The Siuslaw School District in Florence authorized sending a $139 million bond to the May 2026 ballot.
The measure would fund a new high school on land behind the current middle school. It would also add classrooms and security to Siuslaw Elementary School, where kindergarten currently meets in modular buildings.
This overhead architectural drawing illustrates the proposed high school in purple. The existing high school is on the right, in a layer under the proposed softball fields, which are in yellow.
Siuslaw School District / KLCC
Siuslaw High School Principal Mike Harklerode said the high school was built in 1970, and has no auditorium and no cafeteria. It also has seismic issues, among other shortcomings.
“The biggest thing is the comforts and the functionality of the building,” he said. “The heating system, the plumbing system, electrical system are all needing to be replaced.”
Harklerode said the school had to close for several days in December 2024 because of a heating system failure, and students regularly bring blankets to school on chilly days.
If approved, Measure 20-379 would cost property owners $2.75 per $1,000 of assessed value. Harklerode acknowledged the tax increase, but said the plan was formed after two years of study, and costs will only increase over time.
In the past decade, Siuslaw School District voters have turned down two school bonds. In 2016, a $40 million bond failed, and in 2018, a $108 million bond, which included funding for three schools, was denied.
If it passes, the state of Oregon will grant the district $6 million, bringing the bond total to $145 million.
A website with information on the bond includes a calculator for taxpayers to see how their bill would be affected. The site says the average property owner in the district, which is largely in Lane County but dips into northern Douglas County, would pay an additional $27 per month, or $324 per year.
Karen Richards is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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