Frequently Asked Questions

A. Here is the calendar of events for the November 7, 2017 special election:

• September 7, 2017 - Deadline for Hillsboro School District to file its ballot measure and explanatory statement
• September 11, 2017 - Deadline for the filing of measure argement statements
• October 17, 2017 - Voter registration deadline
• October 18, 2017 - Ballots mailed out
• November 7, 2017 - Election Day

For additional information, please visit the Washington County elections website.

A. No. This bond would not raise your current property tax rate of $2.24/$1000 of assessed value, which is what property owners paid in November 2016.

When property taxes are collected in November 2017, Hillsboro School District will have paid off all outstanding bonds except for the one passed in 2006. This provides an opportunity for the District to sell new bonds to finance capital construction, infrastructure improvements, and student achievement enhancements as part of its long-range plan for facilities management over the next 20 years.

Please note there are many assessments that make up a property tax statement and that, by Oregon State Statute, assessed value can go up 3 percent per year. So while your overall taxes may increase from year-to-year, the amount levied by Hillsboro School District for bonded debt will remain the same.

A. With the property tax collection in November 2017, property owners will have paid off all outstanding bonds except for the one passed in 2006. If we were to do nothing, the tax rates would drop in November 2018. By filling in that "gap" with new bonds, both the District and the community have an opportunity to invest in existing schools and students, as well as plan for future growth, without increasing the tax rate currently being paid.

A. Yes and no. The general education taxes property owners pay each year (approximately $5/$1,000 of assessed property value) go to support operational expenses like teachers and educational materials, not capital expenses like buildings and infrastructure maintenance. In order to raise funds for large-scale capital projects, the property owners within a school district’s boundaries must vote to place an additional tax on their property.

Recently-legislated programs like the Construction Excise Tax (CET) and the Oregon Schools Capital Improvement Matching Grant Programs (OSCIM) show that our elected officials understand the need for more K-12 infrastructure support. These programs are indeed very helpful and appreciated; however, considering that HSD collects less than $2 million per year in CET funds and that the OSCIM grant has a maximum allocation of $8 million, but that the cost to build just one elementary school is more than $35 million, the programs are certainly not a substitute for a school district having to ask its community to support a capital construction bond.

A. Yes, schools do receive 40% of the eligible tax revenues from marijuana sales. The legislature included an estimate of marijuana revenues in the $8.2 billion State School Fund allocation for the 2017-19 biennium, so the revenues currently being distributed do not represent “new” money - it is money that was anticipated.

The Marijuana Tax revenue for schools is distributed through the State School Fund on a weighted per-student basis. Hillsboro School District makes up approximately 3.5% of the total state population, so we receive a proportional amount of any money allocated to the State School Fund.

Approximately $85 million in Marijuana Tax revenues is being distributed this fall, $35 million of which is going to the State School Fund. Our portion of that is approximately $1.2 million, and that was already included in our General Fund budget for the 2017-18 school year.

If Marijuana Tax revenue comes in above projections, the legislature has the discretion as to how these additional funds will be allocated. They could choose to use the same formula used to allocated the projected revenue, which is 40% to the State School Fund; 20% to Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Services; 15% to the Oregon State Police; 5% to the Oregon Health Authority; 10% to Cities; and 10% to Counties. Or they could choose a separate allocation method, or not to allocate additional revenues and instead put the money in reserves.

A. No. Capital construction bonds cannot pay for operational expenses like staffing, and hiring additional teachers is what it would take for us to lower class size. That said, it will do a couple of things to help with large class sizes: 1) Every school in the district would receive some “flexible classroom furniture,” which would allow schools to replace their oldest, bulkiest desks, tables, chairs, etc. with new pieces that both maximize space and encourage student collaboration; and 2) We would be building new schools and renovating existing schools in the areas where the most growth is projected to occur, which would help prevent overcrowding and would provide additional spaces where learning could take place.

There is a taxing mechanism, known as a local option tax (LOT), that allows communities to raise funds for operational expenses. Some of our surrounding communities do have a LOT in place, but Hillsboro School District does not.

A. Please visit the Project List by School or District Site area and select the schools/sites you're interested in to see the work that would be taking place there. Please note that project start dates are estimates and may be modified as necessary. Check back often for the most current information.

A. The way schools are financed in Oregon is on a "pay it forward" model. If you ever had kids in school or were a public school student yourself, people before you paid for the schools you and/or your child(ren) attended. Similarly, the current residents of the Hillsboro School District help pay for the schools we have now and those we build and improve in the future throughout the time they live here. As new residents move into the District's attendance area, they assume these taxes as well. Regardless of where you live in Oregon, you will be paying for the schools in that area.

Investment in public education is a sound one! Great schools increase property values and safe schools help ensure safe neighborhoods. Young people are our future workforce, homeowners, and taxpayers. Their education prepares them for that next step into adulthood, and the stronger their foundation the better their outcomes!

A. Not necessarily. While some of the pre-design and design work will take place prior to the election in November 2017 to ensure the District is prepared to execute several projects in the summer of 2018 should the bond pass, there may not be enough information to share prior to election day. We will share the information we have on this website and would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have on an individual basis. Please feel free to contact Adam Stewart or Beth Graser with questions.

A. No. We are spending some of our Construction Excise Tax (CET) money to spread the word about this bond program. CET money cannot be used for operational expenses like staffing.