We support the Morrow County School District facilities Bond Measure 25-104. If passed, the bond will allow the district to replace and upgrade three buildings and improve the safety and security of all buildings.

In July 2023, major structural damage was found at Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School. Structural engineers found the original building was not constructed properly in the late seventies and recommended to replace the building. Riverside Jr./Sr. High School has systems that are at the end of life such as heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, plumbing and electrical.
Systems you can’t see but cause the learning environment to not be ideal for students. The building has areas with small hallways, odd shaped classrooms and is not compliant with federal accessibility law.

The Community Adviser Committee reviewed the costs to replace or remodel both Heppner Elementary and Heppner Jr./Sr. High School. By combining the schools, the cost savings was over $20 million dollars, not including the long-term savings of an updated building versus having two outdated buildings with failing systems.

Morrow County has tremendous growth in the tax assessed value over the past 15 years. Large industry makes up 72% of our tax base. If voters pass the bond, those companies will pay approximately $147 million of the total bond over 20 years. That’s an incredible opportunity and doesn’t happen in most counties in Oregon.

Be an informed voter — do the research — ask the questions. We have. We vote YES. It’s time to invest in our students. Please join us in supporting MCSD.

Brandi and Corey Sweeney
Heppner