At a fall districtwide School Advisory Committee meeting, Board Chair Kirsten Ayard, district staff and project-management leaders presented Measure 3628, the districts proposed bond for building repairs and replacements, and invited questions from residents and volunteers.

The district said the bond is the final phase of a three-part program the board planned following earlier authorizations in 2017 and 2021. "This is very important, to the future of our schools," Mary Kaye Larsen told the meeting. Larsen and Tony (the districts executive director of project management) described the bonds priorities: replacing aging schools and building systems, upgrades to safety and security, and new and expanded learning spaces including STEM/CTE additions at the high schools and an addition at Palisades World Language School. The presentation also said the district seeks a new community transition program space for adult learners with developmental delays.

Why it matters: The district emphasized that bond proceeds can be spent only on capital projects and not on day-to-day operations or staff salaries. "Bonds for buildings. They cannot be used for daily operational costs," Larsen said. Staff said the measure would replace existing debt so the estimated tax rate would be maintained rather than increased; the district presented an estimated tax of about $2.90 per $1,000 of assessed value. The district gave a bond-total figure of $245,000,000 in its remarks; presentation materials referenced $248,000,000 in other places (the districts materials show both figures), and staff described allocations among priority categories during the meeting.

Major points from the presentation and Q&A:
- Projects and priorities: District staff said roughly 38% of the bond is for preservation and safety systems, about 49% for replacing the districts oldest elementary schools (identified as Lake Grove and Forest Hills), and about 13% for learning-space expansions (STEM/CTE at the high schools, the Palisades addition, and the community transition program). The district named completed and in-progress projects (River Grove, Lakeridge Middle School, and Lake Oswego Middle School) as part of the multi-phase program.

- Tax impact and timing: Staff described the estimated tax impact as about $2.90 per $1,000 of assessed value and explained assessed value differs from market value; the presenters said the median assessed-value example used in the meeting was roughly $460,000. The district described plans to sell bond tranches (two primary sales anticipated, roughly split) and characterized the bonds as having a maximum term of about 26 years depending on sales timing.

- Oversight and management: The district said it has a dedicated project-management team, an independent bond accountability committee made up of citizens with construction/finance expertise, quarterly audits and expenditure reports, and regular board contract reviews. Tony described district staffing and outside consultants used to manage projects and said architects are already under contract for at least one elementary design.

- Contingencies and costs: Staff said bond funds cannot be used for operations and that without the bond, unexpected capital repairs (for example, a burst pipe or failing boiler) could require diverting operating funds. The district estimated construction-cost escalation at about 4.5% per year and said that delay or a failed vote could raise costs; staff cited modeled impacts of multi-year execution and said the district has built escalation assumptions into planning.

- Property and site questions: Officials told the meeting the board has decided to replace active schools at their existing sites and that Uplands is being used as a swing site. The district said there have been no board plans to sell district property and that any potential disposition would be considered only as a long-term lease and would follow city planning and public-review processes. The possibility of selling a small sliver (roughly two to three acres) adjacent to Lake Grove was described as hypothetical and not decided.

- Emergency-use and seismic upgrades: Staff said newer and replacement schools are designed to higher seismic and resilience standards, that some buildings include standby generators and partial kitchen capability, and that the district has an existing agreement with the American Red Cross for sheltering.

- Campaign and community outreach: Meeting participants and campaign volunteers outlined outreach tactics and asked how parents, PTOs and volunteers can help. District staff reiterated that district employees may provide factual information but may not engage in advocacy during work; volunteers and the citizen campaign may advocate. A meeting participant announced a citizen-led canvass starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lake Oswego High School and additional Sundays to get likely supporters to return ballots; organizers emphasized targeting known supporters to turn out votes.

During the session board chair Kirsten Ayard stressed the urgency of passing the measure: "If this does not pass, we will likely not be going back out in May. It is a complete rethink," she said, urging volunteers to help with outreach.

The meeting closed with breakout planning for local outreach (door-to-door, event handouts, social posts, and student-led neighborhood efforts) and a reminder to voters to register and return ballots. The district said ballot materials would be mailed this week and reiterated that the measure is a yes-or-no item on the November ballot (identified in the presentation as Measure 3628).