Reynolds School District is asking voters to approve a $162.5 million bond on the November 3 ballot, money that would tear down the 72-year-old Glenfair Elementary School and pay for repairs at a dozen other aging buildings across East Multnomah County. The measure arrives more than a decade after voters last approved borrowing for the district, and officials say it would not raise the tax rate residents already pay.
A School Built in 1954 Is Showing Its Age
Glenfair Elementary opened in 1954 and has outlived its usefulness, according to reporting from KATU, which detailed deteriorating infrastructure, leaking ceilings and outdated heating systems inside the building. The county's own measure explanation backs that up in blunter terms, describing the goal as replacing a school that is overcrowded and has building systems beyond repair, according to Multnomah County. The station's report also found that two student bathrooms currently serve roughly 400 students, according to district spokesperson Justin Birmingham.
Maintenance has become a hands-on job at Glenfair. During the rainy season, water collects near the school's HVAC system above a classroom, and the station's report notes the school's principal sometimes climbs onto the roof himself to clear it before the system is turned on. It is the kind of workaround that officials point to as evidence the building has reached the end of its useful life.
What the $162.5 Million Would Pay For
Beyond replacing Glenfair, the district plans to use bond funds to repair 12 aging school buildings and upgrade security and safety systems districtwide, per the KATU report. The county's measure summary spells out specifics: districtwide roofing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and water heater replacements, along with new fire alarm systems, public-address systems and perimeter security upgrades, according to Multnomah County’s measure explanation. The plan also includes a new turf field and bleachers at Reynolds High School.
If approved, all but three schools in the district would benefit from the bond, the Your Oregon News outlet reported in September. Reynolds serves more than 9,000 students across 16 schools in Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village and parts of Gresham and Portland, according to the county's measure materials.
No New Tax, District Says
Birmingham, the district spokesperson, described the measure as a renewal rather than a new burden. “The proposed bond sustains the current rates for homeowners and taxpayers,” he said, according to the KATU story. The county's notice of measure referral confirms the arithmetic: the proposal is projected to maintain the district's 2026 bond levy rate of $1.62 per $1,000 of assessed value, per Multnomah County.
For a home assessed at $400,000, that works out to about $648 a year, according to Your Oregon News. Birmingham framed the stakes in broader terms, saying the bond's purpose includes safety for children and providing a space conducive to learning, and that investment in district students carries long-term benefits for their futures and economic viability, per the KATU report. Not everyone is convinced the renewal framing settles the matter — one district taxpayer told the station they favor lowering taxes and do not support renewing more current school bonds.
Following a 2015 Bond That Rebuilt Three Schools
This is not Reynolds' first trip to the ballot for major construction. Voters approved a bond in 2015 that funded the rebuilding of Fairview, Troutdale and Wilkes elementary schools, according to KATU's reporting. That 2015 measure sought $125 million total, including renovations at Reynolds High School, as Oregonlive reported at the time. An earlier district measure had sought up to $45 million in general-obligation bonds for facility expansion, according to Multnomah County records.
If voters approve the new measure, the existing bond tax rate would continue to repay the borrowing, and the district would also become eligible for $8.168 million in state matching funds, per the county's notice. If the measure fails, district leaders will have to determine how to address Glenfair's aging infrastructure and other facility needs without that funding, according to KATU.
Part of a Statewide Push for School Safety Dollars
Reynolds is not alone this cycle. It is one of nine Oregon school districts — alongside Gladstone, Glide, Grants Pass, Harney County, Hillsboro, North Clackamas, Silver Falls and Siuslaw — asking voters to approve November bonds that include safety and security measures, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Nearby, Hillsboro is seeking a $430 million construction bond and North Clackamas voters will weigh a $245 million bond for HVAC, safety and accessibility work, Oregonlive reported.
More than 100 of Oregon's 197 school districts have asked voters for local property-tax increases tied to school safety upgrades over the past eight years, and voters have said yes in 53 of those districts, sending more than $6 billion to schools statewide, per the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Secure entrances remain among the most common investments districts have made with that money, the outlet reported. Still, partial results from the May 2026 election showed a mixed appetite: the Oregon School Boards Association found that five of 10 Oregon school funding requests were passing, while all requests seeking brand-new bonds or levies — rather than renewals — were losing, according to OSBA.
Oregon's county election rules also set guardrails around measures like this one. Bond proceeds can only be used for capital costs, not day-to-day operating expenses, and a community oversight committee would monitor spending and conduct regular audits if the measure passes, according to Multnomah County's explanatory materials. The bonds could be issued in multiple series, with each series maturing within 21 years of issuance, per the county.
