Voters in Morrow County rejected the Morrow County School District General Obligation bond on Tuesday’s ballot.
Superintendent Dirk Dirksen said the district is disappointed about the outcome.
“We worked very hard to inform our communities about the bond and how it could improve our facilities, but we acknowledge that this is a challenging time to pass a bond,” Dirksen said. “We continue to be committed to student success in all our schools.”
The bond measure received 1,449 no votes to 864 yes votes.
Dirksen said he appreciates all of the district staff who worked on the district’s bond information campaign and appreciates the work of the county-wide Political Action Committee that worked very hard on their own campaign supporting the bond.
The bond would have funded projects in Boardman, Heppner and Irrigon. Projects were slated at all of the district’s eight schools and at the District Office. Proposed bond projects included:
- New secure entries and offices
- Additions to and remodels of existing schools
- Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system updates
- Additional student spaces
- Separation of Jr/Sr High student spaces
- Reconfigured traffic and parking
- Additional building access for people with disabilities
- Increased technology infrastructure
The bond would have raised $138 million, and MCSD would have received a matching grant from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching (OSCIM) Program of $4 million. A total of $142 million would have been available for projects.
Dirksen, who is retiring from MCSD June 30, said he did not know when the district would consider going out for another bond.
