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SATURDAY February 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 21, 2004 Deciding a school's fate Depending on who you are, it's a situation with no easy answers, even though the hard truth has already been spelled out, according to superintendent Juli Di Chiro. (From left) Myan McQueen, 8, Madeline Honingfoud, 8, River Davis, 7, and Grace St.Chair-Bates concentrate on reading at Lincoln Elementary School's hallway during their reading class. The girls are among more than 200 students facing an uncertain future as the school board will make its final decisions about the future of Lincoln on Feb. 9. Satsuki Doi/Ashland Daily Tidings On Feb. 9, the Ashland School Board will decide if Lincoln Elementary School will close this year, or remain open for another year. Either way, school officials contend, the school's days are numbered. But parents and supporters of the school are organizing efforts to gain a one-year reprieve. An ad-hoc group is pushing a petition drive and flooding school board meetings in a last-ditch effort to keep the school open long enough to seek other solutions to the decline in enrollment and state support for public schools. This comes on the heels of the closure of Briscoe Elementary School in 2003. The school board decided at that time to target Lincoln for closure in the future, and to revisit the issue when this year's enrollment numbers came in. Di Chiro said closing Lincoln "is not a matter of if but when. It's an extremely difficult situation." While the district and school board have said they have not made a definite decision to close Lincoln this year, they point to the current enrollment and financial situation as a sobering dilemma which must be faced - sooner rather than later. Enrollment declining Lincoln parent Peter Cotton, who attended the school as a child, has helped to form an organization called "For Quality Schools" working to keep Lincoln open for at least one more year to give the community a chance to look for long-term solutions. While he understands the reality that it appears Lincoln will eventually close, he wants the opportunity to have the community help the district to find alternatives. "It's clear the district wants to follow through on the decision made a year ago," he said. "But we're intent on making sure all the variables have been looked at. We just need more time." Parents from throughout the district have expressed concern about the impact of closing Lincoln. Worries include overcrowded schools, traffic congestion and how it will affect student activities, programs and learning at the other three elementary schools. Di Chiro said that while the school closure is regrettable, declining enrollment and budget uncertainty make the closure the best option for the entire student population. Last school year, district officials said Lincoln would be the second school to close if district elementary school enrollment dipped below 1,050 students or if financial concerns warranted it. Neither trigger has been met yet, but Di Chiro expects to hit both in the near future, probably by the 2004-05 school year. The four elementary schools now hold 1,104 students. The district forecasts a steady decrease each year, to 1,006 in 2007-08. Di Chiro said the high cost of living is leading to the decline. The trend appears inevitable, with kindergarten enrollment at about half the size of this year's graduating senior class at Ashland High School. "That's our problem in a nutshell," Di Chiro said. "Even if we did have stability from the state, we would still have to look at school closures because of the decline of students in the district. It's going in the wrong direction." While "it's a hard pill to swallow," the demographics show that fewer families with children live in the area as each year goes by, Di Chiro said. Another crucial factor is the outcome of Measure 30 on Feb. 3, which would gives schools statewide around $285 million in state funding passed. The exact impact of the ballot initiative is not yet known, because of fluctuations in the state's revenue forecast and other factors. Although it would have a negative impact, the measure's failure would not guarantee Lincoln's immediate closure, Di Chiro said, citing the district's need to consider all facts and figures. Conversely, Lincoln still could close even if the tax hike passes. Di Chiro points to funding in the weighted state's Average Daily Membership (ADMw), a formula used by the state for funding purposes. The school district had expected to receive $5,235 per student for this school year from the state, which translates to $19,296,150. However, since the actual enrollment is below the district's original estimates, the state's share will likely be at least $500,000 less than that. Final state expenditures hinge on the outcome of Measure 30. If voters approve the measure, the district foresees income of $18,786,120; if the initiative fails, state support would fall to $16,995,440 - $2.3 million less than city schools anticipated at the start of the school year, Di Chiro said. "Closing a school is not an easy decision to make, but one has to look realistically at what's in front of them from a financial and enrollment standpoint," Di Chiro said. She said closing Lincoln could save the district $325,000 a year. The school would be rented out and used by other organizations to bring additional revenue. Part of the building is already being used by the Oregon Child Development Coalition Migrant Head Start program. "Anything we can do to bring revenue into the district, we'll definitely move in that direction," Di Chiro said. While she had heard nothing official, Di Chiro said she wouldn't be surprised if nearby Southern Oregon University showed an interest in a vacant Lincoln building. School Board Chairperson Amy Amrhein agreed that the decision is a difficult one. Amrhein said that to the best of her knowledge, board members are still open to multiple solutions, despite rumors to the contrary. She said the board is considering community input and the district's financial situation, which includes keeping an eye on the outcome of Measure 30. "This is a painful process for all of us," Amrhein said. "Even if you know the (financial and attendance) forecast, at what point do we make the jump?" For Quality Schools Despite the uphill odds, For Quality Schools is determined to win a one-year reprieve. The group believes it could use the extra time to rally community support for keeping all four elementary schools open and viable. To that end, FQS has scoured the community to gather signatures in support of keeping Lincoln open for at least another year while options are explored. More than 1,200 people have signed the petition. Organizer Peter Cotton's wife, Martha Phelps Cotton, is also part of the group. The two are longtime Ashland residents who attended Lincoln, have a child enrolled there and a 4-year-old who would go to the school in two years if it doesn't close. While Peter Cotton empathizes with the school board and the district over the tough financial situation and declining students, he says the cost cuts have "narrowed the vision of the school board ... and they are trying to plug the leaks." He said FQS would hold vision sessions and public forums where community members can devise long-term solutions. The group's purpose is to help the school board, not to question it or usurp its authority, he said. "We're offering a resource to foster discussion and solutions," he said. "It's not a challenge. It's an offer to work together to look at a broader approach to this." This includes looking at alternative forms of non-school resources and partnerships and other non-traditional methods. With more people of retirement age moving to town, perhaps the district could use them as a resource, he said. "I'm not against school closures," he said. "I'm against premature school closures." Cotton also wants the board to consider the emotional issues related to these decisions. "The board has made it clear they're not open to emotional appeals. They want hard facts," he said. "But it is an emotional issue. We don't want them to turn a deaf ear to the emotional and psychological impacts (of the closure)." Phelps Cotton hopes the community can help the school district find the best solution for the crisis they face. "I think we can look at it as a challenge, not a problem," she said. "We can come up with alternatives" The students Lincoln Principal Susan Hollandsworth said the school updates its employees on developments at least once a week, and has tried to inform parents as well. "We're very open with them," she said. Hollandsworth said teaching has not changed much, and the closure is brought up only if students ask. "Our main concern is the kids and how we can keep them protected from adult problems," she said. Marylee Oddo, Parent Teacher Organization president for Lincoln, said there's a wide range of feelings and thoughts on the pending closure. She said there are those who want to be part of the decision making and hope to make a difference. There are also those who believe the end is inevitable and the school will close. She said her two children, both of whom go to Lincoln, are very interested in what happens. "They have lived with this for a few years," Oddo said. "They live with it, but they find it difficult not knowing." Not just Lincoln Parents at other schools have expressed concern what closing Lincoln could do at other Ashland elementary schools. Already, Helman Elementary's enrollment exceeds its previous record, which occurred in 1992, by 5 percent. As of Dec. 1, 345 students attended Helman, there were 322 at Walker, Bellview had 226, and Lincoln's enrollment was 211 students. Overall, student enrollment is much lower than any time in recent history. Still, parents are concerned about the impact of having more students attending the three remaining schools, particularly overcrowding. "Parents are concerned about the quality of education (districtwide) if Lincoln closes," said Walker parent Pauline Black. Black said parents are concerned rooms that are used for science, music or children who need extra help in subjects could be reduced or eliminated. "I think people need to realize it's not just a Lincoln issue," she said. "It's an issue that affects Ashland families." Black also expressed concern about traffic near Walker, which is already getting too crowded, she said. "We need to preserve the things that make education here good for kids," she said. Di Chiro said the district plans to keep at least one classroom at each remaining school available for student activities and special needs classes. Should fewer classrooms become available, facilities such as libraries and cafeterias, and classrooms already occupied with students could still be used, she said. 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