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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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Hundreds of homeowners in the small town of Ninnekah, 42 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, are facing a double-digit increase in property taxes this year, as local authorities pay off a multi-million dollar settlement.
As Ninnekah prepares to pay a $7.5-million settlement involving a former teacher convicted of sexually assaulting students, school district leaders have announced that property taxes in the town will rise by up to 75 percent this year. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2021.
What Is the Settlement About?
Last year, Ninnekah Public Schools agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by 14 women and girls who accused their high school basketball coach of sexual abuse. The amount set a new record for abuse cases against school districts in Oklahoma, topping a $5-million settlement reached by Kingfisher Public Schools in 2023.
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The former coach and alleged abuser, Ronald Gene Akins, pleaded guilty in 2023 to 10 felony counts, including charges of sexual battery, rape by instrumentation, and lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence that will be followed by 25 years of probation. Once out of prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender.
Ninnekah is a small town of under 800 people. Not only has the case caused outrage among the community, who discovered that the alleged abuses were allowed to continue for years, but it is now going to weigh financially on their shoulders.
How Is It Impacting Homeowners?
A letter sent to Ninnekah residents and shared by local news media says that authorities have tried to devise a plan to pay the multi-million dollar settlement, involving parents, staff members, and residents on how to best approach this.
“Our goal from the beginning has been to meet our legal obligation with as little impact on local taxpayers as possible,” the letter reads. Last fall, it stated, the district paid $500,000 from the school’s general fund toward the settlement, while their liability insurance paid $1 million.
“However, the balance must be paid through the district’s sinking fund, which relies on local property taxes and its revenue source,” the letter states.
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Based on the letter, Ninnekah residents are likely to face a property tax increase between 71 percent and 75 percent when they receive their upcoming notices from the county’s assessor’s office in December.
But there will be more increases in the coming years. Based on the school district’s letter, 2026 will see residents facing a 32 percent increase in property taxes, while they are expected to rise by a more modest 29 percent in the 2027 tax year.
According to school districts, costs for tax years 2026 and 2027 are “designated to cover the remaining balance of the lawsuit.”
The increase has frustrated many in the town, who told Oklahoma’s News 4 that they will likely face bills that are twice as high as those they faced last year.
“A lot of people are upset,” Ninnekah resident Rob Helms told the news channel. “It’s very tough. We’re not the only school district in Oklahoma that has faced this, and certainly none of the Ninnekah residents affected this situation,” he said.
“Those who caused this situation are in jail. They’re not going to be paying this penalty. We are. And that’s tough for everyone to swallow.”
Ninnekah Public School Districts superintendent Regina Jones said in a statement reported by News 9 that the district worked with financial advisers to minimize taxpayer impact, but knows that it will be challenging for residents.
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