News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The Sisters School District is asking local voters to approve $10.7 million in bond funding in the May 17 election.
"What we're trying to do is protect the investment in the school district, in the community, that we already have by doing needed maintenance," school board chair Don Hedrick told The Nugget.
The bond will fund safety and security upgrades; athletic facilities repairs and improvements; heating and air conditioning plant; site improvements, including high school roof repair; and pay off the district's full faith and credit obligations.
Hedrick and board vice chair Jeff Smith said that enhancing safety and security is a critical action in today's climate, where violent intruders are a threat.
"It's something we have to do," Hedrick said.
The $2.76 million allocated through the proposed bond funding would allow reconfiguring school entrances to provide improved access control and provide for security devices.
"Technology allows us to lock classroom doors in the event of an intruder," Smith said.
Roof repair at Sisters High School would be covered within the $2.7 million allocated for site improvements. However, the district is no longer planning on replacing the roof, which has posed problems almost since the high school was opened 12 years ago.
Taxpayer frustration with the notion of replacing a 12-year-old roof is considered a key reason that voters rejected a $14.5 million bond request in November 2014.
"The roof, we think now, can be repaired rather than replaced," Hedrick said.
Instead of a $1.3 million estimate cost to replace the roof, the district has allocated $375,000 for repair.
"We have worked with subcontractors to make repairs on the roof, and those fixes have been successful," Smith told The Nugget.
He said the board believes they can extend the life of the existing roof another eight to 12 years.
"The roof was a huge controversy," Hedrick said. "We don't want the roof to be the cause of a bond issue failing."
Funds allocated for site improvements will take care of deferred maintenance and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance requirements.
ADA requirements will also drive some of the work on athletic facilities. Reed Stadium is not currently ADA compliant, and the stands have been deemed a problem for people with mobility issues. The track has been rendered unusable.
"We have to replace the track," Hedrick said. "It's not usable. The stadium is not ADA compliant."
Some $2.5 million has been allocated in the bond for Reed Stadium repairs and upgrades. Another $481,250 has been called out for a new baseball field and $357,500 for tennis courts. The courts would also be lined for pickleball and open for community use, Hedrick noted.
There is no money allocated for technology purchases, which was another sticking point for taxpayers in the failed $14.5 million bond election of 2014.
The district is allocating funds from the proposed bond to pay off $1,270,000 remaining to be paid on the district's full faith and credit obligations. The district obligated itself to the tune of $2.1 million in March of 2007 to fund replacement of the elementary school roof and other facilities needs. At the time the FF&C obligations were incurred, enrollment in Sisters schools was strong and staff and school board believed the district could readily sustain payments.
When the Great Recession hit and enrollment (which is the basis for the allocation of state school funding) plummeted, the FF&C obligations became a significant burden, costing the district $240,000 per year - money that could not go to funding teachers.
"We were looking at growing revenue on an annual basis - then the world changed," Smith said.
By paying off that debt, the district would free up the payment dollars for the classroom.
Hedrick and Smith say that, while the reduced bond request will not cover all of the needs of the district, it will cover critical needs. They note that the district plans to host at least two public information presentations between now and the election.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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