Tulsa-area school districts have board, bond elections Tuesday

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

TulsaThree school board seats are on the ballot in Tulsa Public Schools.

In District 2, Calvin Moniz and KanDee Washington are seeking to finish out an unexpired term.

The incumbent, Diamond Marshall, was appointed in March 2023 for one year after the resignation of Judith Barba Perez and opted not to run for election. This seat will go back before voters in 2025 for a full four-year term.

Campuses in District 2 include Emerson, Kendall-Whittier, McKinley, Mitchell, Owen, Sequoyah, Springdale and Unity elementary schools; Carver and Rogers middle schools; Booker T. Washington and Rogers high schools; and Phoenix Rising.

Teresa Peña is challenging board Vice President John Croisant for the District 5 seat, which represents Eliot, Hoover, Lanier, Mayo Demonstration and Patrick Henry elementary schools; Edison Middle School; and Edison High School.

Maria Seidler and Sarah Smith are seeking the District 6 seat, which has been vacant since Jan. 2, when Jerry Griffin’s resignation took effect.

Campuses in District 6 include Bell, MacArthur, Salk and Zarrow elementary schools; Hale and Memorial middle schools; Hale High School; and Street School.

The District 5 and District 6 seats each have a four-year term.

Union

Anthony Jones is challenging incumbent Stacey Roemerman to represent Zone 4. The position carries a five-year term.

The L-shaped district stretches from 56th Street to 81st Street between Memorial Drive and Mingo Road, plus Mingo Road to Garnett Road between 71st Street and 81st Street. Campuses within Zone 4 include Jarman Elementary School, Union Freshman Academy and Union High School.

Owasso

Current board President Brent England is running against newcomer Brandon Shreffler for the Ward 4 seat, which represents approximately 17 square miles between 96th Street North and south of 56th Street North just east of U.S. 169.

Catoosa

Ember Graziano is challenging incumbent Derrick Smith for seat No. 4 on Catoosa’s Board of Education. The seat carries a five-year term.

Bond elections

Three suburban districts have bond proposals on Tuesday’s ballot. School bond proposals must receive at least 60% approval for passage.

Allen-Bowden, a dependent district in northern Creek County, has a 10-year, $2.7 million proposal that would pay for building a new activity center and gymnasium, plus renovating its current facilities in order for the district to petition the Oklahoma State Department of Education to add a high school.

Allen-Bowden is currently dependent on Sapulpa Public Schools to provide high school for students in its attendance area.

If approved, the proposal would raise the community’s millage rate by an estimated 3.62 mills starting in 2026. For a homeowner in the school’s attendance area with a property assessed at $100,000, that would mean a property tax increase of about $4.36 per month.

The district put a similar proposal that did not pass before voters in September.

Liberty Public Schools in southern Tulsa County and northern Okmulgee County has a $7.6 million proposal. A total of $1.7 million is earmarked for repairs and upgrades for the district’s parking lots, electrical systems, ventilation systems and technology needs. The balance is for improvements in the classroom and office space in the district’s gymnasium/classroom building.

With an additional 600 homes slated to be built within its attendance area, Verdigris Public Schools in Rogers County has a five-year, $1.79 million bond proposal that would provide funding for the district to purchase an additional 50 acres near the secondary schools’ campus for future building projects.

If approved, the proposal would increase property taxes over the lifespan of the bond. Current projections released by the school district indicate that a Verdigris homeowner currently paying $100 in property taxes annually would instead pay $101.83.