The Roseburg school district is asking voters once again to approve a bond, something that hasn’t happened since the year 2000. Voters turned down measures in 2020, and again in 2022.
Roseburg Superintendent Jared Cordon told KLCC this year, the board took guidance from the community.
“The voters said last time, collectively, they said listen, the timing wasn’t right." Cordon added, "We did hit a pretty significant escalation in inflation. And so they just said, if you could pare the projects down, and this bond is a reflection of that.”
The $75 million bond on the May ballot is less than half the amount of last year’s measure. It would fund security, health, and safety projects and rebuild the high school’s Old Main building for vocational and CTE facilities.
Cordon said the district’s schools average 75 years old. Some have outdated boiler heat, others have inadequate electrical infrastructure. For example, while all students have access to electronic devices, there aren’t enough outlets to charge them.
He said 85% of the classrooms don’t have air conditioning, and Roseburg schools had to close one day last fall because indoor temperatures were above the state’s newly-mandated heat index.
If passed, the bond would cost 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The district would qualify for $5.8 million dollars in state matching grants if the bond succeeds.
For more information, see the district's website here.
