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Oregon School for the Deaf seeks $96.2 million for phase‑one campus renovation and new residence halls
Summary
Department officials presented a long-range facility plan for the Oregon School for the Deaf and asked the subcommittee to consider $96.2 million in project costs (about $107 million including debt service) for phase 1 — new residence halls, critical campus fixes and site work.
Officials from the Oregon Department of Education presented the long-range facility plan for the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) to the Education Subcommittee on March 24 and described a phase‑one bond request focused on new residence halls and critical campus improvements.
Melissa Garner, ODE’s business services director, said OSD’s campus sits on 37.3 acres with buildings that average about 70 years old and that essential infrastructure such as water and sewer is original in places. OSD currently hosts the residential program and two charter schools and a Head Start program on campus, Garner said.
Garner and ODE staff said the department commissioned a facilities-condition assessment and a long-range facility plan from architectural consultants experienced with schools for the deaf. The plan categorizes buildings by condition and suitability; five buildings were judged adequate while several others are orange or red on the condition index and are slated for replacement.
Phase 1 in the long-range plan, which has been included in the governor’s recommended budget as Article XI‑Q bonds, focuses on two new residence halls, site development to improve walkability and accessibility (including reducing pedestrian–vehicle conflict points), and critical infrastructure fixes such as a failing generator and water/sewer repairs. ODE listed project costs of $96.2 million and a total ask including debt service of about $107 million for phase 1.
OSD officials said residential capacity matters to the school’s mission: roughly half of students served by OSD are residential and for many students the campus is their first sustained exposure to sign language and a deaf peer community. Presenters said the current dormitories contain asbestos and were not designed with modern deaf‑centric sight lines and programming.
Committee members asked whether the plan was scalable and whether moving OSD would be less expensive. ODE staff said they reviewed options but concluded that an in-place, phased investment preserves community and cultural ties; they added each phase is intended to stand alone so approving phase 1 does not obligate the state to phases 2–4.
No formal action was taken. Staff said they could provide campus tours and additional materials to legislators and emphasized that detailed designs and cost estimates will be refined in later design phases.
