The Dayville School Board will ask voters to approve a $700,000 bond for school improvements in the May election.

The cost of the bond is estimated to be $168 per year for a $100,000 home. The board vote on Jan. 8 was unanimous, School Superintendent Kathryn Hedrick told the Eagle.

If successful, the bond could raise $1.4 million with an Oregon School Capital Improvement Match grant. The OSCIM grant could match up to $2 million.

A needs assessment by Straightline Architects of Boise identified some expensive renovations and remodeling that could have required a higher bond request.

The school board, however, pared down the request by eliminating things like parking lot paving and installing lights on the football field, which had never been seriously considered by the board, Hedrick said.

While the board has not yet specified what needs they hope to address, they will likely include roof repairs to the main building, which was built in 1924, and electrical upgrades to the elementary school, which was built in 1953.

It’s possible needed structural repairs to the gym could be paid for through a seismic upgrade grant that the school board will apply for later this year, Hedrick said.

The school board has been talking to community members about the importance of these repairs for some time and will actively promote the May bond election, Hedrick said.

“They’re not looking at new buildings,” she said. “They’ll do everything they can to make it cost effective and safe for the students.”