District calls for delay on school merger.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

The much-debated but now widely supported merger of Harris and Eastside Alternative elementary schools should go forward, Superintendent George Russell told the Eugene School Board Wednesday.

But in light of increasingly ominous fiscal tidings, Russell said the board should delay voting until its March 4 meeting, when the district will have a better handle on the potential impact of sliding state revenues and a federal stimulus package to aid state government. By then, principals also will know their projected staffing levels.

"The world is a lot different than when we talked about going in this direction" 10 months ago, Russell said, alluding to a new update on potentially jaw-dropping budget shortfalls both for the remaining school year and the next biennium.

Russell also said that, should finances force the board to again contemplate school closures, the new hybrid should be considered along with the rest.

By delaying a vote, Russell said, the Eastside and Harris communities have time to discuss concerns and decide how, and whether, they can move ahead under the uncertain fiscal conditions. The district has spent approximately $18,200 on the merger so far, mostly on consultant fees, extra-duty stipends and Eastside's move.

"I don't know yet the implications of where we're going - I just need to tell you the picture continues to look worse every day," said Russell, noting there are simply more schools "than we have resources to support."

Russell's sobering caveats followed an exuberant presentation by parents and staff members at both schools, who described the vision for the new school as nothing short of utopian. Despite bumpy beginnings, the planning has inspired teachers to collaborate and innovate and parents to embrace each others' differences yet find common ground, they said.

"I see the merger already happening on a daily basis with the teachers and the parents and the kids at this new combined school," said Harris parent Michael Boutette, a member of a fledgling advisory committee of staff and parents from each school. "I hear them speaking in one voice."

Teachers described key program elements, among them project-based learning; integration of music, theater, poetry and other arts; a multi-age "advisee" class for social problem- solving and decision-making; and a partnership with Pacific University that would bring in student teachers and the expertise of professors.

Board members voiced enthusiasm, saying the effort exceeded their expectations. But one member, Alicia Hays, also acknowledged the "trying times" and said she appreciated Russell's caution.

Should it be determined one or more south-end elementary school must close, the board will have a potentially awkward decision on its plate.

Last spring, following the yearlong Shaping 4J's Future effort, Russell recommended closing Harris, noting there were too few children to fill all the south-area schools. Harris' enrollment had dwindled to 178 - far below building capacity, and 120 students under the board's newly agreed-upon target of a 300 minimum for elementary schools.

He suggested relocating Eastside to the Harris building from the Parker Elementary campus, with Charlemagne at Fox Hollow - whose south-hills location was deemed too remote - also moving in the following year to Harris.

But a suggestion by teachers of a possible Harris/Eastside collaboration soon caught fire. The board saw it as a way to save a struggling neighborhood school while also diversifying the comparatively homogenous and advantaged Eastside.

Though some Eastside parents fiercely opposed the idea at first, most came around, and the board voted 5-2 to give the schools a chance to forge an acceptable plan.

The two board members who opposed merger - Hays and Eric Forrest - said then it would merely delay the inevitable closure of one or more south-end school.

Staff members at Parker Elementary, which would have seen an infusion of children from Harris under the original plan, opposed the merger at the time, noting their school might instead lose students.

Parker Principal Scott Marsh said Wednesday that there's concern among staff and parents, especially in light of the frightening budget scenarios. Enrollment at Parker stands at about 280, he said.

"We're all kind of at risk here in the south region," he said, adding that he and his school community would fight hard if it became necessary.

Among south-end schools, Edgewood Community, Charlemagne, Edison and McCornack schools are near or above the 300-student target, according to last fall's enrollment data. Crest Drive stood at about 270, Adams at 190 and Twin Oaks, in the southwest corner of the district, at about 225.

Family School, with 125 students, is poised to share the Arts and Technology Academy next year; together, the elementary population at the building is likely to be near 300.

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Title Annotation:	Education; Eugene's board is asked to wait for a clearer economic picture before voting to combine Harris and Eastside
Publication:	The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)
Date:	Feb 5, 2009
Words:	773
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