News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A $1.27-million portion of the Sisters School District's $10.7-million bond funding request that goes to a vote May 17 is dedicated to paying off a full faith and credit obligation undertaken by the school district in 2007.
The district has six annual payments of $240,000 still remaining on the original $2.1 million obligation. The funds for those payments come out of the district's general fund, and district staff and board members note that eliminating the debt will free up those dollars to pay staff.
"This is an aspect of the bond where we will see immediate results," said school board member Amanda Clark.
Superintendent Curt Scholl notes that most of the district's operating budget is devoted to staff costs, so losing $240,000 per year to debt payment takes money out of the classroom.
"Whether that means we're saving people or adding people, 80 percent of our budget is people," he said.
The original FF&C obligation was undertaken to pay for work that would be commonly paid for through a bond. At the time of the issuance, Sisters' enrollment was at a peak, which meant that state funding was substantial enough to pay the debt off without major impact on operations.
A deep and prolonged recession brought a decline in enrollment and in state funding. Budgets were cut back and the $240,000 annual payment has loomed larger and larger through those straitened times.
The FF&C obligation funded a new roof at Sisters Elementary School, along with insulation and new classroom ceilings. It also paid for fiber optic installation, modular classrooms, HVAC and lighting upgrades at SES. It also funded new classroom space, remodeling, and ADA upgrades at Sisters Middle School.
The bond request also includes $2.7 million for safety and security upgrades at the schools; $3.2 million in repairs and maintenance, including repairs to the high school roof (in lieu of replacement); $3.4 million in improvements to Reed Stadium to make the track usable and the stadium ADA compliant, a new tennis court complex, and a new ball field.
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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