Several rural Oregon School districts have bond measures on the ballot that are still too close to call. Meanwhile, preliminary results show Junction City’s school bond is likely to fail.
Fern Ridge School District, which includes Veneta and Elmira, asked voters for a $16 million bond renewal. As of Thursday afternoon, it was passing by less than 60 votes.
Superintendent Gary Carpenter said the district narrowed the scope to essential projects that benefit students before going to voters.
"(I’m) happy it was close and it had a chance,” he said. “There's a lot of bond measures around the state that have failed, or are failing. At the same time, I’m a little bit disappointed that it wasn't a resounding pass."
If it falls short, Carpenter said the district will be forced to give up $6 million in matching state grant funds. Lane County Elections says it will release the next batch of results on Tuesday, May 28.
Meanwhile, Oakland School District in Douglas County has a bond that’s currently passing by just six votes. The $4.5 million measure would replace a partially condemned gym. The next update from Douglas County elections is scheduled for May 29.
Oakland had a similar measure fail last November.
Preliminary election results indicate Junction City’s School Bond has been defeated with nearly 57 percent voting ‘no.’
The $59 million bond would have modernized schools and provided athletic facilities.
Junction City Superintendent Troy Stoops said the rural Lane County district has several schools that need a serious overhaul.
He said the district tried to create a proposal that addressed its aging infrastructure and the economic challenges many taxpayers face.
“It’s a hard balance because you have spaces that are just outdated and we’re constantly fighting to keep them warm and cool,” he said. “Plumbing and electrical has really been challenging. We had to close school a couple days this year, our middle school, because of electrical issues.”
Stoops said the bond failure means the district will also lose out on a $6 million matching grant from the state.
He said he hopes to work with the community in the next year to workshop a future bond proposal.
