The spending has taken on renewed urgency after a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend on Oct. 15. A teen gunman climbed a fence and fired through a window beside a locked door before entering a classroom, killing three children and a teacher. A teacher and an armed parent stopped him, according to the account of the attack.

Silver Rail had received security improvements funded by bonds approved by voters in the Bend-La Pine School District in 2017 and 2022. The school has a secure front entrance, a glass vestibule where visitors are screened and updated door locks.

More than 100 of Oregon’s 197 school districts have referred bond measures to voters in the past eight years, according to an analysis of state ballot records and bond results from the Oregon School Boards Association. In 53 districts, voters approved measures that funded a range of infrastructure work, including security projects.

“Pretty much every bond campaign I’ve looked at since at least 2020 mentioned safety improvements,” said Jake Arnold, a spokesperson for the Oregon School Boards Association. He said locked doors and electronic entry systems are now common in schools, unlike a decade ago.

Secure entrances are among the most frequent upgrades. Districts have also paid for fences, key-card access to exterior doors and upgraded security cameras. Nine districts — Gladstone, Glide, Grants Pass, Harney County, Hillsboro, North Clackamas, Reynolds, Silver Falls and Siuslaw — are seeking voter approval in November for bond projects that include safety measures.

Officials caution that such improvements can reduce risk but cannot guarantee that violence will be prevented. “While no system can 100% prevent determined acts of violence, thoughtful and modern security features can help lessen the chances and the impact of terrible situations,” said Kelly McIver, a spokesperson for Eugene School District.

McIver said security investments can also address more common problems, including vandalism, theft and unauthorized visitors. Eugene voters approved a $319 million capital bond in 2018, with nearly $8.5 million directed to safety upgrades such as entry vestibules, cameras, fencing and anti-shatter window film. The district expects to complete safety improvements at all 32 instructional sites in the coming years, he said.

Other districts have also approved multiple bond measures with security spending. Lake Oswego voters passed bonds in 2021 and 2025; the later measure included plans for secure classroom doors, hardened glass, more cameras and upgraded emergency communications. West Linn-Wilsonville, Oregon City and Redmond each approved two bonds for security spending over the past eight years.

National data show school shootings rose sharply in recent years. The K-12 School Shooting Database recorded about 60 incidents in 2017 and nearly 120 in 2018. After a decline during pandemic-related school closures, incidents climbed to a record 257 in 2021. Researchers had recorded 155 shootings at schools so far in 2026, with 118 victims wounded or killed, according to the database.

The figures underscore both the pressure on school districts to make buildings safer and the limits of relying on physical security alone. As McIver put it, the investments should be viewed as risk reduction, not a guarantee against tragedy.