REDMOND, OR -- Redmond Schools officials are dropping a proposal to consolidate the district’s two high schools. A task force considering options for an upcoming bond initially supported the idea, to save money and free up Redmond High for other district uses. But after two community listening sessions brought out opponents to the plan, the committee changed course and is looking at other options.  

Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline tells KBND News, "It was clear there was a community preference for keeping two schools going, as opposed to combining into one school." But, he says major renovations are still needed at RHS, "It’ll be around $40 million worth of work into Redmond High. A huge amount of money will go into first replacing the heating pipes, taking out the asbestos." He says the roof also needs to be replaced. The project would be paid for by a bond expected to go to voters in November.

Cline says there were benefits to the consolidation idea, "Having both of them into a single school would’ve helped us keep a more consistent and robust set of offerings for kids. But, in this case, there are advantages to having smaller schools, as well. And that is where our community is interested and their value is in the smaller school." He adds, "I’m interested in making sure our community is well served and their educational purposes are well served." He says the community is not well served by a bond package that doesn't garner support from voters, "I’m optimistic that we are giving people what they want." 

While the RHS consolidation proposal received a lot of attention over the past few months, Cline says the bond would fund work at nearly every school in the district, "Mostly maintenance items; lots of replacements of heating systems, a lot of work with parking lots, replacing windows, working on trying to lower the amount of water that we’re using in the school district." For Redmond High, he says, "It won’t really add any square footage to the place and we may add a small ag building; we’re taking a look at that. But it’s mostly a bond about maintenance. It’s mostly a bond about maintaining their schools and making sure that these buildings last a long time."

Cline is now finalizing his recommended list of projects for the bond. The Redmond School Board is scheduled to vote on the list at their June 26th meeting, likely sending it to the November ballot. If passed, the tax rate would stay the same, because it replaces an expiring bond.