Preliminary results Wednesday indicated voters narrowly approved a $189 million bond measure to repair and improve aging Medford schools.
The measure was ahead 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent Wednesday with a 232-vote difference.
Hundreds and possibly thousands of ballots from across Jackson County are being challenged over discrepancies in signatures, postmarks and other problems, said County Clerk Kathy Beckett.
Whether those ballots could influence the outcome of the bond measure is unknown. County election officials have until Nov. 17 to verify signatures and resolve other voting complications.
"We think we have a win here," said Medford schools Superintendent Phil Long. "I'm cautiously optimistic."
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A $46.8 million bond measure in the Ashland School District passed by a larger margin, 56 percent to 44 percent, according to preliminary results Wednesday.
It entails replacing Bellview Elementary and renovations or additions at five other campuses.
Some Medford School District officials and bond supporters said they went to bed Tuesday night expecting a defeat of the measure.
As of midnight Tuesday, more votes were against the bond issue than for it, and precedence in Medford suggested the measure would fail during a general election — a time when voters receive both their ballots and their property tax bills.
Supporters said the bond issue would create safer conditions for students and staff in Medford schools, some of which are laden with asbestos and lead or have roof leaks each winter.
The new and renovated campuses will be a draw for businesses considering relocating to Medford, supporters said.
Late get-out-the-vote efforts, including canvassing and phone banks, helped give the measure the momentum it needed for approval, supporters said.
During phone banks early Tuesday to campaign for the bond measure, "a lot of people said they hadn't turned in their ballots and were still considering the issues," said Mark Wisnovsky, co-chairman of the Medford schools bond campaign committee. "We thought that was a polite way of saying they were voting no, but the later people voted the more likely they were to support the bond measure. That's really encouraging."
Public involvement in crafting the bond package and a drive to increase awareness among voters without school-age children also played a role in passing the measure, Long said.
The Medford school bond issue would initially raise the property tax rate from 62 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in 2007 to about $1.95 in 2008. Assessed value is generally half of market value.
The rate is expected to peak at $1.98 in 2011 and recede from there for the following 24 years.
In the Ashland district, the bond issue is estimated to increase the property tax rate from $1.15 to about $2 per $1,000 of assessed value and taper off during a 12-year period.
Medford district officials said preparations for the bond projects began immediately Wednesday, though the Medford School Board won't make any financial commitments until the votes are certified Nov. 27.
School board members will discuss the planning process for bond projects at their meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at South Medford High, 815 S. Oakdale Ave.
A new South Medford High on 40 acres at Columbus and Cunningham avenues and the overhaul and reconfiguration of North Medford High are the first projects scheduled to be completed. Elementary school construction projects are expected to be under way in the next three years. The replacement of Lone Pine Elementary and revamp of Jackson, Roosevelt and Oak Grove elementary schools would wait four to five years after the new South Medford High is completed. Plans calls for housing students in the old South Medford High at Oakdale Avenue during construction on those four elementary schools.
"This is a really exciting and important reinvestment in our schools," Long said. "We are committed to making sure the projects are done right and the end result is durable and flexible buildings that will serve this community for decades."
