The Redmond School District is opening talks whether to close Redmond High School.
“The way the pipes are there and the fittings between them, as soon as we shut it off, the pipes shrink. And when that happens, it leaks," Superintendent Charan Cline said. "It's water with a rust repellent in it so it kind of looks like a pink goo.”
Right now the district is forced to run the school's 50-year-old HVAC system 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s costing more than $100,000 a year. Repairs would be lengthy and dwarf the current operating cost.
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A new proposal is set to hit the 2024 bond ballot outlining a different way forward.
“Under that plan, there would be one high school in the district," Cline said.
All Redmond students would consolidate at Ridgeview High School, built in 2012 to accommodate 1,600 students. There is currently near 1,700 students between the two schools.
“By bringing the schools together, every student has opportunity with every program," Cline said. "Plus, we'd save money over time and that that's something we always have to consider.”
Any potential project is still years away, but school board member Keri Lopez released a statement saying in part:
"As ideas and discussions happen it is important for stakeholders to have opportunities to engage in and participate in this process."
That’s something Cline says will happen.
“We'll eventually do a poll. We'll actually do a scientific poll here on what people have to say about this," he said. "If people are very unhappy with this idea, will simply drop it and move on to something else.”
The district is considering two other projects in next year's bond: a renovation of Lynch Elementary School and adding middle school classrooms at Tumalo Community School.