Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s second-largest school district says that all but a dozen or so of its 70 school buildings need major repairs.

Some Salem-Keizer schools simply need their parking lots resurfaced. But others have leaking walls and roofs, or failing electrical or plumbing systems.

Salem-Keizer spokesman, Jay Remy, says the buildings are costly to maintain and in some cases aren’t ready for the 21st century.

Jay Remy: “If the wiring is so outdated that we can not plug in modern technology, that could really hamper education in the building. There are safety issues around parking lots. The roof issues are big but that’s mostly about protecting the investment in our school buildings.”

Salem-Keizer does not have a cost estimate of all the repairs, and they’re still evaluating seismic needs.

However, the district is already considering a construction bond for the November ballot. At up to $540 million, it would be double the amount of the largest school bond in state history.

Other school districts, such as Portland, are considering similar big bonds.  Salem, though,  has the added challenge of a growing student body, which Portland doesn’t have.