Oregon Public Broadcasting

The fate of  Oregon's largest high school east of the Cascades will be in the hands of Redmond voters on May 20th.

They'll be deciding whether to split the school in  two.  The vote is for a $110 million bond backed by an increase in property taxes. The school district says it needs some of the money to repair old buildings and construct a new elementary school.

Another $80 million would build a new high school, to relieve overcrowding at Redmond High. But as central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports,  turns out the vote's as much about sports and community as it is about education.

It's 2:30 pm, and school has just ended. Redmond High's 2100 students rush, delirious, out of classrooms to buses and cars.

Jon Bullock is the school's principal.

Jon Bullock: “All the things you take for granted about going to school: getting to your locker, getting to your class, getting out of the parking lot, going out for a sports team? All those things are magnified in a school that is beyond its physical space.”

Of all the things Bullock mentioned there, sports might be the most controversial. Because while the school bond is about overcrowding - many locals are worried it will destroy the city's history as a sports powerhouse in the state.

The school's main campus was built in 1970 for 1200 kids. In 1994, it was expanded to hold 1500 students.  Now split between the main campus and a satellite building, Redmond High is bulging with 2100.

And that presents major challenges.

There are only six student bathrooms in the whole building. Plus, if teachers want to hold an all-school assembly, the only place to do that is the football stadium.

Jon Bullock: “Well, with central Oregon weather, how many times a year are we going to be able to have an all-school assembly? It's nearly impossible.”

That's why the school district has proposed, with extensive input from parents and locals, the $110 million bond.

A new school would be built. And in the next few years, Redmond's high schoolers would be split up.

Vicki Fleming is the superintendent of the Redmond school district.

Vicki Fleming: “It's a big choice for a community to go from one high school to a second.”

Some say a 2002 school bond vote failed because city leaders didn't want to lose the history and prominence of Redmond High School's athletic programs.

Fleming says Redmond has grown a lot since then. In fact, it was Oregon's fastest growing city - the  population jumped from about 15,000 then to 25,000 now.

Vicki Fleming: “But I am hopeful that this is such a strong, supportive community  in terms of athletics and students in general that we will have a good rivalry between the two high schools and it will be fun.”

In 2003, led by future University of Oregon star Maarty Leunen, Redmond High won the state basketball championship. The school has also won or shared state titles in golf, skiing, wrestling and track.

And perhaps most importantly, the Redmond Panthers don't play weaker competition from sparsely populated parts of eastern and central Oregon.

The state divides its high schools into six sports classifications, based on size.

Smaller schools, where almost anyone can make it onto a varsity sports team, are 1-A. Big schools, where competition is fierce and the talent pool is deep, are 6-A.

Principal Jon Bullock says Redmond is the only program east of the Cascades to compete in 6-A athletic competition.

Jon Bullock: “It would be naïve to think there's not a sense of pride in being the largest, and what that means to represent all of eastern and central Oregon as the only 6A school. There's some pride in that.”

After school, on the track, about 100 students stretch and warm up for track & field practice.

Scott Brown: “Hey, lets get going gang, seniors get 'em going/COME ON GUYS.”

Scott Brown is a math teacher at Redmond High, and he also coaches the track team. He won't comment on how he's going to vote on the bond.

Scott Brown: “It'd be nice to walk around and say we were 6A state champions, but people are pretty excited when you say 5A state champions too. The nice thing about track is the stopwatch tells you how good you are.”

Brown says splitting apart the school, and letting kids compete locally, would reduce travel time and missed classes.

As it is, Redmond  teams travel to Salem to compete. That can be especially hairy for winter teams, who drive over the mountain passes in ice and snow.

Plus it means parents often miss seeing their kids play.

Luke McPhetridge is a senior hurdler for the track team.

Luke McPhetridge: “People talk about how that it's overcrowded. But it's not really bothering me that much. I think it should stay the same. I like the away meets because I like driving, and it's fun. But for some people it's probably a hassle to go all that way.”

Track coach Scott Brown says he tries not to think about what the bond vote will mean to him. And he says he gives his student-athletes the same advice.

Scott Brown: “Being a hurdler, if you worry too much about the hurdle 5 hurdles away or the hurdle you just went over, you are going to miss the hurdle right in front of you and you are going to hit it and fall down.”

Principal Bullock echoes that. But he also has a message for parents when they are filling out their ballots: don't let the Redmond Panthers' proud history crowd out the lack of space  in your kids' classrooms.

Jon Bullock: “The creation of a second high school doesn't necessarily detract from that history. It gives us an opportunity to build new traditions and more history, and create an environment where all of our kids can have the same experience we fondly reflect on about what was great about our high school experience.”

Supporters of the bond have raised $50,000, including $10,000 from wood products maker Jeld-Wen, to spend on things like advertising. The final score   will be determined in the big smackdown  known as the May primary election.