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Lien-holders OK Waldorf sale Deal could be finished by today By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � Lien-holders of the former Waldorf School property agreed to sell the 40-acre farm to the Ashland School District, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro told the Ashland School Board Monday. "We anticipate that escrow will close tomorrow," Di Chiro said. The school board first approved the $865,000 purchase in August. The deal, however, required the approval of the property�s current owners and nearly 20 others who loaned money to the Waldorf School because the sale price doesn�t cover the amount that is owed on the property. The school district plans to relocate its Community Learning Center for homeschooling students to the East Main Street site. A date for the relocation, Di Chiro said, has not been set. The district has not received the city fire chief�s recommendations regarding safety. The district is required to follow the fire chief�s recommendations as a condition of the Ashland City Council�s Sept. 5 agreement to extend city water services to the property, which lies just outside the urban-growth boundary. Water from the Waldorf property�s well is contaminated. The district is considering temporary solutions to bring drinking water to the site. Also Monday, principals from the district�s high school, middle school and five elementary schools reported their current attendance figures. "The good news is that we have plenty of kids at school," Di Chiro said. Enrollment as of Monday was 1,261 at Ashland High School, an all-time high and 14 more than last September. The school also reports a record number of seniors (305) signed up for classes this fall. "Though we have a full load, we have very few teachers with loads over the maximum," said Ashland High Principal Julie Reynolds. Ashland Middle School enrolled 827 students, including 318 in the English-as-a-Second-Language program. Last September, the middle school had 840 students. Overall, attendance at the district�s elementary schools was down slightly from last year. Bellview enrolled 233 students this fall, compared with 257 a year ago. Briscoe is up six students for a total of 253. Helman reports 224 students this fall, 17 less than last year. Lincoln is up five students for a student body of 301. And Walker is at 289, down slightly from 292. Most of the principals said they expect the numbers to rise during September. In other action, the school board voted unanimously to support the efforts of Our Oregon, a campaign group that opposes state ballot Measures 8, 91 and 93. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA