A successful $98 million bond will help expand, renovate and upgrade the high school and construct and equip a new middle school and elementary school in Sherwood, Oregon's fastest-growing school district.

Sherwood's unprecedented growth (enrollment has increased by 135 percent in the past 10 years) was detailed in study by Portland State University's Judith Barmack, which helped support the district's long-range facilities task force recommendations for new and renovated schools.

Superintendent Dan Jamison said two surveys by Moore Information provided the district with critical community feedback about options under consideration.

Sherwood residents were asked their opinions about new school construction, a new stadium and performing arts facility, and a swimming pool expansion. Another option was setting aside money to purchase land for future needs.

"Voters said no to all the options except more classrooms for kids," Jamison said. The new schools and classrooms had a price tag of around $89 million.

Materials costs lead to second poll

An extraordinary increase in the cost of building materials after the first poll prompted the second - to ensure that the community would support a bond that now totaled $98 million. The answer was yes.

In fall 2005, a series of meetings were held with key stakeholders in the community. A 16-member citizen-based bond team, supported by more than 200 volunteers, began promoting the "Classrooms for Kids" campaign in January '06. A member of the team who is a "Classrooms for Kids" raised just under $20,000 for the campaign.

Advocacy efforts included another community survey to judge support, letters to the editor of newspaper (strategic in timing and content, Jamison said) and 10 official letters of support in the voters' pamphlet.

"Those letters in the voters' pamphlet were targeted and written by a range of supporters, from seniors, clergy, business and city leaders and board members, to parents, students and athletic boosters," Jamison said. "We believe the voters' pamphlet has significant impact on voting behavior."

Jamison wrote factual (not advocacy) articles about the bond in his monthly column in the local newspaper, and the campaign organized about 20 formal community presentations on the bond proposal.

Virtual tours available

Sherwood voters could take a virtual tour of the proposed building projects on the district's Web site or using a DVD produced by the district.

"We averaged more than 50 hits a day on the virtual tour link for about a month before the election," Jamison said. The Web site also included facts and background on the bond proposal

Committee members sent out thousands of hand-written notes to voters in the community and contacted voters through phone calls and door-to-door visits. The campaign included an aggressive voter-registration drive that was topped off when volunteers stood outside schools on Election Day and collected ballots from parents dropping their kids off at school.

Sherwood's bond campaign qualifies as a whopping success: The nearly 61 percent voter approval of the bond was the second highest recorded in the state.

Start early, be thorough and stay on message were the lessons learned in this campaign.

"This was a non-controversial election with no substantial opposition," Jamison said. "We got out early before we even started the campaign and made the case for overcrowding." With filled-to-capacity portables in plain sight, the overcrowding issue was clear.

Bond committee members and district staff were dedicated and aligned, creating a great team effort, Jamison said.