Salem-Keizer Surplus

SHARE THIS SHOW:

OTHER SEGMENTS THIS HOUR:

RELATED CONVERSATIONS:

Suggest a Topic

RECENTLY ON TOL:

TOL Our Town

A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.

2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

see all tags >>

AIR DATE: Tuesday, July 31st 2012

POSTED BY: JULIE SABATIER

Download the mp3 for this show.

The Salem-Keizer School District is in an unusual predicament. After making drastic budget cuts and laying off teachers last year, the district says it has a $66 million surplus in bond money. Salem-Keizer voters passed the state's largest school bond measure in 2008. That $242 million, it turns out, is a bit more than the district needs to complete the construction projects approved by voters. The money must be used for capital projects and can't go to hiring back any of the teachers laid off in 2011.

The Citizen Bond Oversight Committee will send a recommendation to the school board, which will ultimately decide how to use the surpluse funds. The options the committee is considering:

Paying for additional repairs to school buildings
Using the money for new construction, such as a technical high school
Giving the money back to taxpayers

Do you live in the Salem-Keizer district? How did you vote on the bond measure? How do you think the district should use the surplus funds?

GUEST:

Sandy Husk: Superintendent of the Salem-Keizer School District

Tagged as: budget · education · salem · schools

Photo credit: Nathan Gibbs / Creative Commons