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WEDNESDAY December 24, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels City considers closing Lincoln By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland School Board members will make a decision on whether or not to close Lincoln Elementary at the Feb. 9 board meeting. Anthony Zamora, 10, gets a math lesson from Lincoln Elementary School teacher Randy Boardman today. Ashland Daily Tidings/Denise Baratta The decision came on the heels of discussion that centered on enrollment figures and financial conditions - two triggers the board previously decided would signal the school's closure. While neither condition will be met this year, Lincoln's doors could close next fall. District officials tapped Lincoln Elementary as the second school in the district to shutter if enrollment dipped below 1,050 or if financial conditions warrant. Both the elementary schools and Ashland Middle School were below what was predicted in a demographer's report submitted during last year's closure process. The ASD's 1,103 elementary students in class this fall were projected to be 1,136, which was already a drop from the previous year's 1,192 elementary students. The middle school's enrollment was projected at 727 students. This year, 718 students are attending. Ashland High School's enrollment saw the only increase - with 1,162 projected and 1,175 students attending. "We are unfortunately in an accelerated decline," Ashland Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said while reporting enrollment figures. Financially, the ASD could be faced with a hit if a legislature-approved tax increase goes to a vote and is defeated in a special election marked for Feb. 3. A similar picture played out in the 2002-03 school year when voters defeated Measure 28 in January, which resulted in cuts to staff, programs and school days throughout state public schools. Chairwoman Amy Amrhein said that quarterly revenue figures from the state - the next come in December, March and May - will factor into the decision and the measure's failure alone will not predict Lincoln's closure. It will, however, affect financial conditions. Di Chiro said she did not think either trigger had been met. However, member Chuck Keil said that while the district will financially make it through this year it is hard to predict the financial future and noted the enrollment will continue to dip. "That (enrollment) trigger will be met in September of 2004," he said. Keil said the board need not wait until February to make a decision if enrollment continues its trend, expressing concern for the Lincoln community's uncertain position. Board member Heidi Parker said she did not want to rush the decision. "I'd really like our community to have a dialogue on what we want Ashland to look like," Parker said. "I really welcome input from the community and I think it's vital to the direction we're heading in." Hearing from the audience, community member and former planning commissioner Brent Thompson said "The board has the right to reconsider if they so choose." Other community members, including Lincoln Principal Susan Hollandsworth, Lincoln Blenders teacher Barbara Heyerman and Lincoln parent Marylee Oddo urged the board to explore options to another closure and to consider the community as a whole when making the decision. Board members will hear reports related to the closure issue at regularly scheduled meetings. The board encouraged the community to weigh in at meetings or by contacting board members. E-mail addresses for each member can be found at www.ashland.k12.or.us. In related business, Di Chiro reported that despite a drop in overall enrollment, class size goals were exceeded at all levels mainly due to reductions in staff. The district is working to establish additional positions at Helman Elementary and has added language teachers at the middle school using unallocated general revenue funds. In other business, the board: approved the new AHS attendance policy which assigns students to Saturday School after two unexcused absences and for each additional unexcused absence thereafter; appointed Carol Horn Davis and Bruce Reynolds to serve on the Budget Committee; adopted memorandums of understanding between Southern Oregon Bargaining Council and ASD regarding resource conservationist stipends, peer jury stipend and math department chair stipend; and approved the second reading of board policy revisions as written. The board will hold a work session from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in the District Board Room at 885 Siskiyou Blvd. to review board policy revisions. A Budget Committee will precede the meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the same location. The next regular session will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in the Ashland Council Chambers at 1175 E. Main St. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams