We need to preserve what makes our schools great! At most, school closures will yield only $500K per elementary school despite significant disruption and risk. In total, proposed school closures save only 3% of the total District budget... well short of providing a solution
Recent school closures in Seattle and Eugene* suggest LO may not achieve the estimated $500K per school. Additionally, estimated savings do not include costs to the community
Various sources* indicate Lake Oswego property values will suffer - diminishing our ability to attract more young families and putting further pressure on school and other budgets. Can we afford this? The current Reconfiguration Committee process only considered closing schools - not the entire budget. We need to have a much bigger conversation! The Reconfiguration Committee was originally formed in 2006 to explore school closures due to projected significant declining enrollment. In early 2007, the committee recommended "no" closures because it would not yield enough savings
In 2010, the Reconfiguration Committee was "reconvened" by the Superintendent to again consider and recommend school closures - but this time for an entirely different reason - the budget shortfall. The committee did what it was charged to do - look at the potential savings from closing schools. But was the committee ever asked to look at the entire LOSD budget and recommend the best saving options beyond school closures? While closing schools may make sense if there aren't enough students to fill them, that is not the current problem. Enrollment has stablized with student populations trending younger. Why hasn't the District convened a committee to look at the entire $58 Million budget, and consider and recommend all options to bridge the gap? The process, as presented, is deeply flawed
A committee formed for one purpose (declining enrollment), should not drive the future of the district to solve a different problem. We have more work to do! Closing schools does not yield enough savings compared to the disruptions to our children and community
School closures yield only $500K per elementary school despite huge disruption for our kids, re-drawing the entire district, impacts to neighborhood communities, uncertain additional costs, and potential damage to our reputation as a place to move and raise families. In total, proposed school closures save only 3% of the total District budget... well short of providing a solution - with too much risk and too little reward. The District's proposed plan drains District reserves by half in a single year and provides no long-term solution. We believe this is fiscally irresponsible
We are all impacted by these decisions
1 in 3 elementary children will be displaced and require busing to remaining schools. The district boundaries will change, and schools will become more crowded. This will dramatically alter the fabric of our small, distinct neighborhood communities
Various sources* indicate Lake Oswego property values will suffer - diminishing our ability to attract more young families and putting further pressure on school and other budgets. The District's current proposed plan makes untested assumptions and provides no long-term solution. The current process, unless we change course, could have repercussions that put us in a deeper financial hole. Reconfiguration Committee recommendations leave signifcant future budget gaps, and offers high school and middle school closures as a possible next step (Lakeridge High, LOJHS, and Waluga). We need to step back and consider all options. Do we really want our 6th graders going to Middle School? A highly regarded 2007 Duke University study found that 6th graders in Middle School experience more behavioral problems than 6th graders in Elementary School, and 6th Graders who stay in Elementary School test higher on end-of-grade standardized tests. If our students are achieving under the current structure, why change it? (read full paper)
Other options exist to address the budget that have not been considered
0ther less risky alternatives exist that have not been evaluated due to a deficient and flawed process. This must be a community decision. We need a process that looks at the entire budget - with nothing taken off the table. Closing outstanding schools might be an issue of last resort, but not our starting point
Focus On The Facts...
Contrary to some reports, enrollment has stabilized with student populations trending younger. Could school closures now actually lead to overcrowding? School closures threaten to erode the fabric of what makes our small-neighborhood communities unique - This is a significant reason why families move to LO! As a community, we know we face difficult decisions that involve significant sacrifice
We must have a full and fair process that looks at all funding solutions - Nothing should be taken off the table for this discussion! If we have a fair process, we will come together and find a successful path forward. The Lake Oswego community deserves a broad-based and transparent process with sufficient time to evaluate all viable long-term options. The school board members we elected owe us this much! Let's do this together! We are ... lounitedforschools.org
