Goad Road funding can help Pendleton School District
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 14th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Pendleton School District Superintendent Kevin Headings first heard about 250 acres that could be dedicated to housing on the east side of Pendleton when he first came to work for the district more than a year ago. He’s among those who are pleased that the Oregon Legislature is sending an estimated $3 million to get things moving.
“Workforce housing for us is a boon for the school district,” he said. “More people moving into Pendleton means more students, more enrollment.”
Enrollment for the Pendleton School District has been slowly shrinking over recent years. Meanwhile, studies have shown that the housing shortage means people from other cities and towns are commuting to work in Pendleton but living elsewhere. Headings hopes that will change once the infrastructure is laid and construction begins.
“There’s just over 4,000 people that drive into Pendleton from outside to work,” he said. “For a lot of those 4,000 employees, the reason they don’t live in Pendleton are for two reasons. Number one is for lack of childcare, which we’re getting increased with Pendleton Children’s Center, and number two is workforce housing. We’re hoping these developments will see indirect increased enrollment.”
