Copyright The Oregonian
Voters in the Lake Oswego School District approved a construction bond that will preserve a tax of 90 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to replace two aging elementary buildings. Partial returns as of 8 p.m. showed the bond passing with 70% of the vote. The measure will provide $245 million to replace two aging elementary schools, Forest Hills and Lake Grove, pay for upgrades at 11 other school buildings and build a dedicated space for the district’s program for 18- to 21-year-olds with disabilities who need support as they transition into adulthood. Work on Forest Hills would start first, followed by Lake Grove in 2027. The bond will also cover about $95 million for security and safety updates, including for fire alarms, security cameras, seismic reinforcement, heating, ventilation and cooling upgrades and an eventual remodel of the district’s swing site, Uplands Elementary, to house the district’s central office. The district has an existing bond measure that costs home owners $2.90 for every $1,000 of their assessed property value. If voters had rejected the new bond, that tax would have fallen to $2 per $1,000 of assessed value. Instead, the new bond will boost that back to $2.90 per $1,000, or about $1,350 a year for a typical home valued at $465,000. There was no organized opposition to the measure. Supporters included the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, the Lake Oswego Education Association and elected officials including U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas and Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner, a former member of the Lake Oswego school board. The school district had considered closing Lake Grove and leasing the property to the city of Lake Oswego for a new library and community center. But that prospect drew significant pushback from Lake Grove families and residents, who said they’d voted for past bonds under the impression that their school would be modernized in future bond cycles.
