A $7 million facilities bond for the Mt. Angel School District passed with overwhelming support during the May 16 election, which also secured an attached $4 million state grant.
Measure 24-482 passed with 64% voter support out of 869 total votes, according to results published May 24 by the Marion County Clerk’s Office.
Superintendent Rachel Stucky said there was “a collective celebration” at the district offices after seeing the outcome, while acknowledging results will not be official until the election is certified June 12.
“People are both happy, relieved and recognize that there is plenty of work now to do,” she said. “…I’m grateful to the voters for their support and also their acknowledgment that students are the number one priority, always.”
The school board voted in February to place the bond for facility improvements related to student wellbeing and safety on the ballot. These included upgrades to HVAC systems, new exterior door locks, and replacement of a five-decade-old boiler at Mt. Angel Middle School.
Attached to the bond was a $4 million grant from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Program, meant to encourage voter support for school funding. If the bond had not passed, the district would have been ineligible for the grant.
In addition to strong voter support, voter turnout was higher in the district at 33%, compared to 23% for Marion County overall. Stucky said transparency and community engagement helped encourage the turnout, and said the district will maintain open communication throughout the facilities improvement process.
“The community members have a place at the table for all parts of this process, because ultimately this is their investment,” she said.
Stucky said the next step will be finding a project manager over the summer, keeping an eye out for someone community-minded.
“We want to make sure they are going to meet our needs and are going to listen to us,” said Stucky.
– Stephen Floyd
