In the depths of ‘The Great Recession,’ the Forest Grove School District achieved the impossible and was the only school district in Oregon to pass their bond measure in the November 2010 election. While residents expressed serious concern about the state of the economy in the survey research conducted by Nelson Research, the district was able to overcome those concerns by reassuring voters that passage of the measure would not increase their current school district property tax rate and would relieve overcrowding. Effectively delivering these key messages identified in their survey research tipped the scales in their favor.
Lesson Learned: A bad economy does not have to doom a money measure. Effective research will pinpoint winning messages even in a bad economy.