District overview
Dufur School District 29
How Dufur's one-campus K-12 district is funded, who runs it, and what changed in 2026.
How is Dufur School District paid for?
Dufur School District 29 runs one K-12 school in Wasco County with about 350-360 students, plus preschool. Most general fund money comes from the Oregon State School Fund, local property taxes and the balance carried over from the prior year. The proposed 2026-27 budget totals $13,796,935 across all funds, including a general fund of about $7.6 million and about $6.1 million in grants and other special funds. About 85% of the general fund pays for staff.
Staff costs dominate
About 85% of general fund spending is salaries and benefits; health insurance and PERS are rising fastest.
Reserves below target
Contingency of about $500,000, under the 12% the auditor recommends; new curriculum and capital reserve funds started.
Large grants
About $960,000 USDA distance learning grant for classroom technology; state seismic rehabilitation grant for the elementary and preschool wing; 3-year summer school grant.
Small debt
Debt service of $64,600 a year; the last bond payment is due December 2029.
Amounts are taken from the auto-captioned budget committee recording. The general fund total is calculated from the stated totals for all funds, so the official adopted budget should be checked for exact figures.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Seismic rehabilitation, phase 2 (elementary and preschool wing)
in progressReinforcing the elementary and preschool wing; Griffin Construction is construction manager/general contractor.
- CMGC method approved
- Griffin Construction selected
- Investigation work in classrooms begins
Funding
State seismic rehabilitation grant
Smartboards and AV in all 26 classrooms
fundedNew smartboards and audio-visual equipment for every classroom, with a district technology fund match.
- Grant accepted
Funding
USDA distance learning and telemedicine grant
Superintendent transition
interim in placeInterim Superintendent Kurt Evans serves through June 30, 2027; the board plans to discuss a permanent search in December 2026.
- Whitley resignation accepted; Evans hired
Funding
General fund
New reading and math curriculum
adoptedAmplify CKLA reading (June 2026) and Amplify Math K-5 with new 6-12 math materials (September 2026).
- Reading adopted
- Math adopted
Funding
Curriculum fund and summer school funds
Recent news
View the news feed →Resources
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Collected from the district-run YouTube channel 'Dufur School District 29': 29 recordings covering 25 meetings from November 4, 2025 to October 12, 2026, including regular, special and emergency board meetings, a budget committee meeting, a participatory budget session and work sessions. Board names were checked against Columbia Gorge News reporting.
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