Newcastle Public Schools Board of Education approved at its monthly meeting a $10.8 million bond to be voted on in November. School officials said the bond will allow the district to stay within its bonding capacity and continue to make facility improvements across the district without raising taxes.
The school district has set this bond election for area voters on November 18, 2025.
Dr. Cathy Walker, superintendent of Newcastle Public Schools, presented to the school board items included on this bond. These items include purchasing land for another elementary school, safe rooms for the current upper elementary school, additional seating and restrooms at the stadium, and renovations to the track.
Walker explained that in order to accommodate Newcastle’s continued growth, another elementary school will be necessary. The current elementary school has 717 students.
She also emphasized the need for safe rooms at the elementary. In November, a tornado tore the roof from the gym, landing it in the parking lot.
“If the tornado would have happened during the day without warning, there would have been students in the gym,” Dr. Walker said.
She noted that fourth and fifth grade students walk from their end of the elementary school to the community shelter located a quarter of a mile away.
Walker said for the past two years, stadium stands have been filled to capacity with fans standing around the fence to watch a football game. To accommodate, 790 seats will be added to the home side along with additional restrooms to the visitor side. She said the track also needs to be resurfaced and the auxiliary event areas updated.
“Currently, it is not meeting the needs of our students,” Walker said. “It is also the goal for the district to be able to host track meets in the future.”
By doing so, would bring in visitors to Newcastle who would shop and eat in the community, creating additional sales tax revenue.
Zack Robinson, senior vice president with BOK and the district’s bond advisor, explained that the $10.8 million bond would target the same tax rate as recent years, allowing the school district to fund these important projects while maintaining taxes at their historical levels.
Robinson said since 2022, the District’s Sinking Fund tax rate (for bonds) has averaged around 36 mills, the same target for this bond. He also explained this bond would be paid off with the current $79 million bond that was passed in 2022.
