Community members can read all about possible high school options on the district website. The district will continue to seek input in the coming weeks. To provide feedback, please email Communications Director Andrew Kilstrom at kilstroa@wlwv.k12.or.us. An online survey will be available for additional input starting next week.

The West Linn-Wilsonville community began the public input process for future high school possibilities during two community forums this past week. Parents, community members, Long Range Planning Committee members, Board members, and staff convened on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 to contemplate possibilities for addressing projected high school enrollment growth in a future capital bond.

Community Forums followed the Nov. 28 Long Range Planning Committee meeting where members discussed potential options. The School Board adopted a fourth goal this summer to address facility needs through long-range capital improvements and financial planning that lead to long-term financial stability and sustainability.

With 10-year enrollment projections showing both West Linn and Wilsonville high schools more than 300 students over capacity, and the lease of Arts and Technology High School’s building expiring in 2022, the Board has suggested that the time is now to think about future high school learning spaces.

One option discussed during the two forums involved the expansion of the district’s two large high schools to accommodate more students while finding a new location for Arts and Technology High School. This option could potentially require additions to “core” facilities at either high school, including additional gymnasium space, commons areas, bathrooms, and parking.

Another option would be to expand Arts and Technology High School to approximately 500 students. This could be achieved by one of three methods: leasing or purchasing an existing building in the community, purchasing property to build a new facility, or using an existing West Linn-Wilsonville property or school building.

A third discussed option would have Arts and Technology High School take over Athey Creek Middle School. A new Athey Creek Middle School would then be built on the district’s 21-acre Dollar Street property in West Linn, moving closer to the majority of ACMS families while increasing capacity to accommodate future middle school enrollment growth. Arts and Technology would serve approximately 500 high school students, implementing CTE programming and course options outlined in the district’s recent High School Study. This option would make the new Arts and Technology High School centrally located, providing access for students on both sides of the district, while leaving flexibility to grow the school depending on enrollment needs far in the future.

Community members can read all about possible high school options on the district website. The district will continue to seek input in the coming weeks. To provide feedback, please email Communications Director Andrew Kilstrom at kilstroa@wlwv.k12.or.us. An online survey will be available for additional input starting next week.

The district will continue to gather community input as the Long Range Planning Committee and School Board continue discussions about capital projects for a potential capital bond. For more information about potential high school possibilities please visit the district website.

The Long Range Planning Committee  (LRPC) discussed potential capital projects during their regular meeting on November 28 in the event that the School Board decides the time is right for a Capital Bond. Most notably, the Long Range Planning Committee discussed possible high school learning spaces to address growing enrollment at West Linn and Wilsonville High Schools.

In preparation for a potential Capital Bond, the School Board commissioned a 10-year enrollment forecast last spring, giving the district and LRPC student growth projections across the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. The Long Range Planning Committee also completed capacity analyses of all of the district’s schools this fall to account for changes to school buildings and schedules.

During the meeting, members of the LRPC addressed those two recent reports, noting a clear need for future learning space at the primary level in Wilsonville and at the high school level in both West Linn and Wilsonville. In the School Board’s adoption of Board Goal No. 4, the Long Range Planning Committee’s purpose is to monitor school and community growth as well as project district facility needs.

LRPC members noted that the need for additional high school learning spaces has been known for a number of years as they have watched enrollment numbers climb across the district and at the two comprehensive high schools. Those factors, in addition to direction from the School Board, caused the LRPC to begin discussing the future of high school in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. [READ THE FULL STORY]

On Nov. 28, Sunset Primary played host to the West Linn and Wilsonville Rotary Clubs on behalf of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District.

It was the second time in as many years that the two rotaries have joined the district for a joint luncheon, giving the three groups time to connect and fill one another in on the important work each is doing in the West Linn-Wilsonville community. [READ THE FULL STORY]