MOUNDS, Okla. — Mounds Public Schools is preparing for a big bond election this year, as they ask their community to consider passing $15 million for fifteen years.
The district is used to smaller bonds with shorter life spans, but they look at this as an investment to build off of another momentum. Mounds Downtown Council and city leaders are working together to make it more attractive for families to move there.
"I’ve been talking with a lot of people in the community who have been in the community for a long time, and I think everyone’s excited," said Superintendent Stephen Sturgeon. "I think everyone’s just really excited about seeing something new happening, seeing some growth happening."
Sturgeon said with a lot of new housing starting in the area, the district is attempting to capitalize on the growth but also be ready in the event enrollment begins to increase.
These dollars will be concentrated in Mounds High School and the athletic facilities. The high school was built in 1985, and not much changed since then. One main concern is the building's lack of security, so they want to add a vestibule to better funnel guests into the school.
Classroom and bathroom revamps are also planned with the bond funding.
For athletics, they want to add turf to the football field, relocate the home bleachers, redo the locker rooms, and add a new field house.
This bond would not raise property taxes as is; however, if the district looked to add an additional one throughout the original bond's lifespan, the potential for an increase in taxes is there.
Dustin Alphin serves as Mounds Public Schools PTO president and his daughter in first grade at Mounds Elementary. He knows projects like this give his daughter and other children across the district more opportunities as they reach higher grade levels.
"It’s in the best interest of their kids, and I think the biggest part of stuff like this is communication and understanding exactly what’s happening," said Alphin. "Growth is good, especially with current times, and anything we can do to better our children's athletics and academics is a good thing."
Some parents voiced concern about taxes, which will not increase again. Alphin said another big question is, what if this bond passes, and a few years down the line, they need to issue another bond?
"The answer to that was yes we can, that might look at increasing tax down the road but that’s something we can look at as we get more enrollment and activity in the town," said Alphin.
Through the Bond Transparency Act of 2017, a full breakdown of these projects and the allocated funds can be found on the districts website.
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