With a potential Eugene 4J school bond on November’s ballot, board members aim to make a decision regarding the budget by May. They hope to incorporate ideas from the community during 6 forums. KLCC’s Briana Friden went to one of them at Cal Young Middle school.
This year is the first time the 4J board has used this unique forum style, with 4 stations for attendees to shuffle between. Most of the people here are parents and board member Anne-Marie Levis says they’re encouraged to write down their ideas at each station.
“Our board very much welcomes the input of the community and we really want them to tell us what they’re willing to pay for and what they want in a bond.”
Parents appreciate the outreach and transparency of the board, but there are some concerns as to what the money will be used for.
One parent expressed concern about having 250 band members practicing in a 32 by 32 room at her child’s school.
Michael Hundt, a parent of a child at Monroe Elementary School, says a lot of parents are also worried about outdated safety standards and the equal allocation of funds.
“Rather than building brand new schools and having schools that are 60 years old why not split the money up and try to upgrade a bunch of them. Meet some more standards as far as safety of the kids, accessibility for the handicapped, seismic requirements and all that.”
Levis says that along with an additional telephone and online survey, the board will compile input in March, and aims to make a final decision by May.
