The Citizens Facilities Task Force has held seven meetings in the last few months to review and discuss Salem-Keizer’s draft Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP). A final meeting is planned for next week.
The draft LRFP includes a long list of facility-related needs in 60 schools in the district, plus all support department facilities such as Transportation Services, and Technology and Information Services.
At their recent meetings, Task Force members learned about different methods of funding available to the school district, and the feasibility of each method of funding projects in the Long Range Facilities Plan.
Task Force members have also started to formulate their recommendations to the School Board. The enrollment growth subcommittee of the task force has been discussing expanding existing high schools to accommodate enrollment growth, and whether to replace aging portables at middle schools or add permanent classroom space.
The school and facility needs subcommittee has been discussing a long list of needs that support educational adequacy of facilities, and safety and security. Examples include seismic upgrades, expanding and adding science labs, career and technical education facility needs, and educational technology.
The Task Force’s work will conclude with a report to the School Board in March that outlines recommendations for funding the Capital Improvement Plan portion of the Long Range Facilities Plan. The School Board will evaluate the Task Force’s recommendations and determine next steps.
Citizens Facilities Task Force meetings are open to the public; however public testimony is not taken. Meeting minutes and other resources can be found on the district website.