Keizer voters will help decide in the May 20 election whether Chemeketa Community College can get a bond to expand career and technical education programs.
The measure would extend Chemeketa’s expiring bond, which was passed in 2008, at the same rate 27 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The bond raised $140 million.
Chemeketa President Jessica Howard said Keizer residents should support the measure for two reasons.
“Number one, it will not raise their property tax rate. This seems like a critical point,” she said “And number two, it will allow the college to create workforce development for the present and future.”
The bulk of the bond money – 65% – will expand and improve the career and technical education programs across Chemeketa’s seven campuses.
According to Marie Hulett, who leads Chemeketa’s institutional advancement, “The bond will fund essential upgrades to career and technical education spaces, safety systems, classroom technology, and hands-on learning environments across the district.”
More than 700 Keizer students enrolled at Chemeketa would get more interactive environments, better preparing them for careers, Chemeketa officials said.
Medical students, for example, would gain access to simulation labs and interactive equipment, increasing their readiness.
“These improvements directly support pathways to high-wage, high-demand careers – without students needing to leave the region,” Hulett noted.
Other bond money would be for maintenance across the district. This includes repairs to roofs, parking lots, and heating and air conditioning systems.
The bond would finance improvements to campus safety through upgrades to lighting and additional security cameras.
If the bond doesn’t pass, Chemeketa will still have to pay off the original 2008 investment.
“Because we don’t have an endowment like universities do, it means we will have to pull that money out of operations, which threatens our programs,” Howard said.
Chemeketa’s expiring bond resulted in many improvements in the 16 years since it was passed.
The money developed the Yamhill Valley campus in 2011, which has served over 17,000 students in the last decade. Chemeketa also built a welding facility, a health sciences complex, and a manufacturing engineering center.
In 2015, the college also built the Brooks Center, a public safety educational complex. Garren Smith, named Keizer Fire District’s Volunteer of the Year, is among local firefighters and paramedics who graduated from programs through the Brooks Center.
“These investments have equipped thousands of students with the skills needed to enter Oregon’s workforce, especially in fields critical to community safety, health care, and the skilled trades,” Hulett said.
Ballots are scheduled to be mailed out April 30.Tuesday, May 20, is the deadline for ballots at dedicated drop sites. For more information about the voting process, visit Marion County’s official website: www.co.marion.or.us/CO/elections.
News tip? Contact reporter Riley Ellis: [email protected]
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