Paxson Haws, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·4 min read
Jun. 4—Norman Pubic Schools Board of Education held its regular meeting Monday where board members discussed the effects TIF No. 2 could have on the school district, a new program for free lunches, budgets and more.
A discussion surrounding the new proposed TIF, two tax increment financing districts for the proposed University North Park arena and entertainment district.
The 2019 TIF had a 50/50 split, half of the ad valorem going to Norman Public Schools. The new proposed TIF, which was officially unveiled May 16 at the project's statutory review committee meeting, will keep 100% of the sales tax and ad valorem tax revenues in the TIF district to pay off the developments, meaning NPS would not be receiving any tax revenue for the duration of the TIF — up to 25 years.
NPS Board of Education member Annette Price raised the question on if the new TIF would impact funding of the school district going forward and how it might impact students.
"It would not be a deduct or reduction of revenue that we are currently receiving," Brenda O'Brian, chief financial officer for NPS, said.
O'Brian added that she was not aware of any financial impact study being conducted and that she was not involved in any discussion involving the proposed TIF but Superintendent Nick Migliorino likely was.
Price then brought up concerns about the projected increase in NPS enrollment. As listed in the project plan, there is a projected increase of new-to-Norman residents of 14%, or 95 more students for Norman Public Schools. A 25% increase would mean 171 students and 40% would equate to 273 students.
Ninety-five more students would trigger redistricting; any percentage increase higher would require a new elementary school.
Schools currently projected to be impacted by the new TIF district include Roosevelt, Cleveland, Adams, Eisenhower and Wilson, according to Associate Superintendent Justin Milner.
Milner said they are monitoring capacity at the schools and that there is room for some growth, but it depends on how the district wants to go about accommodations.
"We have grown and we continue to build additional classroom space and it comes down to the conversation around portables and do we bring those back or do you build another school," Milner said.
Depending on the school sizes and "speculative responses," as it's unknown what the number of new students would be, a new elementary school could cost anywhere from 14.5 million to 27.6 million, not including a 4 to 6% cost escalation.
Norman Public Schools have been offered land from the OU Foundation to build a new elementary school. The offer included five and a half acres of buildable land at $8 a square foot.
"If you're talking a Wilson (Elementary), you know, you could have the potential of building in that area," Milner said. "If you're talking about a Reagan, you would need much more than that."
In the future, if a new school is needed, the land from OU Foundation is a potential option and new construction would need to go through the bond process.
Later in the meeting, the Board approved designating 10 schools into a pilot trial of the Community Eligibility Provision. CEP helps provides free meals to students at schools that have a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Sites with a percentage of 25% or more of "directly certified" students can qualify, meaning sites that have 25% or more of students who would qualify for free meals under the normal provisions are eligible for CEP.
"I am leaping out of my seat right now because this means we're feeding kids," Price said.
Schools included in the pilot program are Adams Elementary, Dimensions Academy, Irving Middle, Jackson Elementary, Jefferson, Kennedy, Lincoln, Madison, Reagan and Wilson Elementary schools. Families will still be required to fill out the Free and Reduced-Price School Meals application.
O'Brien then detailed the changes and increases for renewing the districts insurance. The overall premium cost for fiscal year 2025 is $4,489,384, an increase of 13.92% from fiscal year 2024. The board unanimously approved the proposal.
The board also approved the 2023-2024 amended budget and the 2024-2025 proposed budget. The board approved the appointment of Jessica Tims for the next Lincoln Elementary School Principal. Tims has worked in the district for 13 years and has been the assistant principal at Roosevelt Elementary for the past three years.
