The document summarizes considerations around a 2012 referendum to fund facility improvements in the Oregon School District. It outlines key needs like educational spaces, school safety/security, community spaces, and facility upgrades. Specifically, it notes issues like outdated locker rooms and athletic facilities, uncontrolled school entrances, inadequate library/learning spaces, and the need to address long-term maintenance needs. The document also addresses questions around the district's capacity, finances, and community use of existing facilities to support taking on projects now.

1. 2012 REFERENDUM
CONSIDERATIONS

2. Operating principles:
• We should be a District of Distinction.
• Learning is not restricted to 4k -12.
• Our facilities are community resources.
• We serve the entire Oregon area.

3. The Genesis:
• Safety post-Columbine (1999)
Elementary and Intermediate schools (completed)
Middle School - uncontrolled entrance
High School – uncontrolled entrances
I do not view a District of Distinction as creating a
culture for staff, students and visitors defined by
security cameras or entrance guards.

4. The Genesis:
• Design Issues – High School
Administration offices buried within the school
No clearly defined entrance
High School PAC – back-of-house inadequacies

5. The Genesis:
Design Issues – Middle School
Administration buried within the school
No clearly defined entrance
Fire doors – second floor of library openings
Second floor stairwell

6. The Genesis:
Facility Adequacy – High School Athletic Facilities
Oregon Athletic Booster Club funds study (2007)
Rettler Plan developed (2007-08)
District acquires Jaycee East (2009)
Rettler ground water study (2010)

7. The Genesis:
• Facility Adequacy – Field House
Constructed in 1977.
Initially designed larger, but built smaller and at
greater cost (failed referendums in 1974).
Too small for current needs
Substandard relative to current field house
models

8. The Genesis:
Facility Adequacy – Gymnasium/High School Locker Rooms
Varsity locker room inadequacy
Current locker rooms are outdated and poorly laid
out
High School competition gym is substandard
compared to Badger Conference schools.

9. The Genesis:
Operational Needs:
Food Service/Maintenance /grounds storage
Increased serving capacity for Middle and High School
lunch areas
New maintenance/grounds storage building at OHS

10. The Genesis:
21st Century Learning Space – Middle School
Dedicated library space
Eco-center (Rotary Club initiative)
Re-organized small group team study areas
Space for large group instruction/team meeting space
Deficient space for physical education/PT

11. The Genesis:
21st Century Learning Space – High School
Learning now takes place in different environments.
Third space
Virtual learning – all ages
Digitized – upgrade media center

12. Are other needs being addressed?
Will we need to build in the future for additional student
capacity?
We own land in Alpine Park for a future school site.
We have capacity for additional anticipated growth.

13. Are other needs being addressed? - Facilities
March 1999 Applied Population Lab Study projections for
2008 – four models
Baseline 3559
“Last 5 Years” 3432
High Growth 3908
Last Year Pattern 3616

14. Are other needs being addressed? Facilities
2008 Actual 3636
Current 3604
The baseline or “last year” pattern models were closest
to actual.
Our current census projection shows in 10 years our
census will be 3603.

15. Are other needs being addressed? Facilities
Building Capacities – Current
OHS 1240 - 1409
OMS 609 - 644
RCI 600 - 625
K-4 1200 - 1350

16. Are other needs being addressed? Facilities
Student Capacities based upon current Building
Capacities
OHS 74 - 283
OMS 65 - 109
RCI 25 - 75
K-4 232 - 382
Total 396 - 699

17. Are other needs being addressed? Facilities
Growth 1994-95 to present - 593
Growth last 10 years - 135
Areas of potential development:
Fitchburg Northeast corridor (944 – 1570
dwelling units)
Oregon (450 dwelling units),
Bergamont, Alpine Meadows, Oregon
Parks, and Lease

18. Are other needs being addressed? Facilities
Annual Capital Maintenance Budget - $600,000.00
Next ten years - $6 million dollars into existing structures

19. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
“The primary focus of the board must be the education of our
children, not the appearance of locker rooms and the field house.
Giving this plan serious consideration makes me question the
school board’s priorities. If the school board wants to put a
referendum on the ballot, may I suggest it be to fund the budget
back to the level of the pre-Walker days?”
Jeff Ramin – Oregon Observer 10/19/11

20. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
Referendums are more appropriate for capital projects
than on-going personnel costs not related to those
projects.
Personnel numbers fluctuate yearly.
Personnel compensation and benefits costs
fluctuate yearly
Divisive nature of public personnel debates

21. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
The Board has separated capital and personnel budget
considerations to avoid competition between the two
funds.
The Board supported a budget override for capital
projects three years ago to avoid having to prioritize
capital projects versus personnel costs.
The Board is appropriately balancing necessary long-term
planning with the immediate impacts of the state budget.

22. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
Teacher negotiated total compensation packages since
1999 have totaled 47% or 3.6% per year. This includes
the 5.8% compensation reduction mandated by Act 10.
Excluding the 2011-2012 compensation package, the
Board has agreed to an average annual increase of total
compensation packages since 1999 of 4.42%.
Since 1999, inflation as measured by the CPI-U index
has increased at an average annual rate of 2.83%

23. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
Based upon 2008-2009 Salary Schedules, the Oregon
School District teacher salary schedule ranked as follows as
compared to other Badger Conference schools:
Starting salary: 3/14
MA: 2/14
MA +30 1/14
NOTE: 1/14 = highest ranking

24. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
The 2009-2011 collective bargaining agreement contained a
“no lay-off” provision initially proposed by the Board.
When Act 10 was introduced, the Board declined to issue
preliminary notices of lay-off despite the recommendation of
the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and other
counsel.

25. Are other needs being addressed? Personnel
The Board enacted a 2011-2012 budget that did not require
teacher lay-offs or program reductions. Ten areas districts
decreased staffing. Oregon was one of five districts in the area
to increase teaching staff.
The Board has retained the post-employment health
insurance and sick leave benefits for the 2012-2013 school
year for employees with 10 years of service. The Board is in
the process of evaluating the implementation of HRA
accounts for employees with less than ten years of services.

26. Are other needs being addressed? Technology
1600 computers for student use
80 iPads for staff/student use
50 iPod Touch devices
One elementary classroom modeling 1:1 use
Wireless in all buildings
LCD projectors in 250 classrooms
SmartBoards in 125 classrooms
Significantly upgraded bandwidth and tech hardware
Significant program upgrades (e.g. Infinite Campus,
Google Apps Gmail)

27. Are we in a financial position to do this now?
In 1998, the property tax on a $200,000 home was $2,758
In 2011, the property tax on a $200,000 home was $2,398
The District’s 2011 tax levy increase was 2.25% compared to a
state-wide increase of 3.42%.

28. Are we in a financial position to do this now?
Since 1998, the District’s Fund Balance, which is used to cover
short-term cash flow needs, increased from $2.7 million to
$10 million, eliminating the need to short-term borrow for
cash flow needs.
The District holds a Aa2 Bond Rating, the highest it can
achieve given financial factors outside of District control.
Over the last ten years, the Board has purposely refinanced
long-term debt to create a cliff in four years to offset new
bond obligations.

29. Are we in a financial position to do this now?
Financing costs are at historic low.

30. Are we in a financial position to do this now?
The construction climate strongly favors building now. We will
get more for our dollars now than in the future.

31. This referendum closely mirrors the PAC referendums.
Opponents of the PAC contended it was a “want” rather than
a “need.”
PAC referendum questions failed on the first two votes. It
was eventually built at an increased cost.
The PAC is one of the District’s most utilized community
spaces: The PAC was used or scheduled 307 of the 365 days
in 2011, which represents 84%.

32. If approved – this referendum will address four key needs:
• Educational Spaces
• School Safety and Security
• Community Spaces
• Facility Improvements