Superintendent announces Legacy School Bond 2025 on ballot; district discusses tax‑exemption request from housing partner

Dr. Shealy, superintendent of Lake Oswego School District 7J, told the board that the Legacy School Bond 2025 will appear on the November ballot as Measure 3628 and said the bond is intended to complete the district's three‑part program to replace and modernize older school facilities.

Dr. Shealy said a $245,000,000 bond is projected to preserve the district’s current estimated bond tax rate ("no increase in the bond tax rate," she said) while funding health, safety and security improvements, facility preservation and upgrades, and the replacement of the district’s two oldest elementary schools, Forest Hills and Lake Grove, on their current sites. She said the bond would also fund expanded learning spaces, including STEM/CTE classrooms at both high school campuses and a remodeled community transition program facility. She added that bond funds are restricted to voter‑approved projects and will be subject to a citizen‑led bond accountability committee, regular audits and quarterly expenditure reports.

Dr. Shealy also provided two legislative updates. She referenced an executive order on personal electronic devices and an education accountability bill (referred to in the meeting as Bill 141) that will change state reporting requirements: some metrics the district formerly reported monthly will now be required fewer times per year, while new metrics — including kindergarten through second‑grade attendance and an eighth‑grade math metric — will be added. She said the state will select a local metric in January and that the district will then choose which assessment to use from state options.

On a separate item, Dr. Shealy reported a recent meeting with a housing partner that is seeking a tax exemption (the transcript names the representative as Mercy Greenberg and later refers to Hacienda in the discussion). Shealy said district staff, principals from Hallinan, Lake Grove and the high school, and central office staff met with the organization to review the partnership and the program the organization provides in district schools. She told the board the district described concerns about staffing turnover and gaps in promised services, and that the housing partner acknowledged issues and committed to more regular communication. When asked about fiscal impact, Shealy said the rough immediate impact to the district’s tax revenue would be about $520,000 and estimated the housing partner’s avoided tax payment would be about $100,000; she stressed those figures were presented as ballpark estimates in the meeting.

Shealy said the district is not recommending immediate approval of a tax exemption and that staff will continue working with the partner to clarify commitments. She also said bond and program information will be posted on the district website and regularly updated.