School Board Member Disappointed By Catoosa School Bond Failing

Voters in Catoosa failed to pass a $9 million bond issue to finish an elementary school. It failed by only about 20 votes.

Allix Rawls wants her four kids to love growing up in Catoosa as much as she did. "They absolutely deserve the best of the best,” Rawls said.

She joined the school board because she wanted to be more informed about what was going on with her children's learning.

When Cherokee Elementary was torn down last year, the school decided to build a new school to house kids from pre-k through fifth grade.

Rawls was excited for her kids and voters did pass a $52 million bond to build the school, but it went over budget because of inflation and high interest rates.

Now, Rawls is feeling defeated voters didn’t approve the additional money to finish the school the way it was planned.

"We're feeling pretty heartbroken,” Rawls said. “I was really upset last night. I was disappointed for my kids."

Construction on the new building will continue, but the pre-k and kindergarten classes will not be included.

The school bond needed 60 percent of the vote to pass, and it came up short by 1.1 percent.

David Blatt is a public policy professor with OU Tulsa. He says the sixty percent rule has been in place for decades.

"The thinking is that to raise taxes on residents that it requires a strong vote from the community,” Blatt said. “So, those that are seeking approval for bond issues know that they need 60 percent."

Despite the bond failing, Rawls is optimistic for the future of Catoosa and the school board is not giving up and they plan to meet in a few weeks and talk about their options.