Voters in the Luther Public School District will be asked one more time to approve a bond issue for renovations and improvements. The election is on April 2 for the $28.6 million bond issue, which asks for a property tax increase of less than 5% to fund renovations for the elementary and middle schools. Polls are open from 7 am to 7 pm at your regular precinct. Find more voter information, including the location of your precinct, at the OK Voter Portal.

This is the second time this school year for a school bond election; a $43 million bond election failed in September. The current proposal does not include a new gymnasium but focuses on safe rooms, a new cafeteria, restrooms, and other renovations. Luther school district voters have not passed a bond issue since the 2012 election that provided property tax revenue to fund the construction of a new high school.

Three similar bond projects failed at the ballot box in 2015 and 2019. To oversimplify, while proponents insist the projects are needed to address safety and to modernize facilities, others object to excessive interest and finance fees ($10 million for this project) funded with additional property taxes on top of those retiring the debt for the 2012 projects. But the issue is anything but simple and not without passion. An informational meeting sponsored by the school was scheduled for Tuesday evening, and was attended by about 20 people.

While voter turnout has increased for every bond election, the average turnout is less than 20% of the nearly 4,000 registered voters in the school district that includes Oklahoma, Lincoln, and Logan Counties. The election is Tuesday, April 2. Vote and encourage your neighbors to vote.