Central School District in Independence will use a $13.5 million bond for seismic upgrades to its elementary school and to renovate and build facilities to improve health and safety. The district also will acquire or build structures to increase capacity for a growing student population.

"Listening sessions" began in September '05 to inform district staff and board members about community concerns and to acquaint community members with the district needs. Superintendent Joseph Hunter hosted 30 community forums, and a facilities committee (with four subcommittees) looked at four areas: seismic upgrades, health and renovation, capacity, and intergovernmental projects.

Research matters

A December '05 study by Dr. Barry Edmundston from Portland State University's Center for Population Studies, provided a detailed analysis of the district's demographics. Hunter analyzed growth trends in the district, a facilities expert examined deferred maintenance in school buildings, and the Nelson Report polled the community to assess support for a bond.

When all reports were in and recommendations weighed, the board decided in April to submit a bond proposal to voters. By July, a citizen advocacy group joined with district staff and the superintendent to continue community presentations. (Superintendent Hunter's September forum was taped and aired on public-access television.)

An informational brochure about the bond was mailed to the community, signs were posted around town, and advocacy committee members promoted the campaign, "Our Community, Our Schools." About 200 volunteers joined in the district's efforts.

Central School District has grown 10 percent over the past two years, making it the fastest-growing district in the Willamette Valley area, according to Hunter.

Staying close

"I learned something about my community through this campaign," he said. "That we'll need to continue working closely with community members so we can reach consensus on our high school needs when we come back in '08 for another bond."

The district didn't include high school renovations in this bond, even though the old school has been patched and repatched.

"Lots of people seem to have the opinion that, `It was good enough for me when I went there, so it should be good enough for kids today,'" Hunter said.

The district's facilities committee will start meeting again in January `07 to prepare for the next bond measure.

High school needs are a topic of significant disagreement in the community, Hunter said. "We decided to separate that issue out of this bond and to focus on health and safety."

"The district worked hard from several angles to listen to the community and to put together something that they told us they wanted," Hunter said. Through careful listening, Central succeeded in its first try on this bond.