MEDIA RELEASE: 5/7/2024

Redmond School District Will Maintain Two High Schools 

In response to community feedback, District announces it will make significant repairs and upgrades to  Redmond High School and keep the school open as part of a bond proposal.

Redmond, Ore – As a result of staff, parent, and community feedback, the Redmond School District has chosen to proceed with pursuing options to maintain and keep Redmond High School open.

While project planning in 2023, the District discovered a critical issue with the HVAC system piping at Redmond High School. The 50-year-old HVAC hydronic pipes and fittings are failing, leaking, and must be replaced. This piping is difficult to access and is sectioned in an area of the school that contains asbestos. While the asbestos is currently contained away from students and staff, a major failure of the pipes that heat the building would be catastrophic and could cause issues with flooding and interior damage.

After multiple assessments it was determined that it will take one year to abate the asbestos and replace the HVAC piping, requiring students and staff to be out of the school for the duration of the work.

The District and the Community Bond Task Force, composed of parents, staff, and community members, have been exploring ways to address the failing HVAC system issue at RHS. Two viable options surfaced including:

1. Closing the building for one year while temporarily locating students in an alternate space for the duration of the HVAC renovation and instructional space upgrades. 

2. Combine the district’s two high schools to provide operational efficiencies and increased course offerings in career and technical education.

The District held two staff listening sessions at each high school; two community listening sessions at each high school; and conducted a parent survey of all District parents. As a result of these multiple engagements the District and Community Bond Task Force have chosen to keep Redmond High School open and will identify ways to best support the continuation of school operations during the renovation.

"We know that it is a matter of when, not if, these pipes are going to fail,” shared Dr. Charan Cline, Redmond School District Superintendent. “As we strive to preserve our community’s investment in Redmond High School it is the District’s priority to urgently address this issue.”

The timing of this decision is crucial as the District has an opportunity to ask voters to support a no tax increase bond measure in November 2024. This unique opportunity is critical to help pay for the repairs at Redmond High School and improve other District schools without an increase in property taxes.

“It is very important that we make a decision based on what we have learned from the community. We learned that combining the two high schools is not a popular opinion,” shared Mason Rodby, Community Task Force Member. “We need to look at the bigger picture here for our kids, teachers, and our schools, which is that we have many projects to be completed to make our schools better and more efficient.”