A 2019 bond funded the replacement of Brookwood Elementary School. | Photo Credit: Hillsboro School District
HILLSBORO, Ore. 鈥� At its regular session meeting on Tuesday, May 26, Hillsboro School Board members voted unanimously to place the Hillsboro School District鈥檚 (HSD) $430 capital construction bond on the November 2026 ballot.
The approved bond program听contains听projects for every school and district building across six broad project areas: buildings and systems, safety and security, Career and College Pathways, Extracurriculars, technology and cybersecurity, and support services.听
If successful in November, the bond would allow HSD to address aging infrastructure like roofs and HVAC systems, modernize educational settings that engage and prepare students, improve and expand extracurricular spaces like lighted turf fields for year-round student and community use, and enhance safety and security districtwide, among many other priorities.听听
Capital construction bonds like this one are the only mechanism school districts have for making significant investments in systems and structures. The State School Fund dollars听allocated听to districts each year are听really only听meant to fund daily operations (primarily staff-related costs) and incidental maintenance and repairs.听
By the fall of 2026, taxpayers will have paid off some of HSD鈥檚听previous听bonds. This creates an opportunity to fill in the gap with a new bond to generate capital investment money for district projects, while keeping the current tax rate consistent. HSD estimates a repayment rate of听approximately $1.84听per $1000 of assessed property value, which is 18 cents per thousand less than the听average of听rates paid since the passage of the district鈥檚听previous听bond in 2017.听听
Wherever possible, the district will seek opportunities to听leverage听partnerships, incentives, and grants to maximize our bond dollars and make them go further, highlighting HSD鈥檚 commitment to good stewardship of the community鈥檚 investment.听
In a 2019 bond,听the district invested heavily in safety and security upgrades at all schools, including听Seismic and roofing upgrades, Playground听upgrades听and Parent/bus drop-off improvements. The bond also supported extensive renovation and repair efforts at the district鈥檚 aging schools, focused on听HVAC,听plumbing听and electrical upgrades; remodeling projects; and the replacement of 15 temporary portable classrooms. Efforts to relieve crowded classrooms and plan for growth included the construction of separate gymnasiums at elementary schools that currently share gym and cafeteria space听as well as the expansion of Evergreen Middle School and Glencoe High School听and the construction of one new elementary school in North Plains, one new elementary school in South Hillsboro, and replacement of Brookwood Elementary School. The bond also extended to听new technology, flexible classroom听furniture听and the expansion of career and technical education spaces at all听district听high schools.听听
The district has implemented an听听of all proposed projects.听