OCSD’s volunteer committee reviews 2025 Bond program’s financial health, construction milestones, and bond project progress.
The Oregon City School District Community Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) gathered together at OCSD’s King campus on December 1, 2025, for its third meeting. Here they listened to reports on the progress and status of the $163 million capital bond program. The committee, comprised of community volunteers, is charged with reviewing bond program budgets and reports to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer-approved priorities, project outcomes, and construction progress across the program.
Financial Overview Shows Solid Foundation
Our Chief Financial Officer presented the bond program's financial status through October 31, 2025, showing total revenue of $184.4 million, which includes the original bond proceeds, bond sale premiums, $6 million in state matching funds through the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching (OSCIM) program, and $1.8 million in investment interest earnings.
To date, our district has spent $4.7 million across all projects, with $21 million in committed encumbrances, leaving a cash balance of $179.7 million. Expenditures have been distributed across several categories:
Buildings Acquisition: $1.1 million for major structural improvements and system installations for our fields and grounds projects
Improvements Other Than Buildings: $1.7 million for site work including grading, landscaping, athletic fields, and infrastructure
Purchased Services: $1.6 million for consultants, architects, and program management
Salaries and Benefits: $358,000 for bond office staff and additional district personnel working on bond projects
Equipment and Technology: $18,000 for depreciable items valued over $5,000
The committee unanimously supported a budget transfer of $1.8 million in interest earnings to the program reserve, bringing the total program reserve to $21.5 million. This reserve provides crucial flexibility for managing unforeseen costs or conditions, increased scope, and costs that exceed initial estimates as projects move from planning into construction.
Program Reserve Remains Strong
The Community Bond Oversight Committee also reviewed a program reserve document that tracks both actual transfers and projected potential transfers from the bond's program reserve. The program reserve serves as a crucial buffer for construction projects, which commonly encounter unknowns such as:
Undiscovered hazardous materials or poor soil conditions
As-built conditions that differ from original plans
Agency requirements for additional improvements
Actual construction costs that exceed initial estimates
Added scope determined to be priorities for completion
The committee was shown projected potential transfers totaling approximately $6.9 million for the Phase 2 schools currently in design, primarily to address estimates that exceeded initial budgets, as well as added scope. The program reserve also includes $5 million allocated for temporary facilities across all projects in the Bond. Accounting for these projected transfers, the program reserve would retain over $9.6 million, with an additional anticipated revenue from investment interest of over $4 million to provide a healthy cushion for Phase 3 elementary school projects as well as our remaining Fields and Grounds projects.
Construction is inherently unpredictable. Responsible stewardship of funds means planning for the unexpected and ensuring we have the resources to complete these projects with quality materials and systems that will serve our students for generations to come. This is one of the primary responsibilities of the Oregon City Bond Office.
Fields and Grounds: Construction in Full Swing
During this meeting, Capital Bond Director David Hobbs also provided updates on active construction at Oregon City High School, where Phase 1 of the Fields and Grounds improvements is creating transformative changes to outside learning spaces and facilities. The project, with a total budget of $12 million, has $6.2 million in encumbrances and has spent $1.7 million to date.
Work currently underway includes:
Installation of sophisticated stormwater drainage systems featuring underground detention chambers
Major grading and earthwork across practice and competition fields in preparation for new turf
Construction photos shared during the meeting showed the scale of the improvements, with extensive earthmoving operations and the installation of modern drainage technology designed to extend the usability of fields during Oregon's wet weather months. The total project is scheduled for completion in 2026-2027, with design work continuing into 2026. This project will also include further improvements at Oregon City High School as well as at Pioneer Stadium.
Phase 2 Elementary Schools: Design Development Underway
The committee received updates on the three elementary schools currently in design development: Candy Lane, Holcomb, and John McLoughlin. Each school is on track for construction beginning in June 2026, with completion targeted for August 2027.
Each school’s projects include a new or renovated cafeteria addition, classroom pods converted to individual classrooms, movement or touch up of their library, a new family resource center, renovated bathrooms, enhanced soft play areas outdoors, and revitalized interiors throughout their buildings.
Candy Lane Elementary has a budget of $15.8 million (including $2 million in OSCIM state matching funds) and has spent approximately $288,000 through October 2025 on design and planning work. In addition to the items listed above, Candy Lane will also see improved site circulation, and expanded parking and parent pick up and drop off spaces. Candy Lane will temporarily relocate to our King campus for the 2026-2027 school year to allow construction to take place in an efficient and safe manner.
Holcomb Elementary has a budget of $28.7 million and has spent $323,000 through October 2025 on design and planning work..
John McLoughlin Elementary has a budget of $32.2 million and has spent $310,000 through October 2025 on design and planning work.
All three schools participated in community design input sessions earlier this summer, and more recently our bond team received additional feedback from staff, families, and neighbors to help shape the plans now moving into their final phase. Those who are interested can view the latest iteration of the designs on our bond website.
Looking Ahead: Planning for Future Phases
While Beavercreek Elementary, Redland Elementary, and Gaffney Lane Elementary remain in earlier design phases with construction not scheduled until 2027-2028, all three projects have already seen progress with community engagement and initial conceptual designs.
Our Phase 3 schools, Beavercreek Elementary ($19.8 million budget including $2 million OSCIM Grant), Redland Elementary ($20.3 million budget including $2 million OSCIM Grant) and Gaffney Lane Elementary ($25.2 million budget ) projects will see similar comprehensive renovations as our Phase 2 schools.
The Oregon City High School Career Technical Education (CTE) expansion ($5 million budget) is currently in design with construction anticipated to begin in the Summer of 2026. CTE improvement and expansion include Introduction to the Trades, JRTOC, Digital Media and Robotics/Engineering.
The strategic sequencing of projects ensures our district maintains steady progress across all schools while managing construction efficiently. Our three elementary schools and OCHS will be under construction in the summer of 2026, followed by our three remaining elementary schools in the summer of 2027.
Additional Information
Commitment to Transparency and Community Accountability
The CBOC's charge includes actively monitoring bond expenditures, reviewing cost-saving measures, learning about materials and plans, and communicating progress to the school board and community. The committee does not operate the bond program or select contractors, but serves as a critical independent oversight body ensuring compliance with voter-approved bond language and state law.
Committee members receive financial reports and presentations, will conduct site visits to active construction projects, and preview all budget transfers before they are presented to the school board for approval. The meeting minutes from each CBOC meeting are posted publicly on our bond website, and the committee presents regular public updates to the school board.
This committee has delivered two updates so far to our district’s School Board members (September 8, 2025 and December 8, 2025) and those can be found on our district’s YouTube Channel.
The committee's oversight helps ensure not only that funds are spent appropriately, but also that our district meets all state requirements, including the mandate to spend 85% of bond proceeds within three years. They also ask questions on behalf of the community. This independent review provides an additional layer of accountability beyond our district's internal financial controls and annual audits.
Next Steps and Resources
The Community Bond Oversight Committee has their next meetings scheduled on January 5, 2026, February 2, 2026, March 2, 2026, and June 1, 2026. All are welcome to come and observe these meetings.
For more information about the 2025 Bond program, including detailed project updates, timelines, and meeting minutes, visit www.ocschoolbond.org. The website includes conceptual designs, construction photos, answers to frequently asked questions, and contact information for the bond management team.
School board meeting agendas, materials, and video recordings are available at ocsd62.org.
Our bond program represents our community's investment in updated and accessible learning environments, addressing critical facility needs, and ensuring Oregon City students have access to safe, functional, and inspiring spaces for learning. Through careful planning, transparent oversight, and responsible financial management, our district is working to deliver on the promises made to voters when they approved measure 3-616 in the November 2024 election.
The Community Bond Oversight Committee is composed of volunteer community members selected to provide independent oversight of the Oregon City School District's 2025 capital bond program. The committee meets frequently and reports regularly to the school board and community.