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(Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) The Big Fix Without a $189 million school bond measure, repairs would be limited to emergencies only, Medford School District officials say By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune As a team of residents canvasses neighborhoods this month seeking support for a $189 million bond measure Nov. 7 to refurbish or replace 18 campuses in the Medford School District, few opponents of the referendum have spoken out. What the silence means for the bond measure is unknown. District officials have been loathe to discuss what they'll do should the bond measure fail. "If the bond fails, whatever we do to facilities is going to have to come out of educational program dollars used for things like hiring teachers and buying textbooks," said Tricia Prendergast, a member of the Medford School Board. "I'm very hopeful the community will pass the bond, so we don't have to look at that." District officials have said if the measure meets defeat, school custodians will remain in a reactive mode, patching emergency problems such as leaking roofs, crumbling mortar and cracked water mains as they come along. Advertisement One option for paying for emergency repairs is draining the district's contingency fund of about $1.3 million, district officials said. "That wouldn't even take care of roofing at North High School," said Superintendent Phil Long. Selling off property such as the old West Side School at 3070 Ross Lane or 40 acres at Columbus and Cunningham avenues is another option. Such a measure would mean purchasing land later — likely at higher prices — should the district grow as expected in the next 10 years. "Liquidating our property would put us in a precarious position for future growth because land costs are going to go up," Long said. The majority of repairs and renovations included in the bond package would be deferred until the district passed a future bond measure, which it would likely pitch to voters in 2008. By then, the costs for the repairs and renovations are expected to increase by 20 percent or about $37.8 million, district officials said. They estimate removing asbestos-and-lead-laden materials in schools and corking roof leaks across the district would cost about $23 million alone. Two separate telephone polls in the past five months commissioned by the school district and the citizens bond campaign committee indicate about half of district residents would support a $189 million bond measure. Most of the other half of respondents in both polls opposed the measure with a smaller percentage expressing indecision. The last successful bond measure in the district was in 1995 when voters approved a $35 million issuance by about 65 percent. The bond built Abraham Lincoln Elementary, expanded Hedrick and McLoughlin middle schools and added classrooms or remodeled rooms at 13 other elementary schools. In 2002, there was no organized opposition to a $79 million bond measure for a new skills center, middle school and improvements to the two high schools prior to Election Day, yet the referendum failed by 55 percent. Mark Wisnovsky, a member of the committee that studied facility needs in the district for 14 months before recommending the $189 million bond package, said misunderstandings about how schools are funded persist among members of the public. Some residents believe the bond money would fund the state's Public Employees Retirement System, tapped by teachers. But PERS falls under the purview of the Oregon Legislature, not local districts. "PERS is out of our hands," Prendergast said. "We are bound by law to pay it. Some residents take a punitive view that they're not going to give school districts money unless PERS is fixed. We can't fix PERS." Others believe the bond money would go into the district's general fund. But the money would be restricted to the construction, repair and renovations of buildings in the Medford district, said Wisnovsky, who is now heading up the election campaign. "There is nothing excessive or luxurious in the bond," Wisnovsky said. "There are no frills." Nonetheless, for some, their opposition to the bond comes down to affordability. "If the bond passes, it'll hurt me because I'm living on Social Security and sitting in a $400,000 home," said Sam Aldrick, who moved to Medford from California in 1997 for his retirement. The region's high housing prices — the highest in the state — paired with comparatively stagnant salaries also could influence voters at the polls. "There is never a time when it's easy to ask people for money," Wisnovsky said. "The time is when you need it, and the time is now for the Medford School District." Reach reporter Paris Achen by calling 541-776-4459 or [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com