Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home School Board will consider at its regular meeting on Dec. 12 whether to apply for a $4 million matching grant from the state government.
The grant would be contingent on whether voters approve a $4 million bond levy in May.
During a board work session Monday evening, board members present at the meeting agreed that it should appear on the agenda for Dec. 12, and in the meantime, district staff will conduct some general surveys to begin learning about what voters might support.
The matching grants are available to districts based on a priority list set by the state. The list is based on property values and poverty data. Sweet Home is ranked 39th in the state.
Sweet Home could win the matching grants if higher-ranked districts do not pass bonds or seek bonds.
Business Manager Kevin Strong said districts should know in January whether they will qualify for the matching grants, and if they do not qualify, they can choose not to pursue the bond.
Even if Sweet Home may not pursue a bond, said Supt. Tom Yahraes, the district still needs to begin taking the steps necessary to pass a bond now.
Attending an Oregon School Boards Association workshop about districts that successfully pass bonds, he learned that they engage the community early, and they need to develop talking points about the bond quickly. To that end, he plans to run surveys immediately.
He recommended Monday that the board include three or four improvements at all the schools with a focus on remodeling and expanding the Sweet Home Junior High, where several buildings have major issues.
He noted that community feedback at this point may show different priorities among voters.
Strong told the board members that the district has shaved $4.3 million and 2½ years off of the term of the current bond by refinancing it. Originally expected to end in 2029, the final payment will be in the 2026-27 school year.
A $4 million bond could be structured to maintain the current bond tax rate in those final years, with a final payment coming due in 2029 or 2030 depending on interest rates, Strong said.
After formally deciding whether to pursue the bond and matching grant on Dec. 12, the district would submit a grant application by Jan. 13. Soon after, districts would find out whether they will receive a matching grant.
If the board wishes to pursue a bond, it would need to pass a resolution in February and submit paperwork to the county elections office by March 16. The election is May 16.
During that time, Yahraes said, the district will need to share information with staff, PTCs, centers of influence.
“Then you have groups that can advocate,” Yahraes said. The district can move quickly in this area by asking generalized survey questions now.
“With these surveys, we get feedback, general chatter and hopefully gain interest,” Yahraes said.
Board members attending the work session were Jason Van Eck, Carol Babcock, Debra Brown and Chairman Mike Reynolds. The board did not meet quorum, but it made no decisions.
Absent were Jason Redick, Chanz Keeney, Jenny Daniels, Nick Augsburger and Angela Clegg.