About the Bond

In November 2016, the voters of Gresham-Barlow School District approved a capital construction bond in the amount of $291.17 million. Additionally, the state of Oregon awarded the school district a capital construction grant of $8 million. This grant was only available upon successful passage of the bond measure.

School bond projects will increase student and staff safety, improve access to modern technology, and address chronic overcrowding through upgrades and updates made to schools and classrooms throughout the district.

Replacements, Rebuilds and Additions

Legend

Elementary Schools: System and Building Upgrades

Legend

Frequently Asked Questions

When did this pass?

In November 2016, Gresham-Barlow School District voters approved Measure 26-187, a $291.17 million capital construction bond to fund improvements to replace, repair and upgrade schools across our district.

What will the bond pay for?

Thanks to the generosity of voters, our district now has funding to improve safety and security, renovate and replace aging schools, expand educational opportunities and modernize classrooms and buildings so that every Gresham-Barlow student has an opportunity to succeed.  By building safe, modern, seismically-up-to-date facilities for our schools, Gresham-Barlow voters are invested in the economic well-being of our entire community. Educators can more effectively teach students in classrooms, our communities can retain and recruit current and future residents, and modernizing our buildings save district taxpayer money on energy costs.

When will bond projects start?

Bond projects are already underway and improving educational outcomes across the district.

Since passage of the bond, your tax dollars have already been used for significant changes to our schools. Bond proceeds have been used to install new technology at every school facility (including 3,200 new computers), new furniture at several elementary schools, a partial roof replacement at Deep Creek-Damascus K-8 and new running tracks at Gordon Russell and Dexter McCarty Middle Schools. The district anticipates construction on four larger projects to begin next spring; two high schools (Sam Barlow and Gresham) and two elementary schools (North Gresham and East Gresham) will receive significant funding for modernization and renovation to meet the health and safety needs for our students. Gresham-Barlow School District has conducted significant community engagement to guide the planning and help finalize the design of the new buildings.

Why have my property taxes increased?

Gresham-Barlow voters authorized the District to sell bonds to raise $291.17 million for construction.   Estimates at the time put the total bond costs at $2.89 per thousand of assessed value to pay for both the new and the old bond. This is the amount we communicated to voters.  That amount represents an tax increase of $1.89 per thousand of assessed value

Is that lower than projected?

Yes. Thanks to a higher-than-anticipated assessed value of houses across the district, we are pleased to report that property was assessed at $2.61 per thousand of assessed value, a full $0.28 lower than anticipated. A typical house in the Gresham-Barlow assessed at $200,000 will annually pay $56 less than originally forecast.

How do does Gresham-Barlow School District taxes compare to rest of the region?

Before passage of this bond, out of 25 school districts in the greater Portland Metro region, Gresham-Barlow residents’ effective tax rate was 22nd in the region (3rd from the bottom). Measure 26-187 adjusts Gresham-Barlow’s effective tax rate for education to 12th, squarely in the middle and comparable with school districts across the Portland Metro region.

Who is making sure the funds are being spent wisely, transparently and on-budget?

The School District facilitates an independent Bond Oversight Committee, comprised entirely of citizens, in charge of monitoring the planned improvements, progress, schedule and costs of the Bond program to ensure transparency and accountability.  In addition the district has retained an outside firm to conduct regular, independent audits of all expenditures.   You read the reports and audits HERE.