Bond results mixed, all four school option levies pass
Half of bond elections pass, including Salem-Keizer at $619.7 million.
Voters on Tuesday approved half of school construction bonds statewide – including the third-largest school bond in Oregon history: $619.7 million for the Salem-Keizer School District. Four bonds passed and four were defeated.
Other bonds gaining passage included: Corvallis ($199.9 million), Nestucca Valley ($25.7 million) and Harrisburg ($8.9 million).
Bonds did not pass in Medford, Grants Pass, Oakland and SutherlIn.
Additionally, all four school local option levies, which are used to supplement operating funds, passed easily, averaging about 70 percent of the vote. Winners were Beaverton, Hood River County, Philomath and Sisters.
Jim Green, OSBA’s executive director, said the successful option levy results demonstrate that voters understand the need to invest in public education.
“Oregonians know that we are struggling to meet our short-term needs in schools,” he said. “The next step is to find a long-term and fair way to invest in our students for decades to come.”