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2010 school bond measures

• , for the Forest Grove School District, issues $65.3 million in general obligation bonds to replace Joseph Gale Elementary, expand instructional space at Forest Grove High and make facility improvements at Harvey Clarke Elementary and Echo Shaw Elementary. Property owners would pay about $1.35 per $1,000 of assessed value, a reduction of $0.34 per $1,000 over the current tax rate.
• , for the Banks School District, issues general obligation bonds up to $25.98 million to renovate and replace Banks Junior/High School facilities to meet building safety standards and improve efficiency of school operations. Property owners would pay $1.45 per $1,000 assessed value.
• , for the Molalla River School District, issues bonds up to $34 million to replace the middle school. Property owners would pay $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed value.
• , for the Fern Ridge School District, issues $15 million in facilities bonds to make safety and security improvements, expand and improve instructional space at Elmira Elementary and Veneta Elementary and to update and expand athletic facilities at Elmira High. Expectations are that the bonds would be issued at zero percent interest and result in no increase to the property tax rate.
• , for the Myrtle Point School District, issues bonds up to $13 million to acquire land, construct a high school and renovate, construct and upgrade existing school buildings, including the addition of new classrooms at Myrtle Crest Elementary. Property owners would pay between $1 and $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Architects are counting on Oregon voters next month to pass school bonds totaling more than $150 million.

The bond money would pay for upgrades of shoddy school buildings constructed during the 1950s and for updated technology in classrooms. But voters may not be open to tax increases these days.

This bond season is an especially critical time for architecture firms that specialize in public projects, said Scott Rose, principal with DLR Group. The industry has seen some improvement recently; however, the passage of these bond measures would guarantee work for 2011, Rose said. The state’s school facilities have deferred maintenance needs totaling approximately $3.5 billion.

“It’s important to have these school districts invest in 21st century learning environments so we don’t see a slowdown in the development of facilities,” Rose said. “Seventy-five percent of our state schools were built in the ’20s and ’50s, and they are reaching the end of their useful life.”

Banks School District’s calls for DLR Group to design renovations and replacements to several 1950s school buildings suffering from leaks, poor insulation and ancient mechanical and electrical systems, Rose said.

In the past, bond money has been used to build new schools. But this year, more districts are asking consultants to remodel and reinforce existing structures to keep costs down.

A responsible building plan still might not be enough to sway voters. A school bond measure’s success, according to Bill Strong, principal with Mahlum, hinges on whether it will increase, decrease or maintain property taxes.

Forest Grove School District has an advantage putting its on the ballot this year because its current bonds also expire this year, Strong said. Property owners could approve the measure and still pay 34 cents less in property taxes than the previous year.

Similarly, Fern Ridge School District’s would issue bonds at zero percent interest, resulting in no increase to property taxes. However, most school districts were not in such a position this year, Strong said, and many decided not to pursue bonds.

“It’s a dim time,” Strong said. “Schools don’t even want to spend the time to go after money because they know they’re going to get turned down. It’s not good for us as a society when a school district can’t get support from its constituents.”

For the districts pursuing bonds this year, hope springs eternal. Voters in the Molalla River School District have rejected two previous measures to issue bonds to replace its middle school, according to Wayne Kuster, the district’s superintendent. But he says his district is in a good position this year.

“We have some bonds coming off, so our tax rate will be about flat for the new bond measure,” Kuster said. “There’s a group of young parents using Facebook and e-mail to get the information out there. Our middle school was built in the mid-’50s and it’s been used hard. I think people would feel really good about getting it replaced.”

According to the Center for Innovative School Facilities of Oregon, the state’s school districts have more than 7,875 buildings, and 83 percent were built before 2000. Rose said a state capital fund for school improvements would go a long way toward helping these aging facilities. Only 26 states, however, have such a fund, and Oregon does not.

The state is performing an in-depth assessment of all of its school buildings, however, and expects to have a report and recommendations submitted to the Legislative Assembly no later than Feb. 1, 2011.

“We still need to think about our kids,” said Kim Fitzpatrick, a project manager with DOWA Architects. “We can’t stop building better facilities because the economy is bad.”