Fiscal sanity reigns in Bartlesville — both bonds failed to achieve 60% margin to ‘pass’; there is still much work to be done to get our house in order so that all levels of government learn to live within their means. The school board needs to make some operational changes and listen to the people or they will need to be replaced in the days ahead.
Detail returns available here: Bartlesville voters say ‘no’ to school bond propositions | Examiner Enterprise, Bartlesville
Bartlesville voters say ‘no’ to school bond propositions
By Abigail Singrey
The community rejected both Bartlesville Public School District bond propositions, while Copan’s proposition passed with overwhelming community support.
Voters told the Bartlesville Public School District to go back to the drawing board on its plan to build a new sixth and seventh grade center and reconfigure the grades at the secondary levels.
According to unofficial election results, only 49.54 — 2,531 people — percent voted for the $48 million proposition, while 50.46 percent — 2,578 people — voted against the proposal.
School bond proposals require a 60 percent majority to pass.
The community also voted down a proposition that would have allowed the district to spend $1.5 million on transportation, including new buses. Over half of the voters — 54.36 percent — voted for the proposition, but it still fell shy of the 60 percent approval rate needed to pass it.
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Thank you to an ever vigilant Bartlesville Community and Grassroots Bartlesville for keeping the facts in front of the people. It will require much work to force all levels of government to make cuts and shrink the size and scope of government so that the private sector can thrive and grow.
I also recommend two specific changes which would dramatically improve the process:
1) Support and pass the legislation being recommended by Rep Josh Cockroft to force this type of elections be voted on when other matters are already scheduled and on the ballot. We should follow Rep Josh Cockroft’s recommendation that we combine these types of school bond elections with other more major elections so that they come under more scrutiny from more voters. We could also avoid the expense of a ‘special’ election attended by low voter awareness and turnout. If everyone is going to end up paying more in taxes, then let’s make sureeveryone gets an opportunity to vote at a time when they normally do so on other matters. Rep. Josh Cockroft of McCloud says he believes changing the date of the elections would increase voter participation. Cockroft says if schools are to improve, the entire community should be involved in their futures. Currently, school board elections are held on the second Tuesday in February or on the date of the presidential primary.
More about this legislative recommendation were here >>> (this link is no longer active)
New link with bill numbers here >>>
2) Enable/require public utilities in the area to provide public service release(s) of ballot wording well in advance of ALL elections. No taxing entity should be able to even attempt to pass tax increases with only certain segments of the tax base being made aware of the changes impacting everyone in the area. Openness and transparency in government is needed at all levels.
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Posted by Sandra Crosnoe for Finding Gems & Sharing Them
Cross-posted with OKGrassroots
Finding Gems and Sharing Them 
February 21, 2012 at 3:01 AM
[…] Original post here >>> Fiscal Sanity has Reigned […]
February 29, 2012 at 2:30 PM
[…] Preliminary Returns Indicate that Fiscal Sanity has Reigned in Bartlesville BISD Spending for Now (original post of this article) […]