Long Range Facilities FAQs

Long-range facilities planning is a process for evaluating the District’s school buildings and other facilities, identifying current and future needs, and developing a thoughtful plan to maintain and improve them over time.

School facilities require ongoing maintenance and periodic major improvements as they age. The District is taking a proactive look at its buildings, educational needs, enrollment, and available resources so that future decisions are based on current information and a long-term perspective. Additionally, the State of Oregon is assessing facility conditions in all districts, and those reports were used in the current review. 

The District has contracted with certified facility professionals, and the State has also provided certified professionals to assess building conditions and identify needs for maintenance, repair, replacement, safety, accessibility, and modernization. This information provides a foundation for long-range planning and community conversations.

No. A long-range facilities plan identifies needs and provides a roadmap for future decision-making. It does not mean every identified project will be completed or that a specific project package has already been determined.

Community engagement is an important part of the process. The District will provide opportunities for residents, families, staff, and other community members to learn about facility conditions, tour facilities, ask questions, and provide input about priorities and potential future investments.

Potential priorities will be considered based on factors such as building condition, safety and security, accessibility, educational needs, useful life, cost, operational efficiency, and community support for local funding. 

The District will continue sharing information about facility conditions, planning considerations, potential funding options, and opportunities for public input as the process moves forward.

The District’s schools have been well used and cared for over many years, but aging buildings and building systems require increasing attention. Assessments have identified a range of needs to be considered in long-term planning.

Needs generally include aging systems, including roofs, mechanical and electrical systems, and plumbing. In addition, the assessments have identified that all buildings require significant repairs, replacement and modernization. This includes building finishes, accessibility improvements, and safety and security upgrades in every school building.

Yes. The District continues to maintain and operate its schools for students and staff. Long-range planning is intended to identify needs before they become more significant and to establish priorities for addressing aging facilities over time.

Routine maintenance is important for extending the life of District facilities, but some building systems eventually reach the point where repair is no longer the most practical or cost-effective solution. Larger replacements and renovations can also cost significantly more than the District can accommodate within its annual maintenance budget.

As systems age, they can require more frequent repairs, become less efficient, and become increasingly expensive to maintain. Delaying major work can also increase the risk of unexpected failures and potentially increase future project costs.

No. Facility assessments identify needs with different levels of urgency and life cycles. Part of long-range planning is determining which investments should occur first and which can reasonably be addressed later.

No. Age is only one consideration. The District also looks at the condition of the structure and building systems, educational functionality, accessibility, safety, cost of improvements, and whether continued investment represents a responsible long-term use of public resources.

Yes. Routine maintenance, repairs, and necessary improvements will continue. Long-range planning helps the District distinguish between work that can be handled through ongoing maintenance and larger capital needs that require a longer-term funding strategy.

Oregon's school finance system is complex, blending state, local, and federal revenues to support 197 school districts and 19 Education Service Districts (ESDs). The primary funding mechanism is the State School Fund (SSF), which allocates money based on a statutory equalization formula that combines state appropriations and local revenues, such as property taxes. This system is designed to ensure equity among districts with varying local wealth.

Key Revenue Sources

1. State Contributions: Oregon's legislature provides K-12 education funding through three primary sources:
   • General Fund (primarily income taxes),
   • Lottery receipts, and
   • Corporate Activities Tax 
     
     These contributions form the SSF, which totals $10.2 billion for the 2023-2025 biennium, representing about 66.5% of the funds distributed to schools.
2. Local Revenues: Local contributions, largely from property taxes, provide another significant portion of school funding. For 2023-2025, local revenues are estimated at $5.1 billion, making up about 33.5% of total funding. These local sources include:
   • Property taxes, the County School Fund, the Common School Fund, and revenues from state-managed timber trust lands.
     
     Oregon also allows districts to ask voters for additional funding via a "local option" tax, but this is capped to prevent wide disparities in district funding.
3. Federal Funding and Grants-in-Aid: In addition to state and local sources, schools receive federal grants, particularly for specific programs like Title I (for high-poverty schools) and special education. For 2023-2025, federal and state grants-in-aid, including those from the Corporate Activities Tax, provide significant additional funding for specific purposes, such as nutrition programs and professional development.

School Funding Distribution

The SSF and local revenues are distributed using an equalization formula that adjusts for each district’s specific needs, ensuring equity across Oregon. Factors like teacher experience, transportation costs, and a district’s student population (measured by a weighted student count) influence the allocation of funds. For example, students in poverty or English language learners receive additional weighting in the formula to reflect their greater educational needs. The goal is to ensure that all students, regardless of their district’s wealth, have access to comparable educational resources.

The District’s annual budget supports routine maintenance and some smaller improvements. Major capital projects can exceed what can reasonably be funded through the annual operating budget and may require voter-approved general obligation bonds.

A general obligation bond measure is used by a public school district to finance school facility projects or other capital projects. Measures are placed on the ballot along with information about the specific projects that would be completed by the district if passed by voters.

By law, General Obligation Bond funds can only be used for the capital projects outlined in the ballot explanatory statement. These funds cannot be used for items such as PERS, salaries, or other employee expenses, nor can they be used for routine maintenance or supplies.

To vote on a school bond, residents must live within the District and be registered to vote. In order to be registered to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen and 18 years old. 

Oregonians can register to vote after their 16th birthday, but they will not receive a ballot or be eligible to vote until an election occurs on or after their 18th birthday.

register to vote
 

There are four scheduled election dates each year in Oregon: March (2nd Tuesday), May (3rd Tuesday), August (4th Tuesday), and November (1st Tuesday following a Monday).

The Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching (OSCIM) Program provides matching grants to districts that pass a local general obligation bond. If the bond measure passes, the state would provide the District with a $8.1 million matching grant. This would provide the district with additional funds for facility improvements. If the bond measure does not pass, the District would not receive matching funds from the state.

The Technical Assistance Program (TAP) helps districts plan for capital improvements and expansion so they can inform residents about deferred maintenance, future enrollment, and explore sources of funding for school facilities. TAP provides four types of grants to school districts to cover or offset the costs of conducting assessments and developing long-range facilities plans. A Tap Grant was used to pay for the District’s Long Range Facility Plan process. 

A Facilities Assessment and Long-Range Facility Plan are required as part of the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching (OSCIM) Program grant application. The Seismic Assessment is a required component of the application to Business Oregon’s Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program, through which school districts can apply for funding to retrofit buildings. From 2019 - 2021, the Radon Environmental Hazard Assessment Grant helped nearly half of all districts in Oregon pay for radon testing to comply with Oregon Health Authority’s ORS 332.341 and 332.345. Starting in 2022, the Asbestos Environmental Hazard Assessment Grant will help districts meet the federally mandated requirements of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) by covering the costs of asbestos inspections, periodic surveillance, AHERA-related training for staff, and upgrading to a web-based record-keeping system.

Please refer to the Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) under Chapter 581, Division 27, for definitions, grant program procedures, and reporting requirements for the grants listed above.
 

The School Board has directed the District to continue preparing for a potential May 2027 bond measure. The next phase of work includes additional planning and community engagement before decisions are made about what a potential bond proposal could include.