Scappoose school leaders outline smaller middle‑school bond and offer city use option for current building

Scappoose — Scappoose School District representatives gave the City Council a status update Monday on plans for a new middle school and said the district will seek community feedback on scaled-down options ahead of a possible bond election in May 2026.

Pat Kessy, speaking for the Scappoose School Board, said the district is focusing on a smaller, lower-cost project than a rejected 2023 proposal and plans community outreach in the coming months. “In the next probably 3 to 4 months,” Kessy said, “the new possible bond might be May of 2026.”

The district first sought voter approval for a larger bond in November 2023. That measure — described in the district presentation as about $110,000,000 — failed. Since then, the district has narrowed options and engaged architects, a seismic engineer, abatement and general contractors (Hoffman and Remick) to evaluate lower-cost alternatives.

The nut of the district’s current planning is a set of four options that Kessy said cluster around $40,000,000. That total reflects four approaches the consultants identified, including: a light renovation of the historic 1931 middle‑school building; adding middle‑school capacity onto the current high‑school campus by expanding existing wings; or using the newer annex gym and adding on there. Kessy said one option would keep the current middle‑school site available for the city if the district relocates the school.

Why it matters: The district said student population projections show little growth over the next 20 years, and that community feedback earlier this year repeatedly flagged traffic and safety near the existing middle school site. Those concerns, plus the goal to reduce taxpayer cost, led the district to eliminate the larger, $70 million‑plus renovation scheme under consideration and to explore smaller, more focused projects.

Key details from the district presentation: - The full renovation estimate for the older middle‑school building was previously shown at about $70,000,000 to bring it to school standards; Kessy said the city could use the building to office standards at lower cost if the district vacates it. - Four refined options from district consultants fell near $40,000,000. One option would serve only seventh and eighth grades rather than sixth through eighth. - The district plans an outreach period of roughly three to four months to solicit community preference among the options before finalizing a proposed bond amount and timeline.

Council response and next steps: Council members expressed interest in seeing the consultant reports; Council President Miller asked whether the district’s studies could be shared with city staff and was told “not at all” would prevent sharing. City Manager Ben Berger said the city could revisit the idea of repurposing the current middle‑school building if it becomes available.

No formal action was taken by the council Monday; the district’s presentation was received as information and the board plans public meetings to collect community feedback before deciding whether to place a bond on the May 2026 ballot.

Ending: The district said it will return to the community with the three to four options and next steps; the council indicated interest in coordinating with the district about city reuse of the current middle‑school site if it is vacated.