Owasso Aims To Keep Classes Small With $11.4 Million School Bond Vote

Owasso Public Schools has $11.37 million dollars in bonds on the ballot Tuesday.

The proposed debt would pay for instructional materials, new technology, building maintenance, and student transportation. The last bond election in Owasso was in 2017.

The 2020 school bond does not include new construction, as did the last bond, because, at the moment, Owasso has plenty of classroom space for the 9800 students in the district. The largest segment of spending in the bond proposal is $3.4 million for building updates, including heating and air, flooring and parking lots.

$2.4 million is proposed for buying instructional materials such as textbooks and software, $2.7 million is proposed for new technology, $1.5 million for transportation, $600,000 for a weight room renovation and $510,000 for athletic and fine arts equipment and uniforms.

Superintendent Dr. Amy Fichtner said the new bond is not projected to raise taxes, because the tax base is increasing along with needs for the school system. "It's growing in individuals, but it's also growing in business. So we're able to share the tax burden over more people, and the individual taxpayer doesn't see a much larger burden, they share it, and the children have what they need, and I think that's just a testimony to how the community values education."

The election is scheduled for February 11th. Details of the bond proposals are here - OwassoPS.org