In this May 2022 photo, teacher Ciera Hensley and her students discuss a passage from a book during her seventh grade essential skills class at Crook County Middle School in Prineville.
Michael Kohn has been public lands and environment reporter with The ÅÝֱܽ²¥ since 2019. He enjoys hiking in the hills and forests near Bend with his family and exploring the state of Oregon.
In this May 2022 photo, teacher Ciera Hensley and her students discuss a passage from a book during her seventh grade essential skills class at Crook County Middle School in Prineville.
A bond measure to pay for repairs on Crook County Schools properties appeared to be headed toward a loss on Tuesday, according to early returns.
Early election returns showed that the measure meant to repair and update schools was losing, with 53.3% of voters in opposition compared to 46.7% of voters supporting the bond.
To pay for Crook County Schools’ $11 million maintenance bond, property owners would have paid 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. For a homeowner whose house is appraised at $500,000, the bond would have increased taxes by $50 per year for the duration of the bond.
The bond would have been used to fix leaks and heating issues throughout the district’s schools, some caused by January snow and ice storms. School officials described water pouring through classrooms and lines of buckets used to catch water from leaks in the Crook County Middle School gym.
According to the National Weather Service station in Pendleton, Prineville saw 10 inches of snow throughout late January.
The bond would have been used for projects in the district maintenance building, Crooked River Elementary, Crook County Middle School, Steins Pillar Elementary School and Paulina K-8 School.
The bond measure would also have allowed $5 million to upgrade the boiler system at Crook County Middle School, which is 75 years old. Security upgrades would have been made at Crook County High School, Steins Pillar Elementary and other district sites.
There is a $6 million matching grant through the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Plan, though it is contingent on the bond measure passing.
Michael Kohn has been public lands and environment reporter with The ÅÝֱܽ²¥ since 2019. He enjoys hiking in the hills and forests near Bend with his family and exploring the state of Oregon.
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