INDIANOLA, Okla. — On April 1, Indianola voters are heading back to the ballot box for the third time in about a year to vote on a school bond.
The school district said upgrades are desperately needed at its campus.
2 News Oklahoma’s Douglas Braff asked the Indianola Public Schools superintendent why they need these upgrades and how past attempts fell short.
“We have some major maintenance things that still need to happen,” Superintendent Anna Peery told 2 News. “So, we're asking for a $1.5 million general maintenance bond that will last five years.”
Much of that maintenance funding is needed for its century-old high school building.
Peery said, “We've replaced flooring every year so far, but it tends to buckle from the moisture that's underneath it, causing tripping hazards and low spots in the floor.”
Many of those issues, according to her, stem from the building’s aging foundation and air filtration system.
“I’m sure you can smell it also,” she pointed out as we walked down a hallway. “We get skunks that go underneath the school.”
That smell Indianola students endure isn’t helped by one fact.
On the outside wall of the stone building, poking out of the surrounding dirt are vents.
“Those vents aren’t actually attached to the foundation anymore,” said Peery. “And so, it [the bond-funded project] would enclose all that, and there would be a one-way air in and then air out that would fix that foundation.”
She mentioned that the cafeteria building needs a new roof.
“It was built in the '70s,” the superintendent explained, “and the roof hasn’t been replaced since then.”
She said that every time it rains, portions of the ceiling sometimes fall down in the restroom areas, emphasizing, “That's a hazard obviously to students as well.”
Then there’s what they call “the Pit” (a.k.a. the septic tank). Peery told us the Pit breaks down regularly and that the septic system needs a full overhaul.
“If it breaks down, there’s nothing pumping it out,” she explained, “so then it can overflow.”
Indianola Public Schools failed twice within the past year to pass any version of this bond.
Most recently, a majority of voters in November 2024 said yes to an $8.7 million bond — but not the required 60% approval for it to pass.
“Obviously, the first two didn't pass, right?” 2 News asked Peery. “What do you say was the biggest point of contention?”
She replied, “I think the biggest point of contention before was the amount of the bond and the fact that it would have a tax impact even though it was a low tax impact. Right now, everybody's looking at every dollar that they spend.”
This latest version of the bond, on the April 1 ballot, is scaled down to $1.5 million and no longer includes any property tax hikes.
Peery said, after the November 2024 bond, “We really listened to our community, and they wanted a no-tax-impact bond.”
She told us this April 1 bond would extend the current tax rates established by a bond one decade ago for another five years.
This latest school bond has really proven divisive in this town of about 148 people. We went around trying to listen to people’s thoughts about the matter, but none of them were comfortable with going on camera.
One woman supporting the bond instead gave us a statement, saying, “Anything for the kids. It's not taking away from anybody. So why would you not want to better the school, the district, the community?”
“I feel like we have more community support for this one,” Peery mentioned.
“I think that with the last two that didn't pass, that really spoke to us because they've always stepped up anytime we have a need," she added. "So, we really tried to listen to what they had to say and find something that we could agree on.”
Election Day is Tuesday, April 1.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
