Voters in Tigard-Tualatin School District narrowly approved a $421.3 million construction bond Tuesday.
Returns as of 5 p.m. Wednesday showed the bond passing with 52% of the vote. The bond appeared to be failing in partial returns released Tuesday, but its victory became clear when Washington County released near-final vote tallies late Wednesday.
The bond will pay for significant renovations, a new middle school building, updated technology and other maintenance across the 11,000-student district.
With the bond’s approval, Tigard-Tualatin will rebuild the 738-student Fowler Middle School and remodel four elementary schools. Fifty-year-old Fowler has dated plumbing and ventilation systems as well as incomplete access for people with disabilities. The building also has several classrooms that lack daylight.
With the $421.3 million, the school district also plans repairs to roofs, flooring, fire alarms, ventilation, air conditioning, heating and electrical systems in facilities across the district, among other changes.
Because the bond passed, the district is eligible for another $8.2 million for construction, from the state’s School Capital Improvement Matching program. Oregon districts are responsible for funding their own school construction and maintenance, but in recent years, the state has made limited grants available to districts that pass construction bonds.
The construction bond’s approval is not the first time Tigard-Tualatin voters have supported the district’s funding requests. Last November, they overwhelmingly voted to renew the school district’s $67 million operating levy for another five years to pay for approximately 100 teachers. Voters also approved Tigard-Tualatin’s last construction bond — $291.3 million in 2016.
With the passage of the new bond, Tigard-Tualatin property owners will pay an additional 99 cents for every $1,000 of their property’s assessed value towards the district’s capital costs. The average homeowner will owe about $300 more per year in property taxes, amounting to an annual total of $825 as the district continues to pay off its 2016 bond. This rate will hold for 10 years, after which it may decrease.
The bond faced no organized opposition, with unanimous support from the school district, as well as endorsements from both city’s mayors, the Tigard-Tualatin teacher’s union and every member of the Tigard City Council. Proponents raised about $55,000 in support, according to campaign finance data on May 19.
— Eddy Binford-Ross covers education and local politics for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at ebinford-ross@oregonian.com.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.
