At the December 14 business meeting, the McMinnville School Board passed a resolution calling for a bond measure election.
Resolution 03-1516 outlines the need to maintain and extend the life of district buildings through facility repairs and upgrades for energy efficiency, safety and security, and student learning; to improve Newby Elementary to provide equitable facilities for elementary students; and to construct a new vocational-technical center at McMinnville High School.
The bond, estimated to not exceed $89,400,000, replaces a retiring bond and the overall bond tax rate is not expected to increase over the McMinnville School District’s 2014-15 rate of $2.80 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Additionally, passage of the bond may make the district eligible for more than $7 million in funds from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Match.
McMinnville School Board’s unanimous decision to place this measure on the ballot is based on the recommendations of community volunteers on its Long Range Facilities Task Force and a survey of district voters.
In other board happenings, Newby third graders took the floor to demonstrate their prowess with math facts. Led by teacher Kelsey Freese, the students showed how they combine music with learning basic math facts.
The students paired with a board member to explain the activity and demonstrate the learning strategy with musical accompaniment.