OSSD BOT Approves Resolution for March 2025 Ballot
OSSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVES BOND RESOLUTION FOR MARCH 2025 BALLOT
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss (OSSD) -- On Tuesday, January 14, the OSSD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Strategic Planning Committee’s recommendation authorizing a bond election on the Special Election ballot to be held March 18.
The recommendation of the no-tax-increase bond comes after more than a year of planning and research conducted by OSSD administration and the Strategic Planning Committee, and aims to address the infrastructure and expansion of several schools, primarily the current Ocean Springs Upper Elementary campus.
The proposed $52 million dollar bond would maintain the current tax rate of $80.31 per $100,000 of assessed property value, meaning homeowners would not face an increase in their property tax rate. The solution allows the district to address immediate infrastructure needs without an additional tax burden from the community and coincides with the district’s 5-year strategic plan, INSPIRE 2029.
“Our students, teachers, and community deserve safe, functional, and updated facilities that help foster the highest levels of achievement,” said Michael Lindsey, Superintendent of OSSD. “Not increasing taxes for our community while also accommodating the growing needs of our district was top priority. The proposed bond addresses both of those important areas of concern.”
The proposed plans come after more than a year of research with multiple community, student, and staff advisory groups. The process began in October 2023 with the establishment of the Strategic Planning Committee. District leaders met with teachers, staff, and members of the community to begin developing the 5-year plan for the district. The committee, with help from Bailey Education Group consultants, developed Inspire 2029, the district’s 20224-2029 strategic plan, which emphasizes world-class academic facilities.
Once the strategic plan was approved by the OSSD BOT in July, the district then began meeting with students and staff to determine the highest needs of each campus. Once several options were formulated, the district met again with staff and hosted multiple community forums to allow members of the community to provide feedback on the plans and ask questions. The proposed plans are a result of feedback and input from the students, staff, and community.
Plan highlights:
- Construct a state-of-the-art middle school on our current upper elementary campus (currently located at 2320 Government Street).
- Make critical infrastructure upgrades to all three elementary schools and the current middle school campus.
- Renovate the current middle school campus to convert it into a 5th and 6th grade school.
- Add additional classrooms to our elementary schools as needed to allow for transition to a K-4th grade concept. Currently, the district’s elementary schools are K-3.
Citizens residing within OSSD will have the opportunity to vote to approve the bond resolution in a special election on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025. Voters are encouraged to learn more about the bond and proposed plans as election day approaches. More information can be found on the district website by visiting www.ossdms.org/bond. More information and plan updates will continuously be added throughout the bond process.
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ABOUT OSSD: Ocean Springs School District is home to more than 7,000 dedicated students and educators. It is the mission of the Ocean Springs School District to teach our students essential content and strategies that will enable them to apply knowledge beyond their school experience and to have a positive impact on society.