School Board nixes bond in May; High school still in disrepair; Inflation projected at 3.2 %
Temps can hit 90 in classrooms during the Fall and Spring months at The Dalles High School, which lacks air conditioning.
The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 26, 2024 — The North Wasco County School Board announced that it will not seek a bond for the replacement of The Dalles High School this May.
Board Member Judy Richardson told a packed crowd at the regular Board Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 25 that another bond attempt was not prudent for such an early date.
Proponents of the Bond in November asked local taxpayers for $140 million over 30 years to fund a new high school on the Wahtonka campus.
The Dalles High School was built in 1940. She still has her original boiler equipment. It features two options - on and off. Get hot? Open a window - no joke.
Voters rejected the bond on Nov. 7, 2023, with a total voter turnout of 6,829 with the no vote winning by 367 votes or 5.4 percent, according to certified results from Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee.
It was the second time a bond for new schools in The Dalles was defeated in 6 years. A $250-million bond to replace multiple schools in D21 was shot down in 2018.
The last school built in The Dalles was The Dalles Middle School in 2000, and that occurred after the old middle school was deemed too dangerous to enter and students had to be shuffled to makeshift classrooms.
School board members considered running the bond again on May 21, 2024, during a work session earlier this month.
The idea did not take hold.
“After careful consideration, we have decided not to pursue a bond for the replacement of the high school in the May election…” said Richardson. “The short timeline leading up to the 2024 election does not allow for thorough engagement of our community in the decision process. We believe rushing such a significant decision without adequate community involvement would not yield the best outcome for our district, students, staff, families, and the community. We need to prioritize planning to make informed decisions that will positively impact our district in the long run. We appreciate the support and enthusiasm that so many brought this last election, and we look forward to continued community engagement as we pursue our next steps toward the future.”
It is without refute that future high school build costs will continue to rise as inflation continues to push up costs on labor and materials. The consumer price index during the past four years averaged 4.8 percent and is estimated to be 3.2 percent in 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index.
The decision to wait will also necessitate the district to submit a long-range facilities plan and strategic plan again to the state. The documents, which take about a year to compile, are necessary for receiving the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching grant which will provide $4 million or more to the construction fund if the district can get a high school bond passed.
The district had this money secured at the time of the November election, but time has run out and the district must repeat the work due to the bond failure.
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