Thanks to the dedication and generosity of students, the Creswell School District saved $10.5 million on new construction.
Creswell High School broke ground March 16 on a 20,000-square-foot career and technical education building. The project is funded by a 2023 bond and R&M Steel.
CSD Superintendent Mike Johnson said the district originally estimated the construction cost of the CTE building at $17.5 million. With a host of more pressing capital projects to address, the CTE building appears to be out of reach under the $18.2 million in general obligation bonds passed in 2023. But with help from Idaho-based R&M, which donated the building, its cost is currently estimated at just $7 million.
“When I talked to R&M … their response was, ‘We don’t want you to compromise on this building and your children’s future,'” Johnson said. “‘You’ve done your job, we’re going to turn the building over to you.'”
Senior Lance Risdal (left) joins other Creswell High School and Junior High students at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new CTE building near Creswell High School.
Johnson said R&M was moved by student participation in the bond process. The bond is on the May 2023 ballot, with Creswell students lobbying door-to-door and urging voters to pass the funding. The bond passed with 69.7 percent of voter support, the highest bond approval rate in the district’s history.
Lance Risdal and Maleki Stayton were freshmen at Creswell High when they started canvassing. They were taught the power of student voices and wanted to help in any way they could.
“I don’t even think me or Lance knew what canvassing was in the first place,” Stayton said. “We bring different groups together to get as many students as possible and go door to door.”
The 2023 bonds have paid for HVAC upgrades at the middle school, seismic improvements to some high school buildings, installation of turf fields at the middle and high schools, fencing around the middle and high schools, a new roof at the elementary school and new security cameras. Staton and Risdahl were involved throughout the process and sat on the bond oversight committee.
Now, seniors Risdahl and Staton will both graduate when the building is fully operational, but they said their goal has always been to support future generations of students.
What is the new building at Creswell High School?
Creswell High School currently has seven CTE pathways: Agriculture, Welding, Wood, Health, Visual Arts, Business and Early Childhood Education. The new building also provides room for growth. The school is considering opening an aviation major and currently has flight simulator and car maintenance majors.
Stayton said nearly all students at Creswell High School take CTE classes.
“Cresswell already had a strong CTE program, but there wasn’t enough space or area to implement it,” Staton said, adding that the equipment was crammed into a building at the high school. “It’s incredible to be able to build a CTE center in Lane County.”
Artist’s rendering of the future Creswell High School Career and Technical Education Building.
Risdahl said the new building is expected to spur growth in the district as parents and students seek hands-on learning opportunities. Like most school districts in Lane County and across the state, CSD is experiencing declining enrollment. Comparing enrollment data from the 2014-15 school year to the 2024-25 school year, the district’s student population dropped from 1,273 to 1,083 students, a 15% drop.
The Bethel School District built similar CTE buildings at Kalapua High School in 2023 and Willamette High School in 2024, but Risdal and Stayton said this is the first CTE building outside of the Eugene-Springfield metro in Lane County.
Johnson said the district intends to open CTE opportunities to students from surrounding areas, including South Lane, Lowell and even Eugene 4J, even if those students are not enrolled in CSD.
“We want to make this available to all high school students,” Johnson said.
What’s next for the Creswell School District bond project?
The CTE building will be delivered to the school in mid-April, with construction continuing over the summer. The building will be ready for classes at the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Creswell High School also made seismic improvements to two of its buildings. Johnson said the costs are being paid for through a combination of bond funds and grants.
Renovations to the academic building will cost $7.5 million, using $5 million in bond funds and a $2.5 million earthquake grant.
The store building, where the school currently houses most of its CTE classes, will also be renovated using $3 million in bond funds. Johnson said CSD has applied for another $2.5 million in earthquake grants but has not yet received those funds.
Creswell School District Superintendent Mike Johnson speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new CTE building near Creswell High School.
Johnson, who was hired as superintendent in 2019, will retire at the end of the school year. He said these capital improvement projects will lay the foundation for the district’s stability for the next 20 years. Once the building renovations at Creswell High School are complete, every building throughout the district will be modernized, Johnson said.
Risdahl said the bond makes Creswell High School the best school of its size in the district.
“I hope this creates opportunities for students to focus on different career fields that interest them rather than just basic courses,” Stirton said. “I hope one day Creswell High School will be the most popular school in Lane County. It’s a little ambitious, but with all the renovations, the turf fields and all the work we put in, it builds a culture, a climate and a school that people want to be a part of.”
Miranda Cyr covers education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her at @mirandabcyr.
This article originally appeared in Register-Guard: Creswell is renovating all buildings, adding career programs
