28 years ago in September 1996, voters approved a $2.4 million bond with a 53% approval rate. The bond expired in 2011. With the bond funds, the district made repairs to roofs, heating and electrical systems, replaced some doors and windows, and repaired the high school parking lot. Bond dollars also paid for a technology upgrade.

The district referred a bond to voters in May 2016 and November 2017. Voters rejected both measures. The 2016 bond ask was $32.1 million and the district would have received a $4 million Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching (OSCIM) grant if the bond had passed. 53% of voters rejected the bond, which would have used traditional construction to build a new, consolidated K-12 school, constructed a new sports complex, and preserved the Cobra Dome.

In 2017, 67% of voters rejected the $28.9 million bond which would have utilized dome construction to build a new Prek-12 facility with separation between elementary, junior high, and high school levels. Bond dollars would have also replaced the track in its current location, made improvements to the football field/stadium, moved one baseball field, and converted the elementary site to a bus/maintenance facility with additional areas of the building preserved for community use.

Many of the issues identified in 2016 and 2017 have not been addressed due the lack of funding for capital projects. Neglecting these serious repairs any longer could cost the district even more money in the long run. A third-party facilities assessment of all the district’s buildings found that the district’s aging buildings have significant deficiencies.

Central Linn School District is currently eligible for a $6 million matching grant from the State of Oregon if voters approve a bond.