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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 14, 2006 Proposed Ashland bond elicits mixed reactions $46.8 million would go toward repairing and replacing schools By Alan Panebaker for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Signs line some streets, soliciting voter support for a $46.8 million bond (Measure 15-68) to restore local school buildings. A diligent campaign committee is spreading the word about dire needs in school district facilities, and a few dissenters are emerging to question the necessity of such a huge investment. The proposed bond would replace a 1996 bond that expires in the summer of 2007. The bond aims to build a new Bellview Elementary School for more than $12 million and renovate the Ashland High School gym and build more classrooms and a scene shop to accompany the Mountain Avenue Theatre. The bond will also include architectural, structural and mechanical maintenance to all of the district's schools. A new gym and library at Helman Elementary, expanded library at Walker Elementary and enhanced cafeteria at Ashland Middle School also highlight proposed construction. The bond will levy $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value to city property owners. A previous school bond started at the same rate but decreased to less than $1.50 per $1,000 over time. The new bond will raise taxes initially if it passes, but it will also decrease over time if assessed values rise. While the campaign committee focuses on the needs of school district buildings, a few skeptics question the immediacy of the need. Advertisement Michael Hays, a retired educator who ran an unsuccessful school board race in 2005, wrote a column on his Web site this month questioning the vision of the Ashland School District and its facilities planning. "There's no crisis," Hays said. "I know some of these buildings are not in great shape, but none of them are going to fall down in the next two years." Hays hopes voters defeat the current bond and propose another in two years that has better planning. Paul Copeland, a schools activist and regular fixture at Ashland School Board meetings, wrote a statement in the Jackson County Voters' Pamphlet asking voters to deny the proposed bond. After the shuttering of two schools in the Ashland district — Briscoe Elementary in 2003 and Lincoln Elementary in 2005 — the bond calls for fewer renovations and repairs for the closed schools. Copeland doubts the vision of the district and bond committee. He said building a new school at one end of town will encourage more parents to drive to school rather than walk. "Taxpayers are being asked to approve funds for new construction while the district sits on closed schools worth millions of dollars," Copeland wrote in his voters' pamphlet statement. Michael Sandford, another Ashland resident, also thinks the district needs to re-think its finances. Sandford said the school district should sell Briscoe and Lincoln rather than ask taxpayers to pay for their upkeep. He said he is not against the bond necessarily, but he thinks the district needs to address the issue of the closed schools now. Sandford said the school district has capital assets available and is asking taxpayers to pay for the school's maintenance. "I'm just pointing out that there are problems with having these capital assets and asking taxpayers to pay for them," Sandford said. Ashland Schools superintendent Juli Di Chiro admits the bond calls for fewer upgrades at Lincoln and Briscoe. However, there are few classes being taught at Lincoln and none at Briscoe — where the district leases one wing to artists and another portion to a Head Start program for children of migrant workers. Di Chiro said the district does not know what will happen with Lincoln and Briscoe, and the school district is not letting the schools deteriorate as some bond opponents claim. "All we're trying to do is protect our investment," Di Chiro said. Carol Davis, co-chair of the Ashland Schools Bond Campaign Committee, said she and others are working to spread the word about the needs of local schools after more than a year of working with consultants and other citizens to analyze district needs. She said the community has been very supportive throughout the process, and people looking for flaws in the proposed bond seem to be grasping at straws. She said most people in the district say the bond has been well planned. "The School Board is strongly united on this issue of good facilities for students," Davis said. "We're talking about a school board that's hugely successful with the school district." Davis noted that Lincoln Elementary will be used as "swing" space during construction at Ashland High School. She said the district is maintaining Lincoln and Briscoe, but it does not make sense to improve them as much as other schools that are in use by the district. Alan Panebaker is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. 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