Voters to decide fate of Bend-La Pine Schools’ five-year levy to support stronger programs, avert staff cuts

(Update: Adding video, comments by school officials)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- One of the items voters will face on the May 21 primary ballot soon to arrive in their mailboxes is Bend-La Pine Schools' five-year local option levy that would allow the district to bridge a funding gap and dedicate resources to important programs and services.

As we reported when the school board in February approved sending the measure to voters, the local option levy would provide additional funding for school district operations for the next five years, with an emphasis on career-oriented programs, maintaining class sizes, advanced academic offerings, recruiting teachers and other staff, and other priorities.

The school district estimates the property tax levy - an additional $1 per $1,000 of assessed value - would provide an estimated $21.2 million in new revenue for the 2024-25 school year.

"Our kids have more needs than we have funding," Deputy Superintendent Lora Norquist said,

Currently, the district has 34 CTE (career technical education) programs across seven high schools, and hopes to expand them.

Stephen DuVal, director of college and career readiness, said, "Career tech ed basically is any kind of program that would lead students to a career path with high-skill, high-wage employment.

"And so it doesn’t necessarily need to be something like construction and welding and metals," he said. "It can also be programs like engineering, education, business. It’s really giving students that look into a career and an opportunity to start on that pathway early.”

The district says students who take part in CTE programs graduate at a higher rate and say they feel their classes hae more meaning.

DuVal said, "Those are the kinds of things we want to experience early, because either A, they're going to find, 'I love this and I'm going to continue down this path' - or at the very worst, they look at it and see, 'Hey, this is not for me' - and they know that before they start paying for college courses and going into training."

If the levy doesn't pass, district officials say the variety of CTE and advanced courses may have to be scaled back, and the programs could fall behind.

In addition, up to 180 positions could be eliminated over the next two years and the average class sizes could rise by about four students.

Nordquist said, "It’s our dream that the graduates of Bend-La Pine Schools can work and live in our community. And if they have high-wage jobs and have the training they need to be successful in a wide range of careers, that’s going to benefit the community at large."