Document text
Central Point schools try again Construction bond planned for November 2000 By VICKI GUARINO CENTRAL POINT -- With just over a year to prepare, the school board is moving ahead with plans for a bond vote next fall to fund school construction. The election will be the district's third try in as many years to get voter approval for repairs, additions and replacements for aging and crowded schools. Since the last levy defeat in November 1998, busing has alleviated some crowding problems, but ultimately, board members agreed Tuesday, major construction remains a necessity. "The board agreed we need a bond levy," Vicki Robinson, Central Point district business services director, said Wednesday. "But whether or not they're going to be the same improvements ... the board wants to look to see if the facility needs have changed." Previous bond measures -- a total of $36.7 million -- would have paid for some construction at all eight district schools. The biggest projects would have been replacement of Central Point Elementary and Hanby Middle School in Gold Hill. The schools are 90 years old and suffer structural problems and serious educational limitations, school officials say. A third large project would have been expansion of overcrowded Crater High School. Classroom space has been at such a premium that students have to wait a year to get into mandatory science classes. Students say waiting lists are so long they sometimes give up on enrolling in certain electives. The school also lacks performance space for theater and concerts. This fall, Crater is more crowded than ever with enrollment at 1,500 -- up from 1,450 a year ago. The school was designed to accommodate about 1,200. Other projects in previous bond measures included covered play areas and improved parking and driveways. Which of 15 projects from previous measures would appear on a November 2000 bond levy is uncertain at this point. The board is asking administrators to research and identify current district needs and update construction cost estimates. Robinson said the board also wants to conduct a low-cost poll or survey of the community to determine which projects have highest priority among voters, regardless of whether they are involved in local schools. In the weeks to come, board members said, they also want to create a citizen committee to coordinate bond-election efforts. The committee likely will review previous votes to determine why the public rejected the measures -- and find ways to resolve those problems. Central Point is among at least four Jackson County school districts aiming for construction bond votes in the November 2000 election. Eagle Point, Phoenix-Talent and Rogue River community groups and school officials are examining building needs to accommodate growth and repairs to aging buildings. The election date is one of the few in Oregon in which taxing districts do not have to meet the so-called double majority standard, in which at least 50 percent of the electorate must cast ballots. The rule caused the defeat of Central Point's first bond measure. A majority of voters approved the measure, but it was defeated because fewer than 50 percent of the district's registered voters cast ballots. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA