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57 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 27, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 12, 2003 Patridge bill consolidates schools By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Jackson County’s nine school systems could become a single mega-district under a legislative bill that would free up more money for Oregon classrooms. Proposed by Republican Rep. Rob Patridge of Medford, the bill would mandate only one district per county in Oregon, and it would require those districts to spend only the national average — 35.5 percent — on overhead. Jackson County districts’ overhead ranges from 32.8 percent in Pinehurst to 36.9 percent in Medford to 47.7 percent in Butte Falls. The average in Oregon is 38.5 percent. Patridge acknowledges the idea might receive strong opposition from many school systems. "It’s about huge turf battles," he said. John Maurer, chairman of the Ashland School Board, countered, "I really question the savings that might be there. I’d like to see how he gets the numbers." Ashland students, and the state in general, consistently score high on Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) because of the type of education offered in Oregon, Maurer said. "We get what we pay for." Like other education officials, he said a single county district would detract from local control, forcing residents in communities like Ashland to consider other options. "We very well could turn our school district to a private school system in a heartbeat," he said. "We would love to cut our ties with the state, if our support drops any further." Patridge responded, "If that’s what people want to do, that’s what they’ll do." He said liberal communities in Oregon and throughout the country have the financial wherewithal and often the willingness to back private schools. At the same time, conservative constituents who want more religion in schools are pushing for vouchers, he said. "The far left and the far right meet there somewhere," he said. Patridge wants to find more efficiencies in education as the state contemplates more budget problems in the next biennial budget. He estimates education will get $4.2 to $4.6 billion — far less than the $5.2 billion originally set aside at the beginning of the last budget cycle. Why does every district need its own curriculum director, its own support personnel and its own services? he questioned. "I’m just trying to figure out how to eliminate these duplicative services," he said. For Jackson County, Patridge envisions an administrative team similar to the one that governs Medford schools, with potentially an assistant superintendent and more support staff to handle personnel, payroll and other expanded duties. "There may be some consolidation of school sites," he said. Ashland is planning to close a school, while Medford wants to build more schools. With consolidation, Patridge said, both could make better use of existing sites. At this point, actual savings haven’t been calculated. But Patridge, using Phoenix-Talent as an example, said a minimum of $250,000 in overhead costs could be eliminated under the plan for that district alone. Prospect schools Superintendent Don Alexander said his district discussed combining with Eagle Point about five years ago, but the idea was shot down because parents feared the loss of local control. "People here just demanded we keep the school intact no matter what," said Alexander. "Those of us in small schools would have no voice if they put us all together." Central Point and Rogue River schools also have had informal discussions about consolidating in the past, but decided not to pursue the idea. However, said Alexander, some districts in the state are pursuing consolidation. "There are areas in the state where it would be beneficial," he said, citing the St. Helens area in Northern Oregon, which is considering the idea. "In our county, I don’t really believe it would be fair for a Medford, a Prospect and a Butte Falls to be under one roof." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Advertisement s