KPS Superintendent says safety, growth main reasons for bond

Derrick James, McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
Updated ·2 min read

Feb. 10—Krebs Public School Superintendent Patrick Turner said the focus of a $10 million bond issue on Tuesday's ballot is the safety of his district.

"Some of the highlights are an additional FEMA rated safety room for our students that will hold 170 people and relocating our playground equipment off of the highway," Turner said. "We have a playground on the northeast corner of our school building literally 20 feet away from the highway."

The bond will also be used to add four new classrooms, new restrooms, and a new elementary PE gym and rec area.

Turner said the bond is needed because the city of Krebs is growing with three new housing developments planned to be built inside the district and that the bond will help the district "grow with" the city of Krebs.

According to the district, 470 students are currently enrolled with enrollment growing nearly 100 students in the last 10 years while utilizing the same spaces. When the staff is combined, the total number of people that utilize the school on any given day is 535.

"We're just trying to increase our space," Turner said. "We need more classroom space to accommodate our growing size. This will allow us to hire more teachers and lower the student/teacher ratio to where it should be."

The new saferoom would be located among the proposed new classrooms and restrooms with the capacity of the school's current safe room pushing the 500-person limit.

Turner said his district needs a new gym because not all students get adequate gym time daily as they should "due to scheduling conflicts."

The district states a minimal tax increase of about $4.50 a month for the average property owner will happen if the bond is passed for those who live within the KPS district.

According to the district, the new bond is needed because the district's current bond comes off the books in 2025 and that now is the best time because "material and building costs are just going to keep increasing. Need to build now and get the full project approved at one time to save future dollars."

"Krebs passed their first bond, the only bond they've ever tried to pass in 2014," Turner said. "This is the ninth year of that bond, so we're just trying to get this bond passed so that our property taxes don't skyrocket, and we don't come off the books with that."

"We're just trying to maintain our facilities and accommodate our growing enrollment."

Visit www.okvoterportal.okelections.us to find your voting precinct. Early voting ended Friday. Voting precincts will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the special election.