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Bond committee recommends November 2025 renewal to replace two oldest elementary schools, address repairs and consolidate district services
Summary
A citizen bond development committee recommended a November 2025 renewal bond that would fund essential repairs, replace Forest Hills and Lake Grove elementary schools, expand CTE/STEM and Palisades capacity, and consolidate district offices at Uplands; the committee said the measure would renew expiring bonds without increasing the tax rate.
A citizen bond development committee presented its recommendations to the Lake Oswego School Board on Feb. 24, proposing a renewal bond measure for the Nov. 2025 ballot that would complete the district's three-phase facilities program.
The committee outlined four categories of work: essential repairs and safety upgrades (roofs, HVAC, fire-alarm updates, security cameras and door hardware); replacement of the district's two oldest elementary schools (Forest Hills, built 1946, and Lake Grove, built 1949); capacity and program investments (expanded career and technical education and STEM facilities at both high schools, additional classrooms at Palisades to serve language-immersion strands, and a permanent home for the community transition program); and consolidation of district services into the Uplands property to create efficiencies and retire leased space.
Committee members said polling and community engagement informed recommendations and stressed fiscal safeguards: the bond would be a renewal timed as existing measures expire and they presented cost estimates that, in the committee's view, did not increase the current tax rate. The group also noted a roughly $15 million increase in available resources during the committee's deliberations and said that figure eased some tradeoffs.
Board members asked about the rationale for replacing Lake Grove and Forest Hills rather than moving programs into other properties. Committee members and staff said both elementary buildings are beyond feasible long-term repair, that Lake Grove is a designated community gathering site and would function as an emergency hub, and that community polling showed stronger support for school replacement projects than for an administrative-building upgrade.
The board treated the bond committee's report as information; the district manager said that if the board adopts the recommendation in a future action, the district would prepare a public information program and the citizen campaign would activate ahead of a fall campaign. Committee members said they had identified campaign leadership and volunteer teams and anticipated regional outreach through spring and summer engagement events.
The recommendation will return to the board for a formal decision on whether to place a measure on the Nov. 2025 ballot.
