MCALESTER, Okla. — McAlester Public Schools' "Investing in Our Herd" bond proposal is up for a vote Feb. 10.
The scaled down proposal costs about a tenth of the one that failed last September. That $41 million bond only got 30% of the vote.
The current version asks for $4.7 million funded over five years with a 9% increase in property taxes.
WATCH: McAlester Public Schools hopes voters pass scaled-down bond proposal for STEM center:
"I think our kids deserve the best that we can provide them for their educational experience, and I just have to let you decide of your own conscience," MPS superintendent Dr. Robert Steeber told 2 News.
The Feb. 10 bond election package focuses on building a new STEM facility for high school and middle school students. There are also plans for a safe room for tornadoes in that building. Steeber said the high school currently does not have a safe room.
WATCH: Extended interview with Superintendent Dr. Robert Steeber about the Feb. 10 bond election:
During the Feb. 3 Coffee and Commerce event hosted with the McAlester Chamber, the Buffaloes' Tango Flight aviation program displayed drones it trains on and a plane its mechanics class is assembling.
If the bond passes, the Tango Flight program would move from an old elementary school gym to campus in the STEM building and hangar room.
Senior Crawford Hester is going to graduate before that happens, but he supports the bond proposal, enabling students like him in the future.
"It's a very great thing to learn about mechanics and aerodynamics," Hester said. "It's also great for teamwork. Like, I don't know what I would if I was in this class without my friends here to help me through this."
The tax increase would mean about $9 per year extra for every $100 of property taxes from 2027 through 2032.
Good Samaritan Outreach men's shelter manager Mark Davidson attended the Coffee & Commerce meeting. He drew a connection between better opportunities in the school district and a more prosperous McAlester.
"One of the keys to solving the homeless problem is education," Davidson told 2 News. "And that's why we need this bond issue to pass, because it's not very much."
The bond needs 60% approval to pass. The election is Tuesday, Feb. 10.
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