November 2025 Superintendent Recommendation Information
On November 17, the School Board received a presentation and a set of recommendations from the Superintendent during a scheduled School Board Work Session. The information was in response to their Goal: “Together, we will engage in strategic planning for school facilities and programs by assessing the needs of our students, families, and staff and analyzing current and projected population and demographic data.”
The purpose of the goal was to recommit to the district’s long-term mission of ensuring high quality programs, high quality outcomes, and high quality organizational management that make the West Linn-Wilsonville School District an outstanding school district for all students.
The following information was shared during the Nov. 17 meeting to engage the Board in strategic planning for school facilities and programs. Community members can review the work session video recording online.
Projected 10-Year Enrollment Data
A recently updated 10-year Enrollment Projection (2025-2035) by FLO Analytics indicates a continued decline of enrollment in West Linn-Wilsonville for the next ten years. The decline is more pronounced in West Linn, with modest growth in Wilsonville where the Frog Pond residential development is located (Boeckman Creek, Meridian Creek). A full view of the 10-year enrollment projection is available to the community. The 2035-2036 projection calculates about 1,200 overall fewer students in the district than current enrollment.
Cause of Enrollment Decline in Oregon Schools and WLWV
Since 2020, Oregon public school enrollment has dropped by more than 37,000 students. A recent article, Oregon’s New Normal: Declining Public School Enrollment provides a helpful summary of contributing factors that started during COVID. These include, but are not limited to:
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Declining Birth Rate - US census data projects that by 2040, deaths will outnumber births in the US; Oregon had the fifth-lowest birth rate in 2023.
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Increased choice in homeschooling and virtual schooling by parents.
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West Linn and Wilsonville home costs are higher than other areas of the county or state; higher mortgage rates impact affordability for young families.
In WLWV, however, the Kindergarten enrollment rate (connected to births) is still higher than the rate for many school districts in Oregon and parts of Washington (source: FLO Analytics). This statistic is a strong indicator that West Linn-Wilsonville is still a destination school district and is highly sought after as a place for public school academic opportunities in the state.
Impact of Declining Enrollment, Additional Budget Challenges for 2026-27 School Year
School districts are funded based on a per-student allocation. As enrollment declines, so does revenue from the state. At approximately $11,000 per student, a 200-student decline would be about $2.2 million less revenue from the State School Fund (SSF).
Not only is revenue declining (due to enrollment decline), but operational costs continue to increase. These include payroll & benefits (85% of the district budget), goods & services, PERS (retirement), insurance & liability, transportation. The State’s most recent economic forecast projects less revenue for public school districts than previously anticipated, in addition to less in federal and state grant allocations.
Capital Bond Impact on 2026-27 Budget Planning
The district and Board are grateful to the West Linn-Wilsonville School District community for their generosity and support in passing the Capital Bond. The 2025 Capital Bond will help offset costs in our General Fund that would have gone towards facility repairs, technology, and curriculum. For 2026-2027, there is a projected $2.65 million savings in the General Fund due to the passing of the 2025 Capital Bond. Those savings are in addition to the needed capital construction projects that will take place across district schools. Capital construction projects and facility repairs allow the district to preserve more of the General Fund for teachers, paraeducators, principals, office staff, etc.
The Bond does not pay for operational costs such as instruction, employee PERS, utilities or insurance costs, however. These costs and payroll costs continue to rise and outpace revenue received from the state.
Superintendent Recommendations to Board for 2025-26 & 2026-27
In response to continued annual decline in enrollment and continued rising costs, the following recommendations were made to help stabilize the school district and better manage effective class sizes:
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2025-2026 - Operate judiciously, making savings wherever possible.
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2026-2027 - Reduce $10.0 million
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Shift some eligible costs in the General Fund to the Capital Bond - $2.65 million
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Apply litigation reimbursement fees to the General Fund - $910,000
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Suspend the Preschool Program - $500,000
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Suspend the Chinese Dual Language Program at Bolton - $500,000
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Consolidate (close) two schools in West Linn (Bolton and Stafford) which have the lowest enrollment and are projected to continue declining - $1.5 million
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Reduce Staff & Supplies - $3.94 million
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These are not easy recommendations to bring forward. Each of our schools and programs are amazing gifts to their communities and our district at large. Staff in these schools and programs bring incredible talent, care, and compassion to the culture of their schools and their work with children. Parents have supported their schools and these programs with tremendous energy, creativity, generosity and passion. We heard extensively last year about the value each of our schools bring to the children and neighborhood community.
We heard extensively last year about the value each of our schools bring to the children and neighborhood community. Parents stepped up to offer alternatives to mitigate budget reductions and increase enrollment. A number of these were implemented including significant advertising about district programs and re-launching the WLWV Foundation. Many parents also joined Board members, public educators, and district leaders to advocate for increased funding for special education at rallies in Salem. Despite these efforts, the state was not able to provide school fund relief.
Board Timeline for Decision-Making
No decisions were made regarding any of the recommendations at the work session. The Superintendent is asking the Board for direction (a decision) in December before Winter Break so that staff can plan accordingly with thoughtfulness and care as early as January. A preliminary timeline was presented to the Board with boundary process adjustments, school visits, student transition plans, staff transition plans, and transportation changes occurring between January and the end of the school year.
Related Documents
Small Schools Task Force process, documents, and related information
In November 2023, the School Board commissioned the Long Range Planning Committee to update the Long Range Plan in light of the 2019 Capital Bond projects completion. This process involves examining school facilities and improvements in response to projected growth and educational program needs. The Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) contracted with demographic data analysts FLO Analytics to conduct a 10-year enrollment projection analysis. Upon receiving the demographic report in July 2024, the LRPC noted the projected continued decline in enrollment, specifically in West Linn. The question of viability of smaller schools emerged and the LRPC asked staff to provide information regarding factors of small schools. In August 2024, district staff presented a memo to the LRPC outlining three key consideration factors of small schools. Members of the committee directed district staff to establish a Small Schools Task Force (composed of parent representatives only) to delve deeper into the research and repercussions of smaller schools and to engage the community in order to hear their feedback, experiences and opinions. The Small Schools Task Force meetings and the community engagement forums would be facilitated by an unbiased, professional third-party facilitation group. The SSTF would then report back their findings to the LRPC in December 2024.
Interested community members can review the entirety of that process by visiting the Long Range Planning Committee webpage.
Listening Session Information
Listening sessions will provide the community the opportunity to provide input about the superintendent’s recommendations. The Board will hold two public listening sessions:
- Monday, Dec. 1 at Athey Creek Middle School from 6-8 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Meridian Creek Middle School from 6-8 p.m.
These sessions will include opportunities for both in-person or online public comment. Community members who would like to provide virtual public comment must email Kelly Douglas at least 24 hours in advance of the listening session and include their full name, city of residence, and email address.