School funding measures are failing to gain favor with Oregon voters

School districts and community colleges in Oregon hoped so pass bonds to pay for new and improved facilities Most saw their plans fall apart on Election Day, with a few notable exceptions.

Two school districts that asked for levies to support teachers and other classroom supplies fared better, but a third district’s levy appeared headed for defeat.

In the Tigard-Tualatin School District, which has nearly 11,700 students, there is a overwhelming majority of voters supported the extension of a local option levy that will raise $67 million over the next five years. And voters in the 175-student Falls City School District, in rural Polk County, appeared to approve a levy that will raise about $750,000 over the next five years to pay for extracurricular activities and math and literacy support.

However, voters are 2800 students Parkrose School District in eastern Multnomah County, it appeared a levy for 28 teaching positions would be defeated, although the race remained too close Wednesday afternoon.

The picture was much bleaker for most Oregon schools and community colleges that sought voter support to help repair and modernize aging buildings or build new ones. Of the nine such measures on the ballot around the state, five appeared to fail, three fell too close and only one appeared to have passed.

The supposed success story is voters’ apparent extension of Columbia Gorge Community College’s current bond rate of 27 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value to pay for safety upgrades, classroom and laboratory modernizations and other projects. The passage appeared to be largely due to strong support from voters in Hood River County, which appears to have blunted the impact of the nearly 54% of voters in neighboring Wasco County who voted against it, according to preliminary results.

The disparate outcomes of the school funding measures on the November ballot will widen the divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in a state where school districts and community colleges receive little to no state funding for facilities, said David Valenzuela, state superintendent of 4,500 student school. Three Rivers School District in Josephine County.

In his district, voters overwhelmingly rejected a bond request that would have paid for security improvements and new roofs at schools around the sprawling district, which spans the upper Rogue Valley. It was the second time in six months that the district tried and failed to pass a bond. Failure means loss $6 million in state funds that were contingent on voter approval of the bond.

“I’ve been asked what our plan B is,” Valenzuela said in an interview Wednesday. “We don’t necessarily have that. Last week we had a lot of rainy weather, which caused leaks in several schools throughout the district. We will track down the leaks as best we can, and if people feel better, we will get back on the road a little while later, I think.”

Oregon offers a modest grant program to help school districts cover maintenance and construction costs. The program began in 2015 and in most cases amounts to $6 million per district. Previously, the state gave no money at all to help districts build new schools or maintain old ones. Oregon is one of the few a dozen states that creates neighborhoods relatively little or no help pay for school construction, according to the nonprofit Education Commission of the States.

Instead of the state school finance formula gives each district approximately the same amount per student to cover operating costs, including salaries and benefits plus curriculum, materials, utilities and transportation. Stretching that funding to pay for major repairs or construction, however, would require such big cuts in other areas that it often isn’t possible, school officials say.

The result is a pronounced gap in building quality, including the availability of fresh, temperature-controlled air, modern security systems, natural light and current technology, among Oregon’s 197 school districts. Studies suggest that modernized school environments, especially air quality, can improve students’ academic performance.

“The way the state school fund is allocated to meet infrastructure needs is insufficient,” Valenzuela said. “It can’t maintain what we have.”

Barring a change in voters’ willingness to support the school system or a change in the state’s funding structure, Three Rivers would ultimately have to close or consolidate schools and transport some children dozens of miles from home to school. result.

In addition to Three Rivers, other school districts and community colleges that appeared to see their bond requests fail Tuesday included the Pine Eagle School District in Baker County, Rogue Community College in southwestern Oregon, the Central School District in Polk and Marion counties and Chemeketa Salem Community College.

Three bond races remain too close to call. A bond for Clackamas Community College narrowly fell short in preliminary vote counts Tuesday, and a bond for the Redmond School District narrowly passed. A bond to improve Oregon City school facilities was nearly tied at 50.2% to 49.8%, while an estimated 30% of ballots in Clackamas County remained to be counted.

Jeremy Wright, a political consultant who worked on all three close call bond campaigns, said Wednesday that he was still optimistic that all three would pass after more votes were counted and released. Historically, he says, voters who return their ballots close to the deadline are more likely to be younger, renters or parents, who tend to be more supportive of schools and tax measures.

In Redmond, the bulk of the remaining votes could come from the Crooked River Ranch community in unincorporated Jefferson County, home to tax-conscious retirees, but both Wright and a spokesperson for the Redmond School District said it is unclear whether there enough votes remain to outweigh the votes. the support in Deschutes County.

The Oregon Department of Education recently started using one A $5 million grant from the federal government to conduct a full assessment of the 4,810 school buildings statewide, a process expected to be completed in early 2027.

The goal is to better understand the comparative condition of school buildings and ultimately to “help the state distribute the resources it provides to school facilities,” Adam Krein, administrator of facilities assessment for the Oregon Department of Education, said. previously told The Oregonian. /OregonLive.

— Julia Silverman covers K-12 education for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her via email at [email protected].