Board reviews building-insights report, weighs consolidation and bonds to address aging facilities
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Summary
Douglas County SD 4 board reviewed a building-insights report cataloging maintenance and safety needs across schools (RHS, Fullerton, Eastwood and others), discussed consolidation and bond strategies, and asked staff for more community engagement and cost analyses.
The Douglas County SD 4 Board of Education received a report from the Building Insights Committee summarizing facility visits and a catalog of urgent and recurring maintenance needs across district schools.
Keith (named in the meeting) presented an analysis that categorized dozens of maintenance projects by type — structural repairs, roofing, HVAC/air quality, ADA access, fire alarms, asbestos removal, lighting, power upgrades and water-line work — and counted instances across buildings. He reported that Roseburg High School (RHS) had the largest number of listed items (36 in the assessment), while some elementary schools such as Hughcrest, Fullerton and Eastwood showed fewer items in the maintenance list.
Board members debated whether the district should continue to address needs piecemeal via maintenance and grants or pursue larger capital solutions such as consolidation or new construction. Several directors urged considering consolidation of older, underused schools to realize long-term operating savings and to fund larger construction projects; others cautioned about community impacts, the difficulty of school closures and the need for public engagement. One director suggested using two bond measures (one targeted to maintenance and one for major construction) to avoid combining fundamentally different projects into a single proposal.
Directors repeatedly asked staff to provide more data and to take the public on facility tours so taxpayers can see conditions firsthand. The board agreed to continue community engagement, rely on the community facilities advisory committee's input and further analyze priorities and budgets for 2026–27.
Next steps: Building Insights Committee and staff will refine the priorities list, prepare cost estimates, arrange tours for board members and the public, and present bond planning options and timelines for further board discussion.