Frequently Asked Questions (Last Updated November 1, 2024)

  • Background

  • How did the District find itself in this situation regarding budget reductions and possible consolidation of smaller schools?

  • What will the School Board be trying to decide when the Long Range Planning Committee reports to them in January 2025?

  • About the Small Schools Task Force

  • When are the Community Engagement Meetings?

  • Why was the Small Schools Task Force created and what is its purpose?

  • Who is on the Small Schools Task Force?

  • Will Small Schools Task Force meetings be open to the public? How can the community get involved?

  • Enrollment

  • Did Flo Analytics take the future waterfront project into account when forecasting enrollment?

  • What number of students makes a small class?

  • What is the district’s long-term enrollment forecast and who conducted the study?

  • What factors are leading to projected enrollment decline in West Linn? Why is enrollment projected to increase in Wilsonville?

  • Why would the district consolidate one or more primary schools in West Linn if it’s planning to open Frog Pond Primary in Wilsonville next year?

  • How would the consolidation of one or more small schools impact primary school boundaries? Does this process impact the Frog Pond Primary School Boundary Task Force and process?

  • Why is Frog Pond Primary opening with a capacity of 300 students?

  • Would the district consider using a boundary adjustment in West Linn to redistribute all the students across all six schools with more even enrollment?

  • Building Factors

  • What is the ideal school enrollment capacity?

  • In the event one or more schools are determined to be consolidated, what does it look like for the staff who worked at the impacted schools?

  • What typically happens or what is the SOP (“standard operating procedure”) for a school/property that is closed?

  • Do smaller schools mean smaller class sizes?

  • Budget

  • How are substitute teachers funded in the district?

  • WLWV voters passed the Local Option Levy in November of 2023 to fund additional teaching positions across the district through the 2029-30 school year. Doesn’t this mean we shouldn’t be making reductions?

  • How would consolidating one or more small schools save money for the school district?

  • Other Questions

  • What is the cost of 3J Consulting as the third-party facilitator for the Small Schools Task Force Process?