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Bond Issue History:
Planning for and then Building on Excellence

On May 8, 2001 the voters of Bartlesville, Oklahoma approved a ten-year $30.5 million bond issue, with over $23 million designated for facility improvements at Bartlesville High School (BHS). The improvements will come in several phases over the ten-year span of the bond issue.

Like most large-scale efforts in a school system, the high school improvements process has involved a variety of committees. The relevant bond issue traces its origins back to a committee established in February, 2000 to study district facilities. That committee's findings led to the bond issue, which was in turn promoted by a volunteer community group.

• Long Range Facilities Planning Committee
• Bond Issue Communication Committee

The Board of Education has the ultimate authority and responsibility for the bond issue projects, and has its own Facilities Committee that concentrates on these duties. There are also some other committees involved in the bond issue's implementation.

• Bond Design Steering Committee
• Bond Oversight Committee

Long Range Facilities Planning Committee
February to December, 2000

This committee met frequently for much of 2000, accomplishing many tasks:

• toured all of the schools in the district (except for Madison Middle School due to a scheduling conflict)
• heard presentations from elementary and secondary curriculum directors
• received results of opinion polling of 203 Bartlesville residents conducted by Render, Vanderslice & Associates in April, 2000
• received results of ten-year enrollment projections
• heard presentation by Scott Ambler of Ambler Architects on community demographics and development
• heard presentations on grade configuration
• consulted with architects Dave Huey and Vic Thompson of Dewberry Design Group, Inc. on preliminary design for high school expansion and improvement
• heard presentation from Rick Smith, President of Municipal Finance Services, Inc. on projected bond issue amounts and issuance sequence
• formed sub-committees to develop specific improvements and additions to the high school
• hosted a Town Hall Meeting at the high school on September 28, 2000 which shared the ideas for the high school improvements with the community and sought input from district patrons

Many thanks are due to committee member Julie Daniels for the above summary and the final committee report.

The committee presented a report to the board of education on November 20, 2000. Many, but not all, of the recommendations in that report became part of the later bond issue proposal.

Long Range Facilities Planning Committee Recommendations

1. The committee recommends that the Bartlesville Board of Education prepare a 20 mill, 10 year, $30,570,000 bond issue to be put to a vote of the people in the Spring of 2001. The proposed bond issue should address the following needs:
   • Major expansion and improvements at Bartlesville High School, including:
     • Athletics - new practice fields, field house, dressing and auxiliary facilities, and track renovation
     • Existing High School Campus - new library/media center, mechanical upgrades, ADA compliance, expanded parking, and redesigned, remodeled, and redecorated interior spaces
     • Fine Arts - new auditorium; new classrooms for band, orchestra, choir, speech and drama; new offices, storage, practice, dressing rooms, stagecraft space, lobby, box office, concessions (shared with athletics)
     • Science - new classrooms (labs) for chemistry, physics, and biology; new storage, preparation and stockroom space
   • Central Middle School - enclose walkway between main building and cafeteria
   • Madison Middle School - air condition computer labs, add security lighting, minimize glass in building to improve safety
   • Elementary Schools - improve playgrounds and equipment, add parking at Wayside and Wilson
   • address maintenance, technology, and transportation needs
2. The committee further recommends that the Board appoint a communications committee to prepare and present information about the proposed bond issue to the community
3. The committee further recommends that Bartlesville High School remain at its present location
4. Finally, the committee recommends that the current configuration of secondary schools remain the same, provided that the expansion of the high school be carried out in such a manner as to make possible the transfer of the 10th grade to the high school campus should future demographics warrant such action

Long Range Facilities Committee Members
Earl Sears, Chair
Brian Beagles, Past Chair
Scott Ambler
Charlie Bowerman
Angela Box
Debi Boyles
Tom Carlisle
Janet Cooper
Julie Daniels
Pat Dickerson
Denis Doe
Ken Dolezal
Alan Eastman
Wes Hadsell
Gary Lambert
Ron Lewis
Marta Manning
Granger Meador
David Mueller
Stan Mueller
Kevin Potter
Gary Quinn
Claudia Rolfs
Shelly Ryan
Kay Sowers
Todd Stahley
Beebe Stephenson
Donny Story
Guy Sutherland
Robbie Vaclaw
Tom Wheeler

Bond Issue Communication Committee
December, 2000 to May, 2001

After receiving the recommendations of the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee, the Board of Education proposed the largest bond issue in the district's history. A voluntary organization of parents, students, and educators formed to promote the bond issue. This Bond Issue Communication Committee operated independently of the district, using only private donations and no public funds.

Five sub-committees were established: Executive, Publicity, Finance, Speakers Bureau, Voter Registration, and Internal Campaign. The group worked on dozens of presentations to the public, radio spots, billboards, pamphlets, letters, phone banks, yard signs, a website [see excerpts from it here], a television special including a student-made documentary, and newspaper articles, supplements, ads, and letters to the editor.

The campaign's theme was "Building on Excellence", which was also adopted as the title of this website. The unprecedented effort was successful, with an overwhelming 72% approval from the community for the major portion of the bond, and 74% approval for the portion for school buses, which had to be voted on separately by state law. 7,253 ballots were cast, which represented about 28% of the registered voters - a strong showing for a special election.

Bond Issue Communication Committee Members
David King, Co-Chair
Earl Sears, Co-Chair
Donny Story, Co-Chair
Christina Adams
Delma Andress
Sheila Bales
Angela Box
Debi Boyles
Tom Carlisle
Mitsuye Conover
Julie Daniels
Joann DesLauriers
Pat Dickerson
Bobby Dodd
Ken Dolezal
Dan Droege
Alan Eastman
Scott Fooshee
Jim Fram
Jim Hess
Luis Hess
Daniel Jones
John Lowe
Jodi Macklin
Marta Manning
Granger Meador
George Meese
Stan Mueller
Dorea Potter
Thad Satterfield
Leroy Shepherd
Tom Shoemake
Guy Sutherland
Blair Thompson
Bettye Williams

Bond Design Steering Committees
June, 2001 to Present

Various design steering committees are formed for each phase of the project. They meet regularly with the architects to review progress on the overall design. During the construction phase of a project there are periodic construction meetings of the general contractors, architects, administrators, and project representatives.

Original Bond Design Steering Committee:
June, 2001 to June, 2002
Britt Embry, SPARKS
Kirk Horner, Hollis-Miller
Gary Quinn, District Supt.
Debi Boyles, BHS Principal
Bob Anderson, District Buildings & Grounds
Tom Carlisle, School Board Member
Rhonda Layman, District Technology
Ron Lewis, Band Director
Granger Meador, Science Chair
Stan Mueller, Fine Arts Representative
Earl Sears, Secondary Ed
Michael Shanahan, District Central Office
Tom Wheeler, District Athletics

This committee meets as needed to ensure that the bond issue funds are being spent in accordance with the bond proposal and state requirements. It is a long-term group, so its membership will also evolve over time.

Bond Oversight Committee Members
Sheila Bales
Jerry Barnett
Carol Beck
Merle Bell
Angela Box
Tracey Brong
Julie Daniels
Brian Farnsworth
Mary Jane Foster
John Fusselman
Ron Glenn
Jerry Hackney
Jack Jackson
Dave Jenkins
Justin Johnson
John Lamb
Dorothy Nunley
Minor Oglesby, Jr.
Earl Sears
Jim Snyder
Leo Stevens
John Swanson
Charlie Tarboletti

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Please direct any comments or suggestions regarding this page to:
Granger Meador, Bartlesville High School
gmeador@bps-ok.org