By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle
Voters this month will decide the fate of a $73 million bond that aims to repair and upgrade infrastructure in buildings across the Lincoln County School District.
Ballots were mailed Wednesday and are due back to the Lincoln County clerk’s office by 8 p.m. May 20. Voter pamphlets have also been mailed to households of registered voters in the county.
For the school district, half of the bond’s proceeds would go towards dozens of repairs to aging buildings, increasing school security, accessibility, and modernizing plumbing, air systems and technology. The other half is earmarked for the construction of performing arts buildings at three high schools.
Funds from the bond can be used for large-cost projects like new construction, purchasing property, technology upgrades and classroom improvements but cannot be used for operating costs, salaries, retirement benefits or other expenses.
The new bond would carry the same 65 cent tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property value as the current bond. That translates to about $195 a year for an owner of property assessed at $300,000.
If approved, the district would also apply to the state for a $6 million state building grant to help pay for projects.
The bond would operate for 15 years, just like the previous bond, and would not be a tax increase. In 2014, the bond passed with voter approval at nearly 60 percent.
“It’s important; we need to make a good school learning environment,” said longtime school board member Liz Martin, who is also the secretary of the political action committee for the bond.
Projects
The bond aims to fund numerous projects across all the district’s schools. The average age of a school in the district is 51 years old, Martin said.
Some of the improvements focus on infrastructure and safety by replacing roofs, boiler systems, water heaters and electrical systems. The bond would also pay for asbestos abatement, bring in new or upgraded security cameras, and bring in or update emergency lockdown systems that inform the police of an active threat on campus.
Several schools will get updated phone systems, new technology infrastructure closets, new artificial surface fields, new bleachers and upgraded classroom technology.
The bond would add 300-seat performing arts auditoriums to Waldport, Newport and Toledo high schools, at an estimated $10 million each. None of those schools have places – outside of cafeterias – for theater or musical performances. The auditoriums would also be available for community use.
When the group first did their research, they identified $93 million worth of school projects but wanted the tax rate to stay the same as the expiring bond. So, the list of projects is thoughtfully composed, Martin said. To see the full list of projects for each school go here.
“All schools, even charters to get improvements – every community gets a slice,” Martin said.
Campaigning
Martin has explained the bond 19 times at various city council meetings, civic clubs, homeowner’s associations, churches and chambers of commerce in the past month. She estimates she will be speaking at another eight before election day, May 20.
The school district is not able to explicitly tell people to vote for the bond, but they can distribute information about it. Campaigning is where Martin and other political action committee members come in.
“We like to say that we are two trains on parallel tracks with the same destination,” she said.
The last time she helped pass the bond in 2014, the landscape was so different, she said.
Social media was not as widespread as it is today and mainly the PAC relied on the radio stations and newspapers to get the word out.
In some ways it feels more difficult, since they are having to do that promotion themselves, Martin said. But meeting with voters has always been the main strategy.
The group has data on the voters who approved of the bond in 2014 and plans to go door to door. They also expect to have rallies in May and participate in the Loyalty Days parade this weekend, she said.
“We are a small group, but we are mighty, and we are energized,” Martin said.
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org
Comment Policy