The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Voters firmly rejected the Sisters School District's request for $14.5 million in bond funding for facilities repair and maintenance and technology purchases. The measure went down in the November 4 election by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent.

On the Wednesday after the election, the school board surveyed the aftermath and reflected on possible next steps.

School Board Chair Don Hedrick's response seemed to reflect the general sentiment of the board. Hedrick said, "I am disappointed. I was cautiously optimistic, mainly because the community has always supported the schools. We have to sit down and figure out the next steps. Do we want to try again with a different amount or format? If we don't go again, what do we do? I think we have to try again."

That probably doesn't mean going back with the same request.

"The voters have clearly spoken," continued Hedrick. "Somehow or other we have to change what we propose. We still have low class-sizes and great test-scores. We still have a good school system, better than most. The interesting thing about this election is that a number of parents didn't even vote."

Hedrick estimated that there were roughly 1,900 "no" votes and roughly 1,400 "yes" votes. That is 3,300 out of roughly 5,000 registered voters in the Sisters School District.

The newest board member, Stephen King, said, "I was surprised. For me the bond was well thought through by a group of peer citizens. I know that there were some people that didn't like some elements of the bond. I think there were a group of people too that voted 'no' to punish the misdeeds of the past; and then where I got to was that clearly as a board we are not in touch with what people want. We need to fix that."

King is inviting anyone that voted no to a meeting at Bedouin/Navigator News Monday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the alternatives that they would suggest. He said, "I take my job on the board as not to voice my opinion but to voice the community's opinion. To do that I need to hear from them."

The need to hear from the community is a theme. Superintendent Jim Golden told The Nugget, "We're going to do some listening to the community and the board is in the process of deciding what to do next."

Golden noted that the failure of the bond will have some impacts on facility use next year.

"We can't use the track for a fact," he said. "We're waiting to see (after an insurance company report) if we can use the stadium."

The superintendent acknowledged that some voters were unhappy with the idea of having to replace an 11-year-old roof at Sisters High School.

"I imagine a lot of voters were unhappy about the roof," he said. "I'm unhappy about the roof, too."

However, he said, problems with the roof, along with the other construction projects, still have to be addressed.

"We're still going to have to address the issues," he said. "It's not going to go away... These issues will become more expensive over time. I hope we didn't miss a historic opportunity to get low interest rates and catch the construction industry before prices go up too much."

Golden is not optimistic about the level of funding for the district next year, and he is concerned about the schools' ability to maintain quality.

"We can hold it together," he said, "but we won't have the school system we've had."

Board members are contemplating significant potential moves to shore up the district's financial position.

King suggested that the first move is to sell the district office to reduce expenses and raise money for much-needed repairs. He believes he has a way to work around the "historical landmark" restrictions on the building.

Board member Andrew Gorayeb addressed a topic that he has raised several times before: "I think we need to look long and hard at whether we can sustainably operate the elementary school. If we are not going to be able to pass the bond, we are not going to be able to afford to do some of the very important things that we need to do in the district."

As one of the key members of the facilities committee, Gorayeb and others have suggested that, in the long run, closing down and selling the elementary school and the district office (if possible) would be a financially sound, positive move. The idea is that the elementary school would be absorbed into the middle school facility, with the district office functions moving into a portion of the high school. Using some of the Sisters Park & Recreation District complex for kindergarten and pre-school activities was also considered as part of the move.

The thought is that if and when the district outgrows the elementary/middle school building, a new elementary school could be built on the middle school "campus" as indicated in the district's long-term facilities design.

Justin Durham believes the district "need(s) to figure out how we can make some operational changes that can rebuild trust in a way that we can pass a bond. If we can make some hard cuts at the time (now) we might help us avoid catastrophic cuts down the road."

The bond, had it passed, would have taken some pressure off the general fund. The construction projects included in the bond measure would have covered a portion of the salaries of several of the district staff.

Going back to the voters is not an immediate fix, even if it proved successful. If the district were to pass a revised bond measure in March or May, the funds would be too late to cover this school year's expenses. This raises the likelihood of expense and personnel cuts in the December timeframe.

That leaves Golden concerned about low class-sizes and innovative programs that make Sisters schools distinctive.

"We'll get by," he said. But if trends continue, "we'll look like every other district in the state."