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JOSHUA BOLKAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
On May 17, voters in the Parkrose School District will decide whether to approve a $63 million, 30-year bond to upgrade facilities and replace Parkrose Middle School.
The bond would continue the tax rate of $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed value established by a bond measure approved in 1995 and set to retire in December.
Supporters of the measure say that the money is desperately needed and point out it will not raise taxes, but in a district with a 70 percent poverty rate, voters may be too desperate for the tax relief to approve it.
Parkrose Middle School gets razed and rebuilt, accounting for $43.5 million of the money raised. The problems with the current building include a leaking roof and damaged flooring; cracks in exterior walls; noncompliant glass in interior lights and windows; and single pane windows that provide poor insulation.
Multipurpose rooms would be added to Shaver Elementary, Sacramento Elementary and Russell Academy, in addition to other improvements totaling $6.2 million. At Prescott Elementary, $2.7 million would be used in part for additional learning spaces, asbestos abatement and technology upgrades. There are no plans for significant spending at Parkrose High School.
Maureen Crawford, director of Yes for Parkrose and a district homeowner since 1996, said that the multipurpose rooms are needed so that the three schools can hold assemblies, have indoor recess on rainy days and schedule activities like band or plays. Crawford said that right now “they have a shared gym and eating area” where they're trying to hold all of those activities.
Mike Keating, a retired mechanic and district homeowner since 1980, does not believe the bond is necessary and plans to vote no. “It's a Christmas wish list,” Keating said about the planned renovations.
“Parkrose is a depleted area,” Keating said. “Jobs are leaving. People are leaving.”
According to information released by Yes for Parkrose, a political action committee formed to help pass the bond measure, “A school bond in the short term means jobs: project management jobs, architecture jobs, construction jobs - all local jobs. In a time when our state continues to lag behind the rest of the nation, Parkrose can help lead the way forward into economic recovery by providing good, hard-working men and women work. The school bond will help our community's long-term economic health too. Good schools mean demand for our property and higher property values.”
Keating, who ran for the school board in 1995 and put three children through Parkrose schools, also pointed to his 2010 property taxes when explaining why he does not want to continue paying the $166 a year he has paid on the 1995 bond.
In 2010, Keating received $15,600 a year in Social Security payments and paid $772 in education taxes alone.
“All this piles up,” Keating said. “They say it's only $166, and it's way more than that.”
As for any renovations that are necessary, Keating suggested that the district sell the three school buildings it is not currently using.
However, the Knott, Sumner and Thompson buildings are currently being leased and bring in more than $300,000 a year that is used for capital improvements, according to Parkrose Superintendent Karen Fischer Gray. Their combined insurance value is $15.7 million; more than $47 million shy of what district officials say they need.
Gray said that despite Multnomah Education Service District's interest in the properties, Parkrose has no plans to sell them. Gray pointed to a depressed real estate market and added that “the rental income that we make on that is too critical to the district right now. We have very few revenue streams.”
A district homeowner of 42 years who asked to remain anonymous said that he would probably vote no, despite the fact that he generally supports education. “It's more monetary than philosophic,” he said. “I'm just getting bombarded with so many things. I've got a limited amount coming in, and it seems like the going out is catching up.”
In addition, the taxes in Multnomah County have gone up, though property taxes for education in Parkrose are among the lowest in the metro area at $3.70 per $1,000. Property owners in the county paid an average of $19.76 per $1,000 of assessed value in fiscal year 2009/2010, the highest in the state by more than $2.
Nevertheless, Parkrose officials believe they can pass the measure. Yes for Parkrose estimates that that it will take 2,500 yes votes to gain approval. The committee surveyed 400 voters, and according to the results, expects the bond to pass, though not overwhelmingly.
According to Crawford, volunteers are getting encouraging responses as they canvass neighborhoods and call residents. “The voters have been very positive about it,” Crawford said. “Our volunteers come back with good stories and positive feedback, and they feel good about what they've done.”
Gray also said that the district is going to make the funds raised stretch as far as possible by seeking state and federal grants to help with the construction costs.
The district has applied for a $15 million qualified school construction bond. Created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, these bonds provide federal funding for public school construction by giving lenders tax credits for charging reduced interest rates.
Parkrose is also working with the Energy Trust of Oregon and McKinstry Construction to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings, which will lower operating costs and could qualify the district for business energy tax credits.
District officials are also trying to limit interest payments by applying for qualified zone academy bonds, funds that the district may be eligible for in part because 71 percent of students qualified for free or reduced lunches in 2009/2010.
Legally barred from campaigning for the bond measure, Gray is direct when discussing what she believes is at stake.
“When you look at our buildings from the outside, they look great. When you look on the inside, you don't see things automatically,” Gray said. “But when you dig into the infrastructure of Prescott and the middle school, and you see what is happening, it is very concerning.” Gray went on to say she does not know how she will prioritize the renovations or mitigate the damage if the bond funds are not available.
Crawford said she is optimistic it will not come to that. “I think we have a clear path to winning."
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