Document Type

Report

Publication Date

10-2014

Subjects

Public schools -- Oregon -- Finance, Public schools -- Oregon -- Planning

Abstract

This report begins with a review of the state of school facilities in Oregon and a summary of recent school bond successes and failures, followed by an overview of school capital funding policy since 2000. It includes a discussion of existing facilities financing options and two brief case studies showing that the availability of state subsidies and matching funds can influence local funding decisions. A brief summary of existing school facilities programs in Western states sets the stage for detailed presentation of the Task Force recommendations, funding formula, and proposed staffing for the Oregon School Facilities Program. The report concludes with several other considerations that fall outside the scope of the four-part Oregon School Facilities Program that we propose, but relate to long-term challenges and opportunities facing PreK-12 school facilities in Oregon.

Description

Oregon has adopted “the most aggressive high school and college completion goals of any state in the country” (Oregon Blue Book, 2013) without having a plan for the PreK-12 school facilities needed to support those goals. Many Oregon schools are outdated, dilapidated, and hazardous. Without a significant effort to increase statewide capital investment in PreK-12 schools, Oregon’s 40-40-20 goal and ambitions to build a ”cradle to career” educational system will remain out of reach.

How can the State of Oregon help 197 school districts pass local school bonds? What financial and technical assistance could help districts meet their most critical school facilities needs in an equitable way? What does the state need to know about its PreK-12 school facilities, and how should it assemble, organize, and share that information with districts and the general public? This report offers answers to these questions.

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/15840

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