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P/CLOUDY Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 6, 2002 Medford Schools Superintendent Steve Wisely, left, bond committee co-chairman Larry Nicholson and school board member Tricia Prendergast found little to smile about as Tuesday's election results doomed a $79 million bond measure. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Medford bond fails Fifty-five percent of voters turn down the $79 million measure By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Hopes of relieving overcrowded conditions at Medford schools were crushed Tuesday night when voters rejected a $79 million bond measure. Voters defeated the measure, 55 percent to 45 percent, scuttling plans for a skills center, new middle and improvements to the two high schools. With about 3,000 ballots remaining to be counted, the measure was losing 12,760 to 10,540. Medford School Board chairman Mike Moran said, "What’s disappointing to me about this vote is that it doesn’t reward by a vote of confidence the good work being done in this district." With the population of Jackson County increasing, Moran said anticipates the overcrowding problem to worsen, taxing the ability of the schools to cope. Moran said, "The middle schools are bulging at the seams. It’s not a good thing to have the biggest middle schools in the state." He said several statewide tax measure, such as Measure 5, which capped property taxes and reduced local control of school funding, have inflicted damage on education. The state’s double majority rule may force the district to wait until November 2004 before submitting a bond measure to voters again. General elections in even years do not require double majority approval of money measures, as are required in all other elections. If approved then, the middle school wouldn’t be completed until 2006 and the skills center until 2007. Superintendent Steve Wisely said the economy was the main factor in the defeat of the bond issue. Even so, Wisely said, the 44 percent support in a down economy offered hope. "I believe today’s election showed support for the middle school and skills center. It didn’t show support for yet another money measure." Wisely said he would urge the school district to hold off placing another bond issue until the November 2004 election to avoid the double majority requirement and in hopes the economy will improve. North Medford High School has about 2,100 students and is estimated to grow to 2,300 by 2004. South Medford has 2,000 and will grow to about 2,200 in the same period, said Wisely Elementary and middle schools will also continue to grow, putting more pressure on Medford schools’ already overcrowded campuses. Wisely said the schools will find a way to absorb these extra students. "We ask our patrons to be patient with us," he said. School board member Peggy Penland said the election results were closer than she expected. Explaining the defeat, she said, "I don’t think the support was there because of the economy. We can’t blame people." The school board, she said, will discuss what its next step will be, but its focus it will be on conducting a search for a new superintendent to replace the retiring Wisely. One option, she said, would be to ask voters to approve a middle school, tabling the skills center for a few years. While there has been confusion among parents about the skills center, Penland said she still thinks it would be a valuable addition to the education in Medford schools. But it may have to wait. "I don’t think we’ll be doing anything about this real soon," she said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S