After more than a year of planning and deliberation, Tulsa Public Schools is putting a $609 million bond package before voters next spring.
The school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to call for a bond election April 7 and submit the package to the county election board. If approved by voters, the majority of funds will go to building renovations, safety improvements, new technology and student programs — without raising property taxes, according to the district.
The proposal has increased by more than $19 million since it was first introduced in November, largely driven by “contingency” funds to account for future inflation and added STEM funding.
The final four propositions include:
- Nearly $201 million for learning opportunities and career development
- $276 million for safe learning environments
- Nearly $105 million for student and staff technology
- $27.2 million for transportation
“This isn’t about just, you know, ‘are we spending too much money?’” said board member John Croisant in a nearly six-minute speech before the final vote.
“Why are we doing it? Because we created a strategic plan, because people in our community said: ‘We want our kids to graduate and be able to go on and do something with their lives,’” said Croisant, who represents District 5 in midtown Tulsa and is also running for Congress.
The board first saw the bond proposal in November, but 28 district residents on the Citizen Bond Development Committee spent a year crafting it with district staff.
A host of community conversations and surveys across the district also sought public input. Despite low listening session turnout, the district reported 542 survey responses with the majority of community requests included in the package.
In its final pitch to the board Tuesday night, district officials highlighted post-secondary career academies that would focus on aerospace, construction and health care. Since the early package rollout in August, proposed funding for these academies and early STEM education has increased by a few million dollars.
“That kind of significant increase in the investment enables us to start scaling,” said Sean Berkstresser, chief strategy officer at TPS. “And if people want us to make sure that kids at every site across the district have access to these types of experiences, there just was not enough in the budget.”
Concerns over financial accountability in the district have lingered in this fall’s bond discussions and were raised repeatedly by board member E’Lena Ashley throughout the process. The district’s financial crisis, uncovered earlier this year in a report by the state auditor’s office, involved leaders who oversaw bond funding between 2015 and 2023.
“I don’t deny that there were certainly mistakes in the past in previous administrations,” said Calvin Moniz, board vice president. “But I’m not willing to let a few bad actors let our children suffer and future generations of Tulsans (suffer) because of their actions.”
The district also cited a year-long partnership with Baker Tilly Advisory Group as part of their efforts to address financial concerns. The board approved a contract this summer to pay the national firm up to $150,000 for a “central office staffing analysis.”
Now, the bond’s future is up to voters. TPS will need a 60% supermajority to pass the bond.
Residents have until March 13 to register to vote for the April 7 election. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is March 23. Early walk-in voting is April 2-3. Check your voter registration here.
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