Attention Eugene School District, Ore., taxpayers: The largest bond measure in Lane County history soon might reach the ballot.
The Eugene School Board on Wednesday is scheduled to advance a $385 million bond measure to district voters in November. The measure would come after 18 months of consideration, community conversations, surveys and planning to determine its final price, as well as what the district could do with the money should it be approved by voters.
District voters last passed a $170 million bond in 2013 -- the largest bond ever passed in the Eugene district, or any other Lane County school district.
If the new bond is approved by voters in the Nov. 6 general election, the property taxes in the Eugene School District on a median assessed house of $204,147 would increase by about $167 a year.
District property owners with a median assessed home already are paying about $1,600 a year to support Eugene school operations and to pay debt on previous voter-approved bond measures.
Eugene School Board chairwoman Eileen Nittler said Friday that the seven-member board acknowledged the measure's large price tag.
"We are aware that it is the biggest bond ever and that we're asking a lot of the taxpayers," she said. "But we are confident from polling and other districts that have passed much bigger measures that we have some community support."
But Nittler admitted that she could be wrong.
"Our community has passed every school funding measure we've ever put before it," she said. "But we aren't going into this lightly and assuming we'll have full voter support again."
If the bond passes, the district intends to tackle a number of building projects, including the replacement of four schools.
A rebuild of North Eugene High School is at the top of the district's list and would cost about $150 million to complete. The bond also would allow the district to construct another elementary school in the Sheldon region, which would cost an estimated $53.5 million. The replacement of Edison Elementary School in south Eugene also is listed as a priority and would cost about $45 million. Camas Ridge Elementary School in south Eugene also would be reconstructed, at an estimated cost of $43.2 million.
Other listed projects include $16 million worth of school safety, security and seismic upgrades, $12 million to provide equitable facilities, $8 million for curriculum, $6 million for career technical education, or CTE, $6 million for technology and $4.8 million for school buses.
"We feel like it's a good start to making schools more efficient and secure and safe," Nittler said.
The district would need between $945 million and $1.3 billion to tackle nearly all of its capital improvement needs, district documents show.
If the bond passes, the district also would receive a grant from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Match program. The program allows communities that pass school improvement general obligation bonds to receive up to $8 million in matching funds.
Eugene district staff and board members have been mulling details of a potential bond for more than 18 months, and the topic has faced public scrutiny.
If the bond is passed by voters, North Eugene High School would be constructed on the west end of the school's property. That site is currently occupied by the former Silver Lea Elementary School, which houses two Eugene district programs -- Corridor Elementary and Yujin Gakuen Japanese immersion school.
District officials have said that the Yujin Gakuen program most likely would be moved to one side of Kelly Middle School, also in north Eugene, and that Corridor students would probably move to a different elementary or secondary school in the north region.
About 330 kids are enrolled at Yujin Gakuen, and about 380 students are enrolled at Kelly. Additionally, about 200 students are enrolled at Corridor Elementary, which is a magnet school.
Parents from both schools have expressed concern to school board members that the proposed moves would shortchange their children. Several have said that if the district moves the immersion school to Kelly, they would vote against the bond. Parents, teachers and students also said the move would be difficult for Kelly students and staff, and would mix young children with middle school students, some of whom are teens.
