BALLOT TITLE
REYNOLDS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 7 GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND AUTHORIZATION
QUESTION: Shall Reynolds School District be authorized to issue general obligation bonds not exceeding $45,000,000 to expand and improve its facilities? If the bonds are approved, they will be payable from taxes on property or property ownership that are not subject to the limits of Sections 11 and 11b, Article XI of the Oregon Constitution.
SUMMARY: If approved, the bonds will provide funds:
• To create safer, more efficient schools, capital repairs are needed district-wide, including replacing aging roofs, electrical and plumbing systems, improving air quality, constructing cafeterias, and other upgrades for special needs students.
• To relieve elementary overcrowding, creating an elementary school from the existing Administration Building.
• To relieve middle school overcrowding, adding 12 classrooms at Reynolds Middle School.
• To accommodate increasing enrollment, building 16 classrooms for alternative high school students.
• Adding 12 classrooms at the high school through remodeling and constructing 16 new classrooms and an auditorium.
• Purchasing the forestry property for the Springdale Natural Resources Academy.
• To assist in relieving high school overcrowding, partnering with east county schools in the Center for Advanced Learning.
• Upgrading and expanding computer network connections for all schools.
Bond issuance costs are included.
Bonds will mature over a period not exceeding 20 years with repayment structured so that new taxpayers will assist in paying for the bond.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
In 1995, the Reynolds community voted for a $29.5 million bond as Phase I of their response to population growth and needed capital repairs to aging schools. Reynolds School District is still challenged by unprecedented population growth and aging buildings. In Phase II, a $45 million bond would create new buildings, renovate existing facilities to accommodate enrollment increases and allow major repairs of aging school buildings throughout the district.
Capital Repairs
The average age of our 14 schools is 41 years. Many are not as healthy or as safe as they should be. Roofs are leaking causing molds and mildews that contribute to poor air quality. Pipes are old. Water at some schools is brown. Settling has caused problems. Heat pumps are inefficient. In Phase II, repairs would be made to roofs, windows, doors, walls and ceilings. Efficient heating systems would be installed. Cafeterias would be added to three schools where gyms currently are used. Buildings would be made accessible and safer for all students.
Population Increases
New families are moving into to the district; 1,732 new students will live in Reynolds School District by 2004.
Elementary School Student Growth
By 2004, elementary enrollment will grow by 800 students. Our 10 elementary schools are over capacity this Fall. Phase II would allow another 500 student capacity elementary school to be built using existing land and facilities of the Administration Building. It would add classrooms and gymnasiums at several elementary schools to accommodate the increase in elementary population.
Middle School Student Growth
The growth will bring 511 more middle school students. In Phase II, 12 classrooms will be added to Reynolds Middle School and a large multipurpose room will be built at Lee Middle School. Both schools will receive substantial capital repairs. Morey Middle School will operate at capacity.
High School Student Growth
It is expected that 415 additional students will attend Reynolds High School by 2004, making it one of the largest high schools in Oregon with 2,750 students. Phase II would construct 28 classrooms and an Arts and Communication Center at RHS and expand the capacity of Reynolds High School at 3 sites:
• Alternative Learning Center
…to be constructed on corner of 201st & Halsey; 16 classrooms, 400 students
• Natural Resources Academy
…to be purchased from US Forest Services, 250 students learning natural resources and horticulture at Springdale site.
• Center for Advanced Learning
…to be built in partnership with MHCC, Gresham -Barlow District and area businesses for students seeking advanced technical and professional skills.
Cost To Tax Payers
Taxpayers would pay an average of 98 cents per thousand on this bond, after the first year, and the combined tax for the 1995 Bond and 2000 Bond would average $1.38. On a $150,000 home, taxpayers would pay an average of $207 a year or $17.25 a month as a combined tax for the 1995 Bond and the 2000 Bond.
Submitted by:
Hudson F. Lasher, Ed. D., Superintendent,
Reynolds School District
No arguments AGAINST this measure were filed.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
THE CHILDREN OF OUR COMMUNITY DESERVE BETTER!
Vote YES on Reynolds School District No. 7 Bond Authorization
Every dollar will be spent on much needed improvements, some of which have been on hold for over a decade. Our children should not have to drink brown water because of rusted and faulty pipes, sit in rooms with leaking and weakened roofs or breathe contaminated air as a result of mold and mildew caused by aging.
Passing this bond measure will allow our school district to do the following:
• Replace aging roofs
• Replace water lines
• Improve air quality
• Move forward with past-due maintenance
• Replace windows
• Upgrading alarm system
• Add drinking fountains
• Install air conditioning
• Repair fences
• Replace outdated dishwashers
• Replace valves
• Install fire alarms and lights
Not a penny of this money goes for administration costs!
Not a penny of this money would be spent for staff salaries!
It goes directly to helping better educate our children!
Please join the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council in supporting this crucial bond measure. Our children deserve better.
VOTE YES ON THE REYNOLDS
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 7 BOND AUTHORIZATION
(This information furnished by Bob Shiprack, Oregon State Building Trades Council)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
The purpose of a paid for "in favor of argument" in the voter’s pamphlet is to persuade voters to a particular point of view with the hope that they will vote a certain way. I speak from my heart as a parent, a member of the community, a member of the Reynolds Education Foundation and a former School Board Member.
I have lived in the district for 23 years. I remember two high schools and smaller class sizes and being in the safety net. I’ve listened to all sides of many issues. I have spent countless hours in classrooms, on field trips, in PTA meetings, the board room, and on committees. Always my intent has been to serve the community by doing what is right for kids. Figuring out what is right is not always easy.
One thing I know for sure, while we, the adults, discuss every issue from every angle and argue about the means and the outcome, our children just keep growing. Our buildings keep getting older and more in need of repair. Our neighborhoods keep sprouting new homes, bringing more children to educate. Still we point fingers saying "we should have done this or that" or "that won’t work" or "back when I was in school" rather than looking at how things are in the here and now.
In the Reynolds School District we need more classrooms, we need roofs that don’t leak, we need cafeterias that don’t do double duty as gyms. Our children need heating, ventilating, plumbing and electrical systems that deliver warmth, fresh air and water and enough power to meet the demands of technology.
It is time for action. Time to stop talking about putting children first and do it. Vote yes. This bond is desperately needed for capital improvements to provide and safe and secure learning environments for all of our kids.
(This information furnished by Linda Davidson)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
The Reynolds Education Foundation (REF) was established in 1997 for the purpose of unifying the Reynolds community and supporting excellence in our public schools.
The current bond request represents a fiscally responsible and realistic effort on behalf of the Reynolds Board of Education to ensure that our schools continue to provide appropriate, healthy, safe and effective learning environments for all our children. At the core of this bond is a desire to increase student performance, address overcrowding in our schools, maximize utilization of existing district resources and prepare for the inevitable growth that our community will realize in coming years.
Over the past decade, the Reynolds School District has been a statewide leader in educational reform, a thoughtful steward of limited resources, and has championed the needs of ALL students within our community. All this has been done in an environment of uncertainty regarding school funding and growing public debate over the role public schools should/could play in support of families and children in our state.
In the middle of this uncertainty is our KIDS! Children who need to learn to read, solve problems, and compete in the changing world of the twenty-first century. If passed, this bond measure will not solve the state’s school funding problems. It will, however, ensure that while legislators, bureaucrats, and educational leaders debate the "big picture", students in the Reynolds School District have appropriate, healthy, safe and effective learning environments.
Our schools are in a serious state of disrepair. This reality has resulted not from poor planning or fiscal mismanagement, but rather from a commitment on the part of district leaders, over the past several years, to target scarce resources at student learning. Now we, the Reynolds community, have the opportunity to show support for the districts on-going commitment to our kids.
The Reynolds Education Foundation strongly supports the Reynolds School District in this bond request. Please vote "yes" for our schools, our community and our kids!
(This information furnished by Angie Strange, Reynolds Education Foundation)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
VOTE YES FOR THE 3 R’s FOR REYNOLDS
Let’s REPAIR our Schools, RENOVATE our Buildings and RE-USE our existing Facilities to create safe, healthy learning environments for Reynolds students.
REPAIR
Twelve of our buildings need major repairs. The 1995 bond replaced roofs that would last only five more years or less. Five years have passed and the rest of the roofs are now critical. Roof replacement is a major component of this bond. The leaky roofs are responsible for damage to the interior of schools; soggy ceiling tiles, moldy walls, rotten wood, and ruined floors that must be repaired. Ancient heat pumps are well past their life expectancy and must be replaced. Air flow in buildings must be improved so that air quality meets today’s standards.
RENOVATE
Renovating some schools to increase the number of classrooms is an efficient use of buildings and taxpayer dollars. Some of our schools were built with the office in the middle of the school, an unsafe design in today’s world. We must move those offices to the front of the school for student safety. Some schools have no lunchroom forcing students eat lunch and breakfast in the gym. This reduces the time available for students to engage in physical education class.
RE-USE
To accommodate the enrollment increases we continue to experience while being responsible to our patrons and taxpayers, we are looking at creative solutions like re-using our existing facilities to meet these needs. We can remodel the administration building into an elementary school. We can build a facility for the alternative students on the RMS property. We can add a building on the high school campus that will meet the academic needs of our students and remodel other classrooms into more science and math labs. High school students will be at four locations; RHS, Natural Resources Academy, Alternative HS and the Center for Advanced Learning.
Vote YES for this responsible plan for Reynolds;
Repair, Renovate & Reuse!
(This information furnished by| Donna Edgley, Reynolds Neighbors For Kids)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
The Gresham Area and East Portland Chambers of Commerce Public Affairs Councils and Boards endorse the Reynolds School District’s bond measure. This measure addresses school safety and our community’s commitment to provide the best possible education for children.
We believe that a successful business community depends upon efficient, effective use of taxpayers’ resources. Please support our schools with your vote.
Reynolds School District is being challenged by aging buildings and population growth. The average age of the schools is 41 years and many are not as safe as they need to be. In 1995, two new schools were built, but more families are moving into the district. Within three years, 1,732 new students will be in Reynolds schools.
The $45 million bond will…
• Make existing schools safer and healthier with major capital repairs …
New roofs, windows, doors, walls, ceilings, heating and plumbing would be installed in 12 schools.
• Convert the Administration Building into an elementary school …
By 2004, elementary enrollment will grow by 800 students. The bond would create a new elementary school using the facilities of the Administration Building.
• Construct more classrooms for middle school students …
511 more middle school students will attend Reynolds by 2004. The bond would build 12 new classrooms at Reynolds Middle School and a huge multipurpose room at H.B. Lee Middle School.
• Expand the high school capacity on and off-site…
415 additional students will attend by 2004. Reynolds High School is already overcrowded.
The proposed bond would:
- construct 28 classrooms and an Arts & Communication Center at Reynolds High School
- purchase the Natural Resources Academy, in the Gorge, for off site educational instruction
- construct an Alternative Learning Center on the corner of 201st & Halsey
- continue partnership with other districts and build a technical/professional Center for Advanced Learning
The bond will be structured so new homeowners moving into the district will assist in repayment.
(This information furnished by Carol Nielsen-Hood, Gresham Area & East Portland Chambers of Commerce Public Affairs Councils & Boards of Directors)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
Vote "Yes" for Reynolds Schools
The students need this bond measure because the schools in the Reynolds School District are overcrowded and in need of repair.
All schools in the district are crowded. This measure would create an elementary school by remodeling the present administration building, build new cafeterias or gyms in some schools, remodel existing spaces into more classrooms. Our children deserve a learning environment that is more conducive to learning.
The high school is extremely overcrowded. The students will have more space if the new alternative learning center and the auditorium with 16 classrooms are built. The alternative center students would be housed outside of the high school. The music, art and drama classes would take place in the auditorium and their present rooms would be remodeled into 12 science rooms. Our high school’s plays and concerts would then take place on campus!
The Center for Advanced Learning is a multi-school endeavor that will build or purchase a building for the technical professional center. Juniors and seniors would study information technology, medical and health careers, pre-engineering and advanced manufacturing.
The Natural Resources Academy is in a U.S. Forest Service building that is leased by Reynolds. There is a chance that it may be sold to someone else. The bond money would purchase the building so that this natural resources and horticulture program can be continued. These changes will get more students out of the main high school building and into other structures.
All schools have some physical and safety needs. As parents, we are concerned about our students in buildings that are leaking or falling apart and are not as safe as they should be. This measure will fix most of the problems. As we homeowners know, making repairs in time saves a lot of money in the long run. Our buildings need those repairs now.
Let’s protect our investment in our schools. Let’s protect our investment in our children.
(This information furnished by Arlene Lemieux, Reynolds High Booster Club)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
As parents of four school-aged children, my wife and I are extremely concerned about the condition of schools in the Reynolds School District. We are strong advocates of public schools and believe that every child has a right to a quality education.
For years the District has supported families within the Reynolds community by ensuring that ALL our children have access to safe schools, great teachers, and educational opportunities. Now, it’s the communities turn to show their support of the Reynolds School District.
At the core of the current crisis is the District’s aging infrastructure. Right now students are being packed into temporary classrooms and some teachers have no classroom at all. Conservative projections indicate that within the next few years the district will simply not have the space needed to serve the growing student population. In addition, aging roofs, poor ventilation and much needed maintenance in several of our buildings add up to potentially unhealthy, unsafe, and generally unacceptable learning environments for our children.
The time is now to stand up in support of our kids, our schools, and our community. Every member of our community has a stake in both our children and our schools. We can’t wait for the "state" to bail us out. It won’t happen! We must pass this bond in order to protect the ability of the Reynolds School District to continue serving our kids.
It won’t happen with out you! Vote YES on 26-12 and PLEASE encourage others to do the same. And remember, we are talking about OUR KIDS, OUR SCHOOLS and OUR COMMUNITY.
(This information furnished by John Nelsen)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.