MCSD bond vote too close to call
By Terry Murry on Friday, May 23rd, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MORROW COUNTY – (News release from MCSD) Morrow County School District is awaiting the results of the May 20 election regarding Measure 25-104, the district’s General Obligation bond. As of Wednesday, May 21, the bond was narrowly passing with 50.25 percent yes votes and 49.75 percent no votes.
According to Morrow County Elections, ballots that were postmarked on Election Day may arrive in the next few days and will be counted on May 28. At 5 p.m. on May 28, Morrow County Elections will issue updated results. Official certification of the election results will occur on June 16. According to election law, the bond will pass with a simple majority vote, which is 50 percent of the votes counted plus one additional vote.
School Board Chair Richard Cole said, “While it’s very difficult to wait for election results, Morrow County School District is pleased about the number of voters who supported the bond so far. We remain committed to improving schools in our district to further student success,” Cole said.
Cole and MCSD Superintendent Matt Combe acknowledged that passing the bond was more than a year-long effort and they appreciate the work of the Community Bond Advisory Committee (CBAC), school board members, district administrators, members of the district facility and business departments, teachers, school staffs, Wenaha Group and InterMountain ESD Communications for all their work. “It has truly been a huge team effort across our district to evaluate facilities, develop projects and inform our community about the need for this bond. We appreciate everyone who worked on it,” Combe said.
If passed, the bond would fund these projects:
- Irrigon Jr/Sr High School – replace school to provide modern educational environment for students
- Riverside Jr/Sr High School – remodel and build addition for more classroom space & gym to support future enrollment
- Heppner Jr/Sr High School & Heppner Elementary – remodel Jr/Sr High to become a K-12 campus with thoughtful grade level separation, resulting in operational savings and safer location for elementary students
- Sam Boardman Elementary – make parking/traffic flow improvements including a dedicated bus loop for safety
- District-wide — make security & safety improvements including secure main entry, cameras & door access control at all district schools
The bond would raise $204.4 million, and the district would receive a $6 million matching grant from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Program. The bond would mature in 20 years or less and the bond rate would be an estimated $2.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value, although the actual levy rate may differ. Morrow County School District will post updates about bond election results at https://www.morrow.k12.or.us/page/community-bond-advisory-committee and the district’s Facebook page.
Photo from the Morrow County School District Bond Advisory Committee
