RAINIER, The Rainier School District campus was built on a $7 million bond that voters approved almost 50 years ago. Much of what that money bought, from the roofs to the heating systems to the portables, is wearing out at once, and the district is preparing to ask voters for the first bond since, likely in May 2027, according to the district’s long-range facility planning page.
A newly formed Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee has met twice, toured the buildings, reviewed their condition and been briefed on how school bonds and the state’s matching grant program work. The committee aims to present a facilities plan to the school board in November. The district says it will hold community sessions to take questions and priorities before anything goes to the ballot, but has not posted dates.
What Is on the Table
Superintendent Chad Holloway told the Rainier City Council on Aug. 3 that the bond under consideration would not build new schools. The district’s planning page lists the needs in four groups:
- Reorganize the campus: secure entries for the elementary, middle and high schools and the district office; separate the middle and high school student areas; remove aging portables and modular buildings, which Holloway told the council have passed their useful life and are being shut down.
- Protect the buildings: repair roofs, stop water intrusion, replace windows and exterior components, upgrade infrastructure from the late 1970s.
- Modernize systems: replace heating, cooling and ventilation equipment past its lifespan.
- Accessibility and safety: pathways, parking, ramps, entrances, restrooms, fire protection and life-safety systems.
Also under discussion: traffic circulation and parking, athletic facilities, and what to do with the auditorium, the gym and the pool, which is closed.
The Money
The district has no general obligation bond and no local option levy on the books now. It is eligible for about $6.1 million from the state’s Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching program if voters approve a bond of at least that amount, per the planning page. OSCIM grants are first-come, first-served against a state pool and expire if the local bond fails, which is why districts time their elections around them.
The district has not published a bond amount or a tax rate. Those come after the committee’s November report. The campus covers about 160 acres on the hill above downtown Rainier and houses all three schools and the district office.
The committee’s members and meeting dates are not posted. Questions go to the district office, 503-556-3777.