Catoosa School Bond Issue Fails With Narrow Loss

Voters decided on hundreds of millions of dollars in school bond issues, but one failed by about 20 votes.

School bonds need 60 percent of the vote to pass. Catoosa's school bond issue got 58.9 percent.

Catoosa school leaders asked voters to approve a $9 million bond issue to finish a project started nearly a year ago on a new elementary school. However, it failed Tuesday night.

That means the new school will be built without a wing for pre-k and kindergarten.

Catoosa voters did pass a $52 million bond last year, and started work on the school. But the project went over budget when inflation hit and interest rates increased.

The narrow loss shows how important it is to vote.

The Tulsa County election board secretary said usually only about six or seven percent of eligible voters participate in these elections.

"These are extremely important issues that voters have an opportunity to make their voice heard and so few show up that at the end of the day you have a handful of voters making decisions for your entire community," Gwen Freeman / Secretary, Tulsa Co Election Board

Voters in Broken Arrow approved extending the contract with PSO, with an added one percent fee to improve the city.

The Union School District passed two bond issues, totaling more than $150 million.

That money will be used to buy new buses and to renovate the 6th and 7th grade center.

And in Jenks, voters approved a $17 million bond issue to finish renovating the freshman academy.