Broken Arrow Residents Tour School District Before February Bond Vote

Broken Arrow's school board votes to let residents decide whether to upgrade every school in the district.

They're sending a $370 million school bond to votes in February. The bond could ease overcrowding in schools.

There are 18,400 students in Broken Arrow, and that number grows by three percent each year.

School board members took a tour of Broken Arrow Schools.

It's a district with big facilities, but not big enough, according to Superintendent, Jarod Mendenhall.

"We're going to need more classrooms to make sure we accommodate for the growth,” Mendenhall said.

Half of the $370 million school bond, approved by school board members Friday morning, will be used to create more classrooms.

The district would build three elementary schools, a middle school, and would expand the freshman academy and high school.

A quarter of the bond would improve school facilities by adding labs, special ed. space, an ag show barn with livestock pens, two new auditoriums and a gym.

The remaining quarter of the bond would go to security, technology and transportation.

"Today's been a good day for everyone in Broken Arrow, I think," said Mendenhall.

The projects would unfold in four phases between 2016 and 2025.

One of the biggest projects would be the $39 million Kirkland Activities Complex, complete with a soccer field and Olympic-size community swimming pool.

Derek Beller was one of the 50 parents who collaborated to come up with the list of projects in this bond.

"Every school site will either have some improvements made to it, whether it be equipment in the classroom for the teachers, to facilities, to building all new schools," Beller said.

Mendenhall said, as for the phenomenon of a second high school in Broken Arrow, the district is now starting to have those conversations.

"What do we want? What do we want this to look like? That actually is starting right now, if you really want to know the truth," he said.

This type of bond cannot increase teacher's salaries, nor would it raise taxes.

It will go to a community-wide vote on February 10th.