Sweet Home board approves bond resolution, eyes $12.25 million state matching grant for high school project
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The Sweet Home School District board approved a resolution to move a bond measure to the Linn County Clerk's office for a likely May 2026 ballot. Staff said the project would be structured to maintain the current tax rate and is contingent on a $12,252,000 Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Grant if voters approve the bond.
The Sweet Home School District 55 board voted unanimously Feb. 27 to approve a resolution to send a proposed bond to Linn County for ballot title preparation and potential placement on the May 2026 ballot.
District staff told the board the ballot title and resolution would go to the Linn County Clerk, who will likely suggest edits to meet statutory requirements before the district submits a final version. "We'll take this to the Linn County Clerk's office, and we'll give them the ballot title information and the resolution," staff said. If the clerk approves the title, the measure will go to voters in May.
A key fiscal component: staff said the district has a contingent $12,252,000 Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Grant (OSCIM) that would come to Sweet Home if voters approve the bond. Staff described the bond package's guiding objectives as maintaining the current tax rate, improving student safety and security, upgrading classrooms and career-technical-education facilities, and leveraging grant funds to reduce local cost.
Staff characterized the bond as structured to maintain the existing tax rate — similar to the district's 2017 junior-high bond — and said growth in assessed values could reduce tax rates over time. "It's structured to maintain the existing tax rate," staff said, adding that assessed-value growth could lower rates.
Project scope and timeline: staff described replacing primary classroom wings at Sweet Home High School to create a secured campus with monitored entryways, improved safety systems, and expanded CTE (career technical education) spaces such as a dedicated greenhouse and updated metal/wood shops. Preliminary planning with architects is underway, but most construction would be expected to begin in 2027 and continue in phases to avoid disrupting school operations.
Board action: the motion to approve the resolution (moved by Gail and seconded by Janet) passed unanimously. Staff said they will work with the county clerk on ballot title language and return with a final version.
What’s next: If the bond passes, the district will finalize designs, phase construction beginning 2027, and use the state matching grant to reduce local costs. The resolution and packet materials will be filed with Linn County for the next steps in the ballot process.