The INDEPENDENT, December 3, 2009
Page 13
Banks school board discusses how to fund facilities projects
Banks school board met No-
vember 23 to hear presenta-
tions regarding pursuit of a
bond for facilities projects. After
hearing the two presentations,
and a report by Pete Edison,
chairman of “Facilities Planning
Committee3” (FPC3), the board
decided not to put a measure
on the May ballot. They agreed,
however, to ask Rick Raimon,
who worked on the previous
bond, to work with the FPC3 to
attach accurate dollar amounts
to proposed capitol improve-
ment projects.
Board chairman Will Moore
outlined the scope of work of a
communications consultant pri-
or to the presentations. He told
the board that the consultant
would work with the board and
administration to develop a sur-
vey to test public response to
bond related issues. After con-
ducting and analyzing the sur-
vey, the consultant would help
the board identify strategies for
a successful bond. The consult-
ant would also craft the bond ti-
tle and explanation. To qualify
for the May election, the board
would have had to adopt a
bond resolution, ballot title and
explanation no later than March
17.
Jeanne Magmer of C&M
Communications, the bond
consultant hired for last year’s
attempt, presented a timeline
that required a completed re-
view of facilities data and an
updated list of proposed bond
projects by the end of Decem-
ber, in order to conduct a sur-
vey in early January. That
Ye Olde
Dingheiser
would have been followed by
an informational community
meeting in February, then an
advocacy group would be
formed to pursue passage of
the bond. When informed that a
review of the facilities data was
just beginning, Magmer said
she would not recommend that
the board attempt the May
election, though a community
survey should be completed
during the school year.
Larry Harvey, of Pac West,
gave an enthusiastic presenta-
tion, stressing that much work
needed to be done to develop a
clear and consistent message.
He agreed that May was too
soon to put a measure before
voters, but suggested a survey
be conducted in September to
test interest and support for a
November bond.
Following the two presenta-
tions, the board heard Pete
Edison outline the proposed
scope of work for FPC3. Edison
agreed to Superintendent Jim
Foster’s suggestion to include
a classified employee and said
that he would look for an inter-
ested student as well. He told
the board he hoped to com-
plete the review quickly and be
able to make recommendations
to the board in January.
Citing Magmer’s obvious
commitment to a successful
bond proposal and her experi-
ence in the district and with
successful school bond meas-
ures in particular, the board
agreed by unanimous consen-
sus to offer Magmer a contract.
C&M Communications will as-
sist with public input and infor-
mation activities related to the
district’s proposed bond elec-
tion. The contract, for $5000
(plus expenses), will be paid
from the Buxton fund and will
not impact the remainder of the
school budget.
2009-10 Conversation Project set to go
The inaugural 2009–10 sea-
son of the Conversation Pro-
ject: A New Chautauqua begins
in early November 2009, and
these free community discus-
sions will be offered around the
state. The Conversation Pro-
ject, which connects Oregoni-
ans with public scholars and
provocative ideas through idea-
driven dialogue, is a program of
Oregon Humanities (formerly
Oregon Council for the Human-
ities).
The 2009-10 Conversation
Project lineup features seven-
teen programs presented by
sixteen scholars. This season’s
programs span diverse topics,
including friendship, mega
cities, the future of rural com-
munities, media literacy, and
reimagining the American
prison system. Programs in
Washington County from No-
vember 5, 2009, through Feb-
ruary 27, 2010, are listed be-
low. For more information
about each program or to view
the full events calendar, visit:
oregon humanities.org.
• The Voters Have Spoken:
Oregon’s Controversial Ballot
Initiatives, by Jackson Miller
(January 5 at 7:00 p.m., Forest
Grove City Library, 2114 Pacific
Ave., Forest Grove)
• Of the People or For the
People: Getting the Govern-
ment We Deserve, by Jeff
Golden (January 17 at 2:00
p.m., Hillsboro Public Library,
2850 NE Brookwood Pkwy.,
Hillsboro)
• Friend Me? Notions of
Friendship in a Changing
World, by Courtney Campbell
and Lani Roberts (February 6
at 2:00 p.m., Sherwood Public
Library, 22560 SW Pine St.,
Sherwood)
• Slow Learners: Two Hun-
dred Years of Unheeded Warn-
ings, by Richard Clinton (Feb-
ruary 21 at 2:00 p.m., Hillsboro
Public Library, 2850 NE Brook-
wood Pkwy., Hillsboro).
This Year
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