REDMOND, OR -- Redmond Schools faces a state investigation into material releasd during the 2018 campaign for a $70-million bond that was defeated by a slim margin in November. Superintendent Mike McIntosh says, "We can’t say, ‘run out and vote no,’ we can’t say, ‘go out and vote yes.’ We can encourage people to vote. And so, we work incredibly hard to make our publications, our information, as non-biased and factual as possible. Obviously anybody can take exception to that; and someone has."

He says the complaint filed with the Secretary of State's Office involves information released about M.A. Lynch Elementary, which the district has said needs to be replaced, "There was a 30-second video on the condition of Lynch and we think it was absolutely factual." McIntosh tells KBND News, "So, the question was, ‘could you have given other alternatives to the bond?’ Well, I don’t know what other alternatives there would’ve been, so we didn’t feel it necessary to give those alternatives." He believes the district will be cleared, "Our consultant has used identical messaging in other districts. There’s a process in the state called ‘safe harbor,’ where you run all your material past the Secretary of State’s office in advance, so I think we’re in good shape."

McIntosh says voters will be asked to approve the levy again; the next attempt will look about the same as the 2018 request because, he says, safety and security needs haven’t changed. But, he says the school board wants to wait another year, "The consensus is probably to avoid 2019, and we’ll probably make an attempt to go out in May 2020. That’s the Presidential primary, so we’ll get some voter turnout, which is probably the biggest deterrent for either of the two in ’19 – the May and November both are projected to have mid- to low-20% voter turnout."