Panel laments school cuts

As budget committee members expressed shock and dismay over what $22 million in cuts could mean for students, Eugene School Board members hinted during a joint work session Wednesday that they’re leaning toward backing Superintendent George Russell’s revised recommendations and getting on with the harsh reality of closing schools and laying off staff.

Not that they’re happy about it.

“Be frustrated with this, be angry with this, and let’s start looking at a solution,” school board vice chairwoman Alicia Hays advised.

The board is expected to vote next month on Russell’s revised recommendations to deal with the largest predicted shortfall in years. Russell announced his revised recommendations at the Dec. 8 board meeting.

The superintendent is now recommending the closure of four elementary schools — Parker, Crest Drive, Meadowlark and Coburg — at the end of this school year, and Twin Oaks Elementary School after the 2011-12 school year.

Under the proposal, Parker students would attend Edgewood Elementary, Crest Drive students would attend Adams Elementary, Meadowlark students would attend Willagillespie Elementary and Coburg students would attend Gilham Elementary. However, Coburg is talking about applying for a charter school that would be housed in its current grade school building. Twin Oaks students would move to McCornack Elementary School in fall 2012 if that school could be expanded by voters passing a $130 million bond measure this spring.

After the work session, about 12 speakers addressed the board about the proposed recommendations — including several Crest Drive parents dismayed at the idea of their neighborhood school closing.

On Nov. 3, Russell recommended closing six schools and slashing 104 teaching positions and 62 administrators and classified staff. But in his revised plan, he changed that to five schools and laying off 62 teachers and 43 administrators and classified staff.

Perhaps the most controversial change originally recommended by Russell was the grade reconfiguration of several elementary and middle schools into K-3 and 4-8 models. Russell took that option off the table last week, saying the district and the community were not yet ready for that sort of drastic change.

Russell had initially based his recommendations on a projected $30 million shortfall, representing a 5 percent decrease in state funding levels. The revised estimate of $22 million — about 15 percent of the district’s anticipated general fund operating budget of $150 million for 2011-12 — is based on the state maintaining its current level of funding.

“But if past experience is any guide, it’s likely we get into the (2011-13) biennium and we start looking at more reductions,” budget committee member Tim Gleason said. “What’s the strategy then?”

Only two options, Russell said. Fall back on reserves, or cut more.

“We always have the right to lay off more employees, even if it’s in the middle of the year, if we get into a bind,” Russell said.

Russell’s revised recommendations include increasing staffing ratios at elementary schools by two or three students per class, and three or four students at the middle and high school levels. Although that’s an improvement from his original recommendations, budget committee members still expressed grave concerns over increased class sizes and the fact that it may no longer be possible to provide a full schedule of classes to all high school students.

“I just have to say that that is a shocking statement about our community values,” budget committee member Betsy Boyd said. “I know I sound emotional, but I just can’t believe we’re putting together a budget that might not send our students to college.”

Budget committee member Carla Gary expressed concerns that increased class sizes will disproportionately affect those students who historically struggle and who aren’t trying to make it to an Ivy League school but may aspire to attending Lane Community College.

Russell said it’s not about spreading the pain equally next year — it’s about the next five or six years and what makes sense “with the resources we have.”