modern technology and so much more,” the statement continued.
“Voting will do a lot more than provide this much-needed investment in our schools,” she said.
“Voting yes will send a critical message to our kids."
“The message is that they deserve the same educational opportunities as the kids in our neighboring suburbs.”
“The average age of a building owned by the school district is 72 years old,” she explained.
“We need this bond to provide modern learning spaces for our children and to protect the investments we have made in the last 20 years. We owe it to our kids to give them the same 21st-century learning opportunities as their peers in other communities."
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“Between 2010 and 2020, the Moore Public School District held three elections that invested nearly $600 million into its schools."
“Edmond held six elections that resulted in $500 million funding.”
“Our friends in Tulsa?” she pointed out.
“They have invested $1.2 billion in their kids with four elections.”
“Over the same period,” she went on, “Oklahoma City only approved $180 million to fund maintenance and improvements.”
“It is time we catch up,” Dr. Thompson stated.
“There are some notable examples of the Oklahoma City Public School District that have provided educational opportunities that rival our suburban neighbors and anyone in the country, for that matter, when given the support they deserve,” the Urban League leader said.
“It is beyond the time we extend that same support to every school in our district. I have no doubt that when given the same opportunity as Edmond, Yukon or Moore students our kids can achieve amazing things and be even better prepared for the 21st-century workforce.”
“Investing in our schools helps make our city better in every regard,” she said.
"Please join me in voting yes on Nov. 8 to invest in Oklahoma City public schools.”
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Source: OKCFriday (November 4, 2022)
Oklahoma City Public School have 340,000 students enrolled. Many of them are attending classes in buildings as old as 100 years. We need to do this.
Voting Yes on Proposition No.1 and Proposition 2 will provide the funds for improving schools. The money will be used for everything from repairing buildings, improving school sites, acquiring new sites, replacing furniture and fixtures and remodeling buildings. Mayor David Holt said, "How can we have a first-class city if we don’t have first-class schools?”
Jenny Love Meyer, the Chief Culture Officer at Love’s Travel Stops, said "We need to invest in facilities for programs that increase workforce skills training and help our students be ready for the workforce. Our companies can’t grow without it, and neither will our city. High-paying jobs aren’t reserved for college graduates but can also be obtained with a certificate program or other skills training. Our kids deserve the opportunity for both."
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Point: Charter schools support Oklahoma City school bond, and so should you
Source: The Oklahoman (November 4, 2022) by Gary Jones
The two propositions on the ballot Nov. 8 for the Oklahoma City Public Schools are good for charter schools. It’s that simple. In planning this bond package, the district worked directly with their authorized charters to identify the facility challenges they have and to use this opportunity to move toward solutions that will protect the community’s investment in their infrastructure and help charter schools best provide education to their students.
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Charter schools are an important and necessary part of an education ecosystem that meets the needs of every student and family. The parental involvement in many of our charter schools are a model that can be replicated in other schools and by sharing successes and challenges, we improve our entire community.
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Our district’s infrastructure has been underfunded relative to the surrounding districts for many years ― and it is time for that to change. All our kids deserve a quality education in a safe and inspirational learning environment.
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Know the facts about this bond issue and the impact it can have on our kids, our schools and our neighborhoods, and when you do, I am confident you will join me in voting yes on both Oklahoma City Public Schools bond issues.
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There are 34,000 reasons to support Oklahoma City Public Schools' bond
Source: The Oklahoman (September 19, 2022) by Mary Mélon-Tully
On Nov. 8, the voters residing within the Oklahoma City school district boundaries will be asked to invest in the state’s second-largest traditional school district by casting their ballots in the first bond election since 2016. Success in the OKC district creates economic development and impact for the entire metro area. The district's success creates success in our future workforce, and our city’s continued prosperity depends on it. Great schools are our future and build great neighborhoods now.
As required by state law, school bonds must gain a super majority, meaning 60% is required to pass. This is not an easy lift in any election, even when a school bond is just requesting basic maintenance. There are certainly basic maintenance functions included in this $955 million bond package, as well as much needed technology upgrades, athletic and band equipment and uniforms, visual arts equipment and more, but also transformational projects focused on meeting the needs of each school’s community. If passed, every school in the district will be impacted by this bond in a significant way, with innovative and updated learning spaces and major improvements to existing spaces.
Read more.
OKC district's nearly $1B bond issue will be on November ballot. What would that go toward?
Source: The Oklahoman (August 15, 2022) by Nuria Martinez-Keel
The largest bond in the history of Oklahoma City Public Schools will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
The district school board unanimously called for the bond election.
Now, the decision rests with district residents whether to approve the $955 million bond issue. It will need 60% of the vote to pass.
“We have needed this bond for a long time,” board member Gloria Torres said during Monday’s meeting. “This bond creates the path for truly transformational changes for the future of OKCPS students. It is not the end-all, but it is a much-needed step in achieving our guiding principles when we address the needs of our ever-changing school district.”
Read more.
Scissortail Studios opens pathway to filmmaking in Oklahoma City high schools
Source: The Oklahoman (September 29, 2022) by Nuria Martinez-Keel
Music boomed and a smoke machine fumed while Oklahoma City's prospective filmmakers honed their craft.
As Frederick A. Douglass High School students filmed a hype video for their football team at Prairie Surf Studios, sophomore Alexus Brown took charge off-screen.
Brown kept the production running smoothly first as an assistant and then in a directional role. It was only weeks ago that she had no interest in filmmaking, she said, but a month and a half into her school's film 101 class and Brown already envisions "making a career out of it."
"It was an open space, so it was like we could ask questions," she said of the hype video project, which students completed under the direction of film professionals at Prairie Surf. "It inspired us a lot. It inspired me a lot to have people there that would help me."
Read more.
OKCPS enrollment and staffing up despite predictions
Source: VeloCityOKC (September 28, 2022) by Maegan Dunn
Despite predictions of declining enrollment, Oklahoma City Public Schools’ enrollment numbers are climbing. The district currently has 33,311 students enrolled, which is more than 2,000 over last school year.
Urban school districts across the country have seen declining enrollment trends but have incurred increasing operational costs. Recognizing this challenge, OKCPS anticipated the need and has taken a new look at how they deliver education and utilize resources to improve the classroom.
OKCPS utilized the Pathway to Greatness initiative to create efficiencies allowing them to reinvest savings back into the classroom, add counselors and nurses, and increase technology resources for students. Although the pandemic may have interrupted the anticipated outcomes, these investments are ultimately bringing many families back to the district.