After three weeks of waiting, Morrow County School District is finally celebrating the passage of their General Obligation bond, which was passed by voters on the May 20th ballot.
School Board Chair Richard Cole said, “After an anxious waiting period and a close vote, we are very pleased that voters supported the bond and the projects it will fund. Thank you to all the voters who committed to improving facilities for student success in our community,” Cole said.
Cole and MCSD Superintendent Matt Combe acknowledged that passing the bond was more than a year-long effort and they appreciate the work of the Community Bond Advisory Committee (CBAC), school board members, district administrators, members of the district facility and business departments, teachers, school staffs, Wenaha Group and InterMountain ESD Communications for all their work. The district also thanks all of the community organizations, chambers of commerce and other local entities who hosted bond presentations. “It has truly been a huge team effort across our district to evaluate facilities, develop projects and inform our community about the need for this bond. We appreciate everyone who worked on it,” Combe said.
The bond will fund these projects:
· Irrigon Jr/Sr High School – replace school to provide modern educational environment for students
· Riverside Jr/Sr High School – remodel and build addition for more classroom space & gym to support future enrollment
· Heppner Jr/Sr High School & Heppner Elementary – remodel Jr/Sr High to become a K-12 campus with thoughtful grade level separation, resulting in operational savings and safer location for elementary students
· Sam Boardman Elementary - make parking/traffic flow improvements including a dedicated bus loop for safety
· District-wide -- make security & safety improvements including secure main entry, cameras & door access control at all district schools
The bond will raise $204.4 million, and the district will receive a $6 million matching grant from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Program. The bond will mature in 20 years or less and the bond rate will be an estimated $2.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value, although the actual levy rate may differ.
Updates about bond projects will be available in the future on the district website at mcsdbond.org. A district bond oversight committee will be established to oversee the progress of bond projects.