Members of the Citizens Facilities Task Force continue to meet and review the district’s draft Long Range Facilities Plan. Two meetings have been held to date in January, and five more are planned over the next six weeks.
The Task Force is divided into two subcommittees. The student enrollment growth subcommittee is reviewing enrollment projections and capacity of each of the district’s 65 school buildings. In the last few meetings, the subcommittee has taken a detailed look at each school’s current enrollment and long-range projections to determine future capacity needs. The needs include additional classrooms, gymnasiums, cafeterias, libraries and auditoriums. The need to replace aging portables throughout the district has also been discussed.
The school and support buildings subcommittee is reviewing ongoing maintenance needs in the next ten years and how the condition of buildings supports educational programs. In the last few meetings, the subcommittee has heard presentations on needs surrounding safety and security, and technology. The group also heard about career-technical education programs currently offered in each Salem-Keizer high school and the facility needs of each program.
The goal of the Task Force is to review and validate the list of facility needs included in the 10 year capital improvement plan and to make a recommendation to the School Board about how to fund the plan.
Citizens Facilities Task Force meetings are open to the public; however public testimony is not taken. A calendar of future meetings can be found on the Citizens Facilities Task Force page, along with meeting minutes and other resources.
For more information about the Citizens Facilities Task Force, please contact Mary Paulson, chief of staff, at (503) 399-3000.