Celebrate community and our schools

On May 17, the Sisters School District is proposing a general obligation bond for major maintenance and facility upgrades, Measure 9-108.

The intent of a bond is to free up dollars for use in the classroom immediately, take care of "100,000-mile" repairs, and upgrade facilities that are no longer in working order.

As a preface, it needs to be emphasized that bonds are an integral and normal part of the funding of our schools in tandem with local option levies and fixed tax rates. Since 1990, fixed tax rates for schools have dropped 30 percent per student in inflation-adjusted dollars. Local levies and bonds help compensate for this drop.

A short survey of tax liabilities in neighboring districts demonstrates that the Sisters School District is below Redmond, Bend/La Pine and Madras schools. With the addition of an overdue bond, the total tax rate for Sisters School District will be at or below these neighboring districts. This is cause for celebration. Our schools have historically performed better, by state academic benchmarks, compared to our neighboring districts, at a lower cost.

It should be noted that with the State's "new normal" of school funding, with bonds and levies supporting reduced fixed-rate dollars, school districts must be creative in their financing of building maintenance.

As such, building maintenance can be divided into two main categories: routine maintenance and major maintenance.

Think of it like your car.

The Sisters School District has taken care of all regular oil changes, rotation of tires, and changed spark plugs through its routine maintenance programs.

Major maintenance, or the "100,000-mile" projects, have been funded at a lower rate since 2011 when, in the face of a recession, the District did not reissue a bond as others were retired.

Measure 9-108 will get us back to healthy bond levels to invest more in major maintenance projects.

Beyond the funding nuances, let's celebrate what is good about this bond, the schools and this community.

Notably, the process in which this bond was formed deserves celebration. The new administration and school board engaged the Sisters constituents to help shape the list of major maintenance items to be brought before the voters. They listened, calibrated and are ready to execute the prioritized maintenance with an independent project manager and separate citizens oversight committee. Building in these new oversight mechanisms will support the District's goal of sound quality and prudent use of funds.

Let's celebrate that enrollment decline, after years of economic headwinds, has plateaued out with signs of growth. A bond now will help us catch these shifting, favorable winds. Functional facilities, improved classroom resources, and a renewed pride in the schools will aid recruitment of new families and neighboring students in an open enrollment environment.

Let's celebrate the fact that the presence of strong schools has contributed to the improvement of our personal wealth, locally. Ask any Realtor in town: The presence of good schools supports a strong housing market.

Let's celebrate the symbiotic relationship of the schools and the community. The intellectual resources available within the community have given our kids programs that are simply not found in any other district. Flight instruction, Americana Project, Luthier programs, IEE and Ecos are all rich programs that supplement and support our students' formal educational opportunities.

Finally, our new administration has been busy building on these programs to stay nimble in a dynamic and changing educational landscape. Our future looks bright. Let's celebrate this. Join me in voting "Yes" on Measure 9-108.

More information on the projects to be funded can be found at: ourschoolsourcommunity.org.