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Securing money for a new K-8 school on the was like doing so for a project in a different country, said Jefferson County School District Superintendent Rick Molitor.

鈥淲e’re essentially building a facility with taxpayer dollars on a foreign land 鈥� a sovereign nation,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here was some questioning going on (by voters and lawmakers) because of the uniqueness of it.鈥�

This skepticism, along with the fact that the reservation’s existing school is owned by the federal government, kept the project on hold for decades, according to Molitor.

However, things changed last year when the tribal group agreed to pay for half of the $21 million project. That helped convince lawmakers to create a bond measure to pay for the other half; county voters passed it earlier this month.

Now, construction is expected to start this fall on the project, which will produce the first new elementary or middle school on the reservation in nearly 80 years.

鈥淭he tribes paying half of (the project’s cost) really answered the question of how all entities will be paying for this,鈥� Molitor said. 鈥淲e came to an understanding and an agreement that if we keep digging our heels then we’re always going to end up in the same place.鈥�

The new school will be 80,000 square feet and hold up to 740 students. The existing one, which is significantly smaller, was built in the 1930s by the federal government in a nationwide effort to improve the quality of life on reservations. The building has since become in dire need of repairs; students have mainly had to use portable classrooms, which don’t have bathrooms and are sometimes far from the school’s main building.

The deterioration is common among aging structures built by the government on the reservation, according to Urbana Ross, land services administrator for the reservation. It is also common for infrastructure; many of the reservation’s roads and sewer systems are falling apart, she said.

However, despite the fact that the school was built by the government, federal money has never been devoted to repair or replacement, which is partly why the project has taken so long to move forward, Molitor said. The tribal group and the district are still pushing for the government to reimburse them once the project is complete.

鈥淲e believe it is still an obligation of the federal government to at least fund part of this project,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are all in this together; it’s not one specific group.鈥�

Reservation officials hope the school will be the first step toward establishment of their own school district. Originally, the Jefferson County School District signed an agreement with the reservation in the 1950s to provide education to the area. But many school districts in the state are smaller than the reservation, Ross said, and as its population continues to grow, more schools will be necessary.

Middle school students on the reservation presently must travel to Madras 鈥� nearly a 90-minute drive from some parts of the reservation. They will be more likely to attend school, Ross said, when one is closer.

鈥淭he children will be in a facility that will be safe, new and, most of all, for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ative Americans are higher in the dropout rate, teen pregnancy 鈥� low in numbers going to any four-year university. By being in your community, it will help.鈥�

Some project critics have questioned whether it is a good idea to keep children on the reservation rather than provide them with opportunities to interact with peers outside of their community.

However, it’s just a matter of students 鈥� and their parents 鈥� wanting to be closer to their homes, Ross said. Additionally, Native Americans from the reservation for generations have had a tough time going to school in Madras, she said.

鈥淧arents don’t even like dealing with Madras; their experience in public school was so bad, and the kids pick that up,鈥� Ross said. 鈥�(Children here) will be able to take their blinders off, and they’ll be treated equally.鈥�

Construction on the new school is expected to finish by fall 2014. Bidding is open and will close by the end of August.