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May 21, 2013 By
Photo of a yard sign in support of Klamath School bond measure 18-91.

Klamath County – Thank You For Supporting Our County Schools!

The Citizens for Klamath County Schools Political Action Committee is grateful to the voters of Klamath County School District by responding with a YES vote on the $31 million bond measure.

Initial results as of 8:00 p.m. Tuesday show Measure 18-91 failing by a tight margin, 4,164 yes votes (49.06%) to 4,324 no votes (50.94%). However, by 11:00 p.m. that margin was flipped and 18-91 passed, 5,352 yes votes to 5,184 no votes, or 50.80% in favor to 49.20% opposed.

THANK YOU, KLAMATH! For the first time in nearly 40 years, voters in the Klamath County School District have come together to build a better future for our youth.

It will be such a thrill in the coming months to see work get started on repairing and renovating schools throughout the county, and planning begin for construction of a brand new elementary school at Henley.

We’re especially grateful to our 18 leading financial supporters, who contributed generously to our campaign fund, or who made in-kind contributions of labor or advertising credit. Another 20 local businesses demonstrated additional support for the campaign.

We appreciate statements of support that came from local organizations, community leaders and media companies.

We were thrilled to see more than 800 local residents step forward to say they would lend their names to the campaign. This overwhelming demonstration of support for our schools surely played a critical role in the success we can now all savor.

Finally, officers and directors of the PAC wish to thank all our volunteers who planted signs, handed out brochures, made phone calls, knocked on doors or served in so many other ways. Great work, everyone!

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure
May 17, 2013 By

There has been a lot of discussion about the Klamath County School District (KCSD) and how its money has been spent for maintenance projects. With bond measure 18-91, a fiscally conservative county, and schools needing help, it’s a discussion that’s been needed.  However, some of the numbers on what the KCSD spends may be skewed in a way that is misleading.

Out in the public, folks are being told that the Klamath County School District has spent “$100 million” over the last five years, and that in ten years we will be looking at the KCSD having spent “$1 billion on the schools”.  Undoubtedly, that is a lot of money!

However, those numbers are incorrect.

Where the “$100 million” came from is a mystery.  The folks who are floating that number admit to lumping the City and County School Districts together, but it cannot be the real maintenance budget for the Klamath County School District for the last five years which is closer to $10 million and when broken down, is a little over $2 million a year.  And that’s for 19schools, in a school district that’s one of the largest in terms of area covered.  So, what do the real maintenance numbers look like?

  • FY 2008-09:         $2,536,882.56 (actual)
  • FY 2009-10:         $2,045,889.69 (actual)
  • FY 2010-11:         $2,595,630.96 (actual)
  • FY 2011-12:         $2,015,236.90 (actual)
  • FY 2012-13:         $2,366,063.13 (budget)

In that same five year time span, the money the Klamath County School District spent on capital improvements was $17 million.  If you combine both capital improvements at $17 million with the $10 million in maintenance, you only get $27million!  Now you may be asking, “What’s the difference between maintenance and capital improvements?  Aren’t they same?”

Actually, there is a difference.

Routine maintenance, or preventative maintenance, is part of the on-going care and upkeep of any building. It includes tasks like changing various filters, painting, minor equipment change-out, caulking, sealing, minor repair of various components, and other activities that are planned and performed at regular intervals to extend the life or prevent the premature failure of building components or equipment.

Capital improvements on the other hand, include the additions or building structures that increase the value of the school district’s property.  Capital improvements can also include replacements and upgrades that make our properties more useful and extend the usefulness of them.  For the Klamath County School District, this includes steam line repair, lighting retrofits, gym renovations and siding, heat pump installation, track resurfacing, surveillance systems, fire and sprinkler systems, bleachers, flooring and carpeting, and scoreboards.  It covers quite a bit, but these add to the value of the KCSD’s properties!

If you want to talk about the Klamath County School District’s budget in general, which perhaps is part of where the misleading $100 million figure is coming from, the general fund budget from 2012-13 was about $55 million.  The bulk of that comes from state and federal  support. Virtually all of that funding is used for the day-to-day costs of educating the district’s 6,100 students at 19 different school facilities scattered across the largest geographic school district in Oregon.  Yes, you read that correctly – the largest geographic school district in Oregon.  Not several small school districts with their armies of administrators, but one large school district with 6,100 students, 19 facilities,  one set of administrators, classified staff and 320 teachers.

But what else does that $55 million pay for?

  • The district transports 4,500 children on 67 different bus routes that range as far as Lake of the Woods, Bly Mountain, Gilchrist and Malin. Transportation costs alone were $3.1 million this year.
  • The district feeds lunch to 3,700 children daily, and breakfast to 1,660 daily.
  • Utility costs such as electricity and heating fuel were nearly $1.9 million last year. (This cost will be coming down as recent energy-efficiency projects begin to pay off. There are many more such projects proposed in the bond measure that could save even more money in the years ahead.)

And much of that money comes from state and federal funding, which comes with restrictions on how it can be spent.

The Citizens for Klamath County Schools PAC are happy share details and answer questions about the budget and how money is spent.  We strongly encourage you to visit the Klamath County School District’s Web site to learn more about the kinds of projects that are being undertaken, and, as always, if you have questions, you can email us or KCSD for information.

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Bond Measure Information
May 15, 2013 By
A graph depicting the costs to heat Bonanza Schools in FY 2012 and FY 2013. Information courtesy of Klamath County School District.

A cost comparison of FY 2012 to FY 2013 at Bonanza Schools. Courtesy of Klamath County School District.

With Klamath County School District bond measure 18-91, we hope to secure funding to not only build Henley Elementary a new, proper school, but also perform various maintenance projects and upgrades.  In our last blog post, we highlighted (pun unintended!) the potential savings that upgrading the lights in 11 Klamath County Schools would bring.  However, there’s another system upgrade that will bring more savings.

If you look at our Proposed Projects page, you will see that four schools are slated for heating system upgrades (five if you include Mazama High School’s control system upgrade).  Sure, it’s easy to argue that obviously updating a heating system will save a few bucks, but how much money will it really save?  And are those new systems really going to help the KCSD save any meaningful amount of money?

The answer lies in Bonanza Schools.

Last year, Bonanza Schools underwent a complete overhaul of the heating and cooling system.  The school featured 75-year-old diesel fueled steam boilers to heat and cool the buildings.  There were leaking pipes, which made rooms both too hot and too cold in the same day with other pipes threatening to fail.  Not only was the old system inefficient, with the rising cost of fuel, it was also expensive to operate.

As a result, the Klamath County School District had the old boiler system replaced with an energy efficient, electric HVAC system in the old building while the newer building’s system was retrofitted with upgrades.  The new HVAC system heats water from an onsite well which returns the water underground after it has ran through the pipes.  To ensure the system would continue to function if the power goes out, a propane powered back up boiler was installed as well.

Aside from making Bonanza Schools more comfortable to learn in with cleaner air to breath, in the last year it has saved the Klamath County School District a lot of money.  How much?  So far, in FY 2013, the new HVAC system at Bonanza has saved KCSD $145,700.

Yes, $145,700.  And the year isn’t over yet.

Not only that, Bonanza Schools, with the oldest standing school (built in 1935), has just received its Energy Star Certification.

Now, imagine if Chiloquin High School, Ferguson Elementary School, Peterson Elementary School and Stearns Elementary School – some of the older building in the Klamath County School District – received similar heating systems upgrades.  There is the potential to save a lot of money for the school district, which in turn can be used for the upkeep of the 18 facilities under its watch.

The citizens of Klamath County, with some of the lowest tax rates in the state, pride ourselves on being fiscally wise.  With that in mind, we need to pass Klamath School Bond 18-91.  Not only does it fix roofs and floors and provide a new school for Henley Elementary, it will save KCSD a lot of money in the long run.

Information and graph courtesy of the Klamath County School District.

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Bond Measure Information
May 14, 2013 By
A graphic depicting the savings from a lighting upgrade if Klamath school bond measure 18-91 passes.

Klamath County School District bond measure 18-91 will provide real savings. Information courtesy of the Klamath County School District.

When discussing ballot measure 18-91, some Klamath County citizens focus only on the school being built for Henley Elementary and then voice concerns about the long-term effect on maintenance and spending the money wisely.  Those are valid concerns, and the answer to those questions and concerns lie in the projects themselves.

When you visit our Proposed Projects page, you’ll see that 11 schools will receive lighting system upgrades.  Why do the lighting upgrades matter?  For starters, some of the schools have poor lighting with bulbs that are in the process of being phased out nationwide.  Aside from making it easier for kids to read and see better in the hallways, these lighting upgrades represent an estimated annual savings of over $95,588.  Yes, nearly $100,000 in savings.

The estimated cost of installing new lighting systems in these 11 schools is $1,898,473.  Power costs for these schools in FY 2012 ran the Klamath County School District $403,900.  If bond measure 18-91 passes and the lighting upgrades are installed, power costs are estimated to only be $308,312 –  a 23.7% reduction from 2012 power costs.  That means these lights will pay for themselves before the bond measure is paid off.

If the citizens of Klamath County are serious about being fiscally conservative, we need to look at how we can start saving money.  One of the ways we can make our schools more sustainable (and safe!) is by looking at how our money is spent, seeing if there’s a way to save money and then making intelligent investments in those solutions.  Looking at the numbers provided by the Klamath County School District, these lighting upgrades are one of the solutions and investments we need to make.

Source of the graphic and the numbers are courtesy of the Klamath County School District.  You can download a full, 12 month cost for the 11 schools version here.

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Bond Measure Information
May 10, 2013 By

This week, we’re featuring two of Joe Spendolini’s videos.  The first, which is fairly short and why we’re opting for two, is about the extensive water damage in the ceiling tiles at Brixner Jr. High School.  Built in 1972, Brixner provides a learning environment for 350 students.  However, as you see in the video, though Brixner is one of the newer schools in the Klamath County School District, it is in dire need of roof repair and an updated fire alarm system.

The next video is about the Klamath County School District’s largest elementary school, Peterson Elementary.  In this video, Mr. Spendolini is given a tour of Peterson by principal Jennifer Hawkins and district superintendant Greg Thede.  Peterson Elementary serves nearly 600 students, and when you include the 50+ staff, over 650 people work and learn in this building.  However, to accommodate these people, there are only two sets of bathrooms in the whole building.  To make matters worse – there are only two to three stalls in each restroom.  So, for nearly 650 people, there are at most 12 “stalls”.  Also be sure to notice the difference between the digitally enhanced and non-digitally enhanced lighting Joe did at 1:26.  And if that doesn’t grab your attention, at the 3:00 mark you’ll see the condition of the flooring that needs to be replaced.

As you can see, Peterson Elementary is in need of a lot of help.  From too few bathrooms to too many flooring issues and poor lighting, the school is not the safest – or healthiest – learning environment.  While some folks will argue you don’t need nice buildings in order to give children a good education, at the very least our children need a school that will be able to be lit in two years (the T-12 bulbs are being phased out nationwide) and has proper bathroom facilities.

Again, a big thanks to Mr. Spendolini and KlamathOnline.com for bring attention the condition of a few of our schools.  If you’d like to see the other videos Joe put together about bond measure 18-91, please check out his page “VIDEO: Where Will The $31 Million School Bond Money Go If Passed?“.  It’s a real eye-opener and does a good job showing where the funds of the Klamath County School District bond measure will go.

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure
May 3, 2013 By
A scene from Joe Spendolini's video about Henley Elementary School, showing the library and other resource trailers.

Henley Elementary’s library is in this collection of modulars

In honor of the public information meeting held on Tuesday of this week at Henley High School, this week we’d like to highlight the video Joe Spendolini put together about Henley Elementary School and the challenges of teaching in a collection of modular buildings instead of a single building.  Mr. Spendolini was given a tour of Henley Elementary by principal Janell Preston and KCSD superintendant, Greg Thede.  While the camera was rolling, Mr. Thede and Mrs. Preston discuss some of the issues presented by the temporary solution that was developed while funding was to be procured to build a new school.  Lack of bathrooms, the chance of ruining library books and student safety are just a few of the problems Henley’s current situation poses.

While there have been arguments supporting staying the course for Henley Elementary, this video does a good job of showing just how challenging not have a proper school building is for the nearly 400 students.  From crossing a busy parking lot for lunch to the displacing high school students when the temperatures stayed below freezing for weeks during the winter, Mrs. Preston and Mr. Thede demonstrate why Henley Elementary needs a school.

If you’ve heard all the arguments as to how much time students take for traveling to the different buildings and why it’s difficult not to have a single, large bulding, be sure to watch the discussion Joe has with Klamath County Sheriff’s Deputy Melvin Ray (at the 6:10 mark).  Deputy Ray talks about trying to secure a campus in an era of child abduction and school shootings.

Again, we’d like to thank Mr. Spendolini for his time and talent in putting these videos together and allowing us to share them here.  If you’d like to watch the whole series he put together, be sure to visit his page “VIDEO: Where Will The $31 Million School Bond Money Go If Passed?”

 

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Endorsements
May 1, 2013 By
A slide from the PowerPoint presentation used by the Citizens for Klamath County Schools PAC.

An example of the facts presented by Mr. Holliday

In support of the Klamath County School District bond measure 18-91, Ray Holliday, our spokesman, and others have been meeting with various groups in the community to present why now is a good time for fixing our schools and to answer questions folks have.  Part of his talk is a very in-depth PowerPoint presentation that gives the groups the facts about our Klamath County schools, how the money is spent and why we need this bond measure passed.

From facts like the Klamath County School District serves the same number of students as served by Roseburg and Grants Pass schools but with twice the buildings and the same budget to figures on how the bond measure will affect your taxes, this slide show covers it all.  It even has pictures of the problem points in some of the schools as well as a donated rendering of what the new Henley Elementary School could look like!

If you have any questions or want more information about bond measure 18-91, we encourage you to take some time to go through the slide show.  It’s very informative, straight foward and will likely answer questions you have.  Just click the following link – KCSD Bond Measure 18-91 Presentation – and you can check out a PDF version of slide show!

And as always, if you have any questions about the Citizens for Klamath County Schools PAC or bond measure 18-91, feel free to send us an email.  Also check out our Information and Downloads page for more information about 18-91.

Remember to have your ballot turned in by May 21st!

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Bond Measure Information
April 24, 2013 By
A can suspended by wire is used to prevent a water leak from a pipe at Ferguson Elementary School in Klamath Falls, OR.

A water-leak solution at Ferguson Elementary School

If you haven’t been in a Klamath County School District school lately, you may not be aware of some of the needs these schools have.  To illustrate how bond measure 18-91 will affect these schools, Joe Spendolini, creator of KlamathOnline.com, took his video camera to six of the schools.  The result is a compelling argument as to why our schools need this $31 million bond measure passed.

Mr. Spendolini very graciously allowed us to share the vidoes on our site.  Since the first open house presentation is being held at Ferguson, we thought we’d show the Joe’s video about Ferguson Elementary School.  In this clip, super-intendant Greg Thede and Ferguson principal Kelley Fritz give a tour of the school and show aging building and it’s more dire needs.

With freezing pipes, classrooms near freezing (see 2:40), and leaking pipes and roof, this is not the ideal environment to educate the future of Klamath County.  And for a real look at the ingenuity of the maintenance crew, be sure to skip ahead to the 4:34 mark!

Of the proposed $31 million, Ferguson will receive a little over $1.5 million to repair the roof, replace the failing, single pain windows, improve the heating system, and upgrade the lighting and fire alarm system.  The trouble spots highlighted in Mr. Spendolini’s video will be addressed by passing this bond measure.

We’d like to thank Joe Spendolini for putting this and the other videos together.  To see all of the clips Joe created about the Klamath County School District, visit his page “Where Will The $31 Million School Bond Money Go If Passed?“.  It’s a real eye-opening experience as to why the Klamath County School District needs these schools repaired.

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Endorsements
April 22, 2013 By
Outdated windows that need to be replaced at Ferguson Elementary School in Klamath Falls, OR.

Windows needing to be replaced at Ferguson Elementary School

Have questions about Klamath County School District bond measure 18-91?  Then join us for one of our Open House events that are coming up in the next three weeks.

These presentations are being held to give the public more information about the school bond measure as well as a first-hand look at why our school facilities are in urgent need of attention.  At Ferguson Elementary School for example, where the first of three will be held, bond measure 18-91 will provide approximately $1,560,000 to replace the aging roof, upgrade the lighting, improve heat and indoor air quality, replace inefficient windows, and replace the fire alarm system.  This will affect the educational environment of over 400 students (and future Klamath County citizens!).

The first presentation in the series will be held April 24th at 6 p.m. at Ferguson Elementary School (2901 Homedale Road).  The next open house presentation will be held at Henley High School on April 30th at 6 p.m. and the final presentation will be at Brixner Jr. High on May 8th, 6 p.m.  Please join us if you are looking for more information about Klamath County schools bond measure 18-91 – or if you would like to show your support for it!

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Events
April 9, 2013 By
Photo of a yard sign in support of Klamath School bond measure 18-91.

Show your support for Klamath County School District bond measure 18-91 with a sign!

Want to show your neighbors you support the Klamath County school bond?  Have a great location to get the attention of motorists, pedestrians and joggers?  Then you need a “Klamath County Schools YES!” yard sign!

We’ve been putting up yard signs all over the territory covered by the Klamath County School District.  However, we realize some folks who want to show their support for ballot measure 18-91 may have been missed and it’s hard to cover an area this large, which, as you may know, represents an incredible 18 schools.  If you would like one of our yard signs, please get in touch with us.  You can hit us up on our Facebook page, or you can send us an email.  We’ll do our best to get in touch with you and get a Klamath County School District yard sign in your hands.

And don’t forget – we have window stickers available too!

Filed Under: 18-91, Ballot Measure, Supporters
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