Bixby School District Growth Sending Voters To Polls

Bixby schools are growing so fast, the district is concerned it could run out of space if something isn't done to expand.

The district is proposing a nearly $143 million bond issue.

School leaders say how bonds work and what they pay for can be confusing. To make it easier to understand, the Bixby district has put together an interactive webpage.

It has charts, images and a full rundown of what the bond proposal includes.

"Are the classrooms already bursting at the seams? At the elementary level and intermediate level, absolutely they are,” spokesperson Dee Harris said.

District representatives say they are reaching a critical time as projected population is expected to boom.

"Today, we have over 6,000 and with a 3 percent growth rate,” Harris said. “That's a conservative rate that we're having. We'll probably have closer to 8400 in two years."

So the district is proposing a $142,390,000 bond. It'll be on the ballot Feb. 9.

The bond has multiple elements. But in general it will focus on new construction and renovation.

"We've developed a very visual interactive webpage on our website that allows you to pick and choose videos or links to better understand all the different components," Harris said.

The money will pay for land at 151st and Harvard. That's where the new Central Elementary School will go.

The current Central Elementary will be repurposed for alternative education and community programs.

It will also pay for a new Seventh Grade Center on the middle school campus.

Other construction and repairs will be done at the intermediate school and high school.

The Bond, if approved, would be phased over 10 years.

A person living in a $100,000 home would pay about $7 a month or $84 a year more in taxes.

"We are at a critical place that we desperately need this bond,” Harris said. “If this doesn't pass we won't have space."

To further help explain the bond, the district will hold two community meetings over the next two weeks.

There you'll be able to ask questions.

You also can find information on those meetings and the bond proposal by clicking here.