Protest Planned Ahead Of $414M TPS Bond Vote

Tulsa Public Schools is asking district parents to vote when the polls open as a $414 million bond proposal will be on the ballot Tuesday.

The district says the bond would be used over a five-year time period and spent on various things such as new security measures for schools, updated digital technology in classrooms, and other items such as repairing school buses and school buildings.

TPS officials say without the previous bond that was voted in to play back in 2015, the district would not have had the ability to have the software and technology it does now, but says much of it needs to be replaced or updated.

One Tulsa teacher who spoke with News On 6 spoke said she will be voting yes since she sees firsthand the needed changes daily while the Tulsa county Republican Party is encouraging people to vote no until they see a list of what specific changes need to be made.

That statement in part said:

 “In the past year, TPS schools have barely opened, leaving parents in a bind on not only the education of their children but having to make arrangements for their care, which oftentimes means quitting their job to care for their children who should have been in school. This has created a hardship on parents and children. And yet, Consultant/Administration costs at TPS hit record-level spending this school year. The Republican Party of Tulsa County opposes all 4 propositions of this bond package. Our Party Platform supports lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, transparency in how funding is spent, and accountability. This bond achieves none of these criteria.

 Join us in sending a clear message of your disapproval of Superintendent Gist and her administration by joining many other conservatives in voting NO on all four issues on the upcoming Tulsa School bond election on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.”

The Tulsa 912 Project and the Tulsa County Republican Party are participating in and hosting a rally at the TPS Education Service Center Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. to make their voices heard against the vote. TPS will be holding a board meeting in the same location at 6:30 p.m.

They say they are voting no to show a clear message of disapproval of Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist and the district as a whole, which they say is failing the students when it comes to their education.

On the other hand, district officials and teachers who spoke with News On 6 say the bond needs to pass because the technology in many classrooms needs to be replaced and repairs are needed when it comes to the school buildings and buses.

The proposed bond would invest money over five years as follows:

1. $166.8 million for Safe Learning Environments
2. $90.7 million for Student and Classroom Technology
3. $17.3 million for Transportation
4. $139.3 million for Quality Learning Materials and Programs