Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The Bartlesville Public Schools special bond issue passed easily on Tuesday evening.

Superintendent Chuck McCauley stood tall with other faculty and staffed at the Freshman Academy Conference Room at Bartlesville High School as the results poured in. He seemed confident, and that confidence grew as each precinct was presented on a dim screen.

Voters in the Bartlesville Public School district approved by an 80-percent to 20-percent margin to provide a total of $17.9 million through the end of the 2023 fiscal year. They also approved transportation bonds which was voted on separately--by state laws--to approve $1.8 million for buses and other vehicles by nearly the same margin.

The 80-percent passage rate was quite remarkable and is something worth noting. Superintendent Chuck McCauley said it is the highest percentage BPS has seen with a bond issue election in 30-years.

Now that the bond issue has passed, there are some projects that the District wants to escalate.

The building of a classroom for a possible new vocational agriculture program is one of the things they are looking to build right away. Superintendent McCauley said they hope to be in the new building in a year. He said they hope to utilize a new press box at Custer Stadium at Bartlesville High School when they football season starts in 2020.

It is important to remember this bond issue will not increase tax rates because the sinking fund millage will remain the same.

Other areas of focused with the bond include technology improvements. Curriculum, maintenance and facility projects, the replacement pf elevators and climate control systems, activity needs, safety and more will also be improved. For an in-depth look at what’s to come, click here.

Lastly, Superintendent Chuck McCauley wanted to thank the team that made this possible. Granger Meador, the Executive Director of Technology and Communications, Dan Droege, Stevie Williams, members of the Bartlesville Board of Education, their high school representative, Senior Stone Yang, were all thanked.

This is a topic that has been discussed heavily since last spring. Several Special School Board meetings were held that at least 40 members of the public attended to learn about the Bond Issue before the Bartlesville Board of Education voted to send the propositions to the public. Superintendent McCauley thanks the Bartlesville community for being supportive of this Bond Issue since the beginning and he said they look to advance excellence with the Bartlesville Public Schools District.