School’s out for the summer, but Tillamook School District facilities are buzzing with renovations thanks to bond funding.
In May 2025, voters supported Measure 29-182 that created a bond for TSD9 worth $25.35 million with an additional $6 million grant awarded from the Oregon Capital Improvement Match Funds. All projects outlined for bond funds will finance critical safety and improvement projects to various district facilities. Projects have been prioritized based on safe schools, healthy students, and responsible stewardship. This bond is not a new tax to tax payers, but an extension of the current tax rate of $0.69 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
In the next couple months, community members will begin to see the visual impacts of the bond funds at work.
At Liberty Elementary School, a combo project is currently underway utilizing bond funds and a seismic grant from the State of Oregon. With a few million dollars from the state, the school’s south walls will receive concrete cylinder pilings to stabilize the building in the event of an earthquake or tsunami. At the same time, designated as a safety project with bond funds, Liberty’s office will be relocated and a double door vestibule will be added to the entrance of the school. Bond funds will also be used to remodel one of the students’ restrooms and add a staff restrooms and nurse’s area to the building.
“This is the biggest job, and this summer is the biggest block of time that we have when students and staff are out of the building,” TSD9 Bond Advisor Randy Schild said. “This project would normally take 4.5 months, and we have just under three months without students in the building to complete the project. Construction will create an inconvenience, but it’s one of the trade-offs we’re willing to take in order to make our kids safe.”
The project is slated for completion September 2026.
Another highly-visible project this summer will be the replacement of both Liberty’s and Tillamook High School’s roof.
Liberty Elementary School has sections of roofing that has lost its integrity.
“Part of Liberty’s roof leaks here and there through the HVAC units,” Tillamook School District Maintenance Supervisor Jay Marugg said. “We’ve been trying to get that fixed for years. It’s just one of those leaks that keeps haunting you. It’s in the hallway and it drips.”
The Tillamook High School’s three-tab single roof was installed in 2007 and is in need of replacement.
“A roof is the first guard to the weather and it’s like a protection envelope,” Marugg said. “The roof [at Tillamook High School] is near the end of its lifespan. They’ve only been patching it.”
The high school’s roof will be replaced with architectural shingles. Both roofs will be completed by the start of the 2026-27 school year.
And it wouldn’t be summer without a little bit of paving work.
At the high school, the guest parking lot and part of the west staff parking lot will all receive an overlay of pavement. In addition, sections of the entryways on the east and west of the agriculture building will be completely dug out and replaced as the base layer is failing.
“Work has already started on district projects and is moving quickly along,” Schild said. “The school district proved to be responsible with the last bond we received from the community, and we’ll continue to do what we can to make cost effective and thoughtful decisions on each and every project. It’s our moral commitment to spend these bond dollars in a way that creates the greatest impact and opportunities for students and to ensure a safer environment for all.”
