District staff presented a range of bond options and contingency planning to the Carroll School District board on Monday evening, laying out how the district might pay for an estimated $16 million Aiken project while responding to an uncertain state funding forecast.

A presenter summarized two principal scenarios: keeping the existing tax rate of $0.82 per $1,000 of assessed value could fund a roughly $17.8 million bond issued over 20 years, or the district could pursue a shorter-term bond (12 years) and apply for the state "AWESOME" matching grant that staff said could supply up to about $12.25 million — producing roughly $24.5 million in combined funds. The presenter cautioned these were estimates and that timing matters because a bond must typically be sold within nine months of voter approval.

Board members pressed staff for details about the grant and legal constraints. A staff presenter said the matching funds come from the state and noted that to be eligible for the match the district needs a long-range facilities plan in addition to the existing facilities assessment. The presenter also explained tradeoffs: longer-term bonds spread costs and increase total interest paid, while shorter terms paired with the match would provide more project dollars sooner but require stricter useful-life justification.

The board discussed how the options would affect levy rates and the district's borrowing costs. The presenter showed Piper Sandler estimates that kept the levy at $0.82 under one scenario and showed estimated interest rates on sample issuances; board members asked clarifying questions about useful-life rules and whether furniture and technology could be funded by bond proceeds under current guidance.

Staff also briefed the board on state budget forecasts shared by the Oregon Department of Education and OSBA. The forecasts remain provisional: staff said several official estimates are still pending through winter and into March, and the district will not know the legislature's final position until the session advances. In response, district staff said they have already begun contingency work: adjusting Title and grant-funded positions where allowable, employing attrition rather than layoffs where feasible, limiting discretionary spending and delaying nonessential purchases.

The board did not take a formal bond action at the meeting but directed staff to continue planning, to assemble a long-range facilities plan needed for grant eligibility and to consider forming a bond committee to consult the community. Staff said they would return with refined estimates and timelines once more detailed financial modeling and the state forecast are available.

What happens next: staff will work on the long-range facilities plan and community engagement steps the board requested; the district will monitor ODE and legislative forecasts before bringing any bond placement or election timing decision back to the board.