Thompson: Don’t forget to vote on OKCPS bond issue
Please, please don’t forget to vote this Tuesday (or before) for the Oklahoma City Public School System bond issue. The bond issue will not raise taxes. It will allow the OKCPS to raise $189 million dollars for essential capital investments. It is on a separate yellow ballot.
Most of the OKCPS bond money ($106.3 million) will be used for maintenance at 78 buildings. The money will:
- repair or replace air-conditioning and heating systems at schools;
- repair or replace roofs;
- repair or replace electrical and plumbing utilities;
- fund fine arts and athletics (equipment, uniforms, materials);
- and help develop playgrounds.
The rest of the money will go replace school buses that are an average of 10.5 years old, having driven about 200,000 miles, as well as provide new technology for schools.
Voters must succeed where Legislature has failed
Participating in the MAPS for Kids process 16 years ago, I saw what happened to the OKCPS infrastructure when bond issues failed to pass in a timely manner. MAPS for Kids belatedly prevented the collapse of the school system. It also provided a promising first step toward increasing student achievement, which, unfortunately, was undermined by Thompson: Don't forget to vote on OKCPS bond issue - NonDoc:
