Background

Throughout the 2015-16 school year, the Sherwood School District Board of Directors and District leadership have been engaged in several conversations related to student enrollment and the capacity of our current buildings. All Sherwood schools are either nearing capacity or are over capacity. This is a tremendous challenge for our students and staff, and it is imperative that we begin taking steps now to remedy these issues to accommodate the academic and environmental needs of current and future learners.

An option being considered to resolve the capacity issues in the District that we have been researching, analyzing, and discussing is the potential for a capital bond measure to be a part of the November 2016 ballot. While no decision has yet been made by the Board as to whether or not to go out for a bond this fall, it has become a focus area of our work sessions and community outreach in recent weeks, so that if the District moves forward with a bond, we will be informed regarding the complexities and timelines that would be involved between now and election day.

Board Work Session, January 27, 2016

As the District is considering asking voters to approve a General Obligation Bond to add capacity to existing schools and to address other capital needs, the Board of Directors held a Special Work Session that was focused on the current capacity of our schools, plus the next steps needed to prepare for a campaign strategy if it is decided to go for a bond in November 2016.

The Board members were presented with a work plan that illustrated a timeline for getting a bond measure prepared. After some deliberation, they asked the District to make some modifications to the timeline in order to expedite the research and data analysis that would need to be prepared before they come to a decision.

It was decided by the Board of Directors that the District should proceed with completing a poll of residents in Sherwood to determine a sense of need that the community felt District school buildings had for expansion, modifications, safety and security upgrades, etc. The District engaged the consultant Moore Information to conduct the “pulse poll” by phone during late February and early March. The results of the poll will be provided to the Board at a future Board work session.