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Bartlesville is a growing community and the public schools are feeling the crunch of overcrowding at some campuses. 

 

Appearing on COMMUNITY CONNECTION Granger Meador with Bartlesville public schools and school board members Andrea Nightingale and Kinder Shammhaet eoutlined the space needs that would be met with the passage of the February 14 School Bond Election.

 

Wayside School parent Megan Garcia says the need is real. A decade ago, Wayside Elementary School had 556 students; this fall it reached 705. New homes continue to be built in the Park Place housing development near Wayside, and if there aren’t enough classrooms, some pre-kindergarten students in the Wayside area will have to be bussed to Hoover. 

 

Garcia said that there is one toilet--not restroom, but one single toilet-for over 40 children to use in the pre-k there. She also notes that the cafeteria is being used, in part, for music classes. Because of the space issue at Wayside, some student don't get their lunch until after 1pm and others have to eat their lunches in their classrooms.

 

School board member Andrea Nightingale has children at Ranch Heights School where the enrollment has also been rapidly growing. 

 

Ranch Heights Elementary School had an enrollment of 521 a decade ago, but this fall served 616. It is so overcrowded that there are staff members with no offices who have to work in the foyer. Its enrollment will continue to grow as the Bison Trails development at Bison & Nowata Roads is built out.

 

The bond issue would add classrooms to allow Ranch Heights to eventually serve up to 760 students while providing a larger library and cafeteria along with new larger art and music rooms and a protected early childhood playground. The new classrooms would be built to double as an all-school storm shelter. 

 

The school would also gain much-needed space for their respective offices, counselors, Title I reading programs, and other student support programs, as well as more restrooms.

 

The bond issue would add classrooms to allow Wayside to serve up to 760 students while providing a larger library and cafeteria along with larger art and music rooms and a protected early childhood playground. The new classrooms would be built to double as an all-school storm shelter.

 

Board member Kinder Shamhart said that on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 voters will be asked to consider providing a total of $38,000,000 through the end of the 2027 fiscal year. Passage of the bond issue would NOT increase the tax rate and the sinking fund millage would remain the same.

 

More Information: https://www.bps-ok.org/page/bruinbond