HELPING SHAPE THE FUTURE OF RAINIER’S SCHOOLS

The Rainier School District's newly formed Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee has begun the important work of evaluating the district's nearly 50-year-old campus and identifying priorities for the future. During the first two meetings, committee members toured school facilities, reviewed building conditions, explored how long-range planning supports the district's educational vision, and learned about school bonds and Oregon's state matching grant program.

Committee members went on to begin discussing and prioritizing potential projects to address the district's greatest facility needs. These conversations included campus safety and security, accessibility improvements, reorganizing learning spaces, revitalizing the pool area, athletic facility upgrades, parking and traffic circulation, and other improvements that would better serve students and the community.

This site provides further information about the condition of Rainier's facilities, the needs identified, and how school facility funding works in Oregon. The committee will continue its work with the goal of presenting a Long-Range Facilities Plan to the School Board in November 2026. Throughout the process, the district will offer opportunities for community members to learn more, ask questions, and share their priorities. Your input is essential to ensuring the plan reflects what matters most to the Rainier community and helps guide investments in our schools.

Nearly 50 years ago, Rainier voters made a significant investment in local students by approving a $7 million bond that built the district's current campus. Situated on a beautiful 160-acre campus, the quality of the community's investment in the 1970s has allowed Rainier's schools to serve students for nearly five decades. This is far longer than many school facilities and building systems are typically expected to last. By investing wisely and maintaining these facilities over time, generations of taxpayers have received significant value from the original bond investment while avoiding the need for more frequent large-scale replacements.

Today, those same buildings continue to support learning, athletics, arts, and community activities. Unfortunately, many of the systems and facilities that opened in the late 1970s are reaching the end of their useful life.

KEY FACILITY NEEDS

Reorganize Campus for Safety and Functionality

• New secure entries for elementary, middle school, high school and district office
• Separate middle school and high school student areas
• Removal of aging portable and modular buildings that are beyond their intended service life

Protect and Preserve Existing Buildings

• Repair aging roofs and address water intrusion issues
• Replace deteriorating windows and exterior building components
• Upgrade aging infrastructure before costly failures occur

Modernize Building Systems

• Replace outdated heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment
• Improve energy efficiency and indoor comfort
• Address mechanical systems that have exceeded their intended lifespan

Improve Accessibility and Safety

• Upgrade campus pathways, parking areas, ramps, and entrances
• Modernize restrooms and improve accessibility throughout the campus
• Enhance fire protection systems and life-safety features

Restore and Improve Shared Community Spaces

Evaluate long-term solutions for community spaces, including auditorium, gym and currently closed pool facility

BUILDING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

The community's investment nearly five decades ago created a campus that has served thousands of students. As those facilities approach 50 years of age, the district faces important decisions about maintaining, modernizing, and improving the campus for future generations.

Just as previous generations invested in Rainier students, today's community has an opportunity to consider how these facilities can continue supporting learning, safety, and community pride for decades to come.

State Funding
Oregon's State School Fund primarily supports day-to-day operations, including teachers, transportation, and student services. Districts receive some support for basic maintenance, but not enough for major building renovations, replacements, or new construction.

Federal Funding
Federal education dollars go to specific programs such as special education, student meals, and support for students experiencing poverty. These funds cannot be used to build new schools or complete major facility improvements.

Local Facility Funding
Large-scale facility projects are typically funded through voter-approved General Obligation Bonds. Bonds provide local control, and can only be used for capital improvements such as replacing schools, improving safety, and modernizing classrooms. They cannot be used for salaries, benefits, or daily operating expenses. Through bonds, communities have a voice in shaping the future of their schools.

Oregon's School Capital Improvement Matching Program
Districts may qualify for millions of dollars in state matching funds through the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching (OSCIM) Program if local voters first approve a bond measure. Rainier School District is currently eligible to receive approximately $6.1 million in OSCIM funds if voters approve a school bond measure of at least that amount, allowing the district to leverage local investment with additional state resources.

Every Oregon school district has a permanent tax rate that was established by the state under Measure 50 in 1997. This rate is used to fund the district’s general operations, such as teacher salaries, classroom supplies, and day-to-day expenses. It does not change and appears annually on your property tax statement.

You may also see a separate line for a local option levy and/or a general obligation (GO) bond. These voter-approved taxes are calculated using a property's assessed value (not its market value) and are used for specific purposes. The Rainier School District does not currently have a local option levy or general obligation bond.

• Local option levies help districts temporarily raise more funds for operations or programs beyond what the permanent rate allows.
• GO bonds fund capital improvements, like building new schools, renovating facilities, or upgrading safety and technology. These bonds must be approved by voters and repaid over time, similar to a home mortgage, with principal and interest paid from a separate property tax. The Rainier School District does not currently have a bond tax levy on local

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