District to seek school bond in May
By Jim Cornelius

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Voters will likely decide in May whether to build a new high school in Sisters.

The Sisters School Board voted unanimously on Monday, February 12, to file in March for the May 15 election. However, the move is contingent on the board receiving "satisfactory" information from its architect team on the scope and cost of the project.

The board also hopes to receive public input on the project before the March 15 filing deadline. A letter was to go out to voters this week seeking opinions on a new high school proposal.

Voters turned down a $22 million bond request in November by a margin of 112 votes.

The board and school staff will meet in an all-day workshop on February 20, with consultants assembled by Scott Steele Associates Architects. The team will crunch demographic numbers and projections and analyze educational needs in an effort to accurately determine the appropriate size of a new school and the attendant cost of construction.

The board specified that the proposed project will not include amenities such as a pool or a field house or a detached performing arts center.

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Board members wrestled with fundamental questions about the project -- including whether to reconsider building a middle school now and a new high school later.

In the end, they decided that building a new high school and moving middle schoolers into the current high school would save money in the long run and take care of the districts needs over a 20 year period.

In advocating the May election date, board member Glen Lasken said that there is a sense of urgency at Sisters Middle School regarding moving into new facilities.

Lasken also noted that a May election allows a summer project start and the district could potentially save money by avoiding the extra expenses of winter-time construction. If the board waits until September to seek a bond, Lasken argued, those savings would be lost.

Also, Lasken argued, a May launch offers the possibility of opening a new school in September of 2003, instead of a mid-year opening with a later start.

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In other action, the board named interim middle school principal Lora Nordquist to take that post permanently.

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