Across many of the Tigard-Tualatin School District’s 17 school campuses, aging facilities are creating challenges to learning – from leaking roofs to faulty fire alarms to failing heating systems.
To address those issues, and more, the district has placed a $421.3 million bond proposal on the May 20 ballot. Measure 34-342 is designed to repair and replace older buildings and keep students safe, warm and dry.
“We think all our students deserve to thrive in modern learning spaces,” said Tristan Irvin, chair of the TTSD School Board. “We live in a community that values its strong school system, and I’m hopeful that voters recognize the needs and will vote in support.
“When students and staff feel valued by their community, they internalize that sense of worth,” Irvin added. “Providing safe, sound learning environments is a powerful way to show that we believe in them and they are worth the investment.”
This is the district’s first bond proposal since voters passed a $291.3 million bond in 2016. Key projects in the new proposal include replacing 50-year-old Fowler Middle School and making significant renovations at four of the district’s oldest elementaries: Bridgeport, Byrom, Durham and Mary Woodward.
The new bond would also add security cameras and fire-protection systems, replace aging turf fields and field lighting, renovate high school auditoriums, repair HVAC and electrical systems, update plumbing and provide modern curriculum and technology.
If passed, the bond is estimated to cost property owners an additional 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, for 20-21 years. The median homeowner in the district’s boundaries would pay about $25 more per month in property taxes, according to district estimates.
A citizen Bond Oversight Committee would be formed to ensure bond funds are spent responsibly and in alignment with voter-approved projects.
“We think it’s important that voters know that this measure, if passed, would only be used to pay for local projects,” said Dr. Iton Udosenata, TTSD’s superintendent. “It’s also worth noting that although these are primarily learning spaces, our schools are community assets that thousands of people enjoy every month for meetings, sporting events, plays, concerts and green spaces.”
Udosenata added that the state pays for school operations, but it is up to local voters to decide whether to invest in bonds for school buildings.
The state of Oregon has committed to awarding TTSD a grant of $8.28 million to fund additional projects, but only if the bond passes in the May 2025 election.
More information, visit ttsdbond.org.
