The Consolidation Committee was appointed in February 2011 and serves in an advisory capacity to the School Board.

School Board Charge to the Consolidation Committee:

By many measures of student achievement and performance, Lake Oswego schools have never been stronger. At the same time, we face the most significant economic challenge in the history of the district.

Committee Purpose

Given the current economic circumstances, multiple financial strategies will be necessary to provide the best possible educational opportunities to our students. Significant adaptive change appears to be inevitable. In the context of enormous financial challenges, the purpose of the Consolidation Committee is to make school closure, consolidation, and related boundary adjustment recommendations that would best achieve the reduction of infrastructure costs and preserve district resources for educational program.

Committee Charge

The charge to the Consolidation Committee is to develop recommendations to the School Board that best provide for the enactment of the Scenario B reconfiguration model recommended by the district’s Configuration Committee.

The Consolidation Committee’s charge is to make recommendations to the Board in four areas:

1. The Committee is charged with working with district staff to develop recommendations that include the closure and repurposing of district schools consistent with the reconfiguration model approved by the School Board for further analysis.

2. The Committee is charged with working with district staff within the framework of School Board approved guidelines to model and test the approved reconfiguration scenario.  All reasonable school combinations should be analyzed to best accomplish the School Board’s purpose.

3. The Committee is charged with working with district staff to test the reasonableness and operational workability of the School Board’s approved scenario.  The Committee should consider and make any recommendations that would improve the reasonableness of that scenario.

4. The Committee is charged with working with district staff to develop and recommend school boundary changes consistent with maintaining an overall elementary school core classroom teacher:student ratio of 1:27 in all of the district’s elementary schools.
   Note:  The target 1:27 teacher:student ratio would allow the district to retain its current practice of lower ratios for grades K-2.

Definitions

Reasonableness: Reasonableness in the context of school district reconfigurations should be determined in relation to two critical attributes. The first test of reasonableness should be the desirability of the option in accomplishing the School Board’s desired outcome. The second test of reasonableness should be the feasibility of accomplishing the School Board’s desired outcome in relation to its functionality and adherence to the School Board’s approved guidelines.

School Consolidation and Boundary Change Guidelines

Timeline:

The Committee is expected to present its recommendations at the School Board meeting on April 12, 2011.

Meeting Update: 03-07-11

At its March 7 meeting, Consolidation Committee members arrived at the following tentative determination:

If the School Board decides that it is necessary to move forward with school reconfiguration/closure for 2011-12, the Consolidation Committee would recommend the implementation of Scenario B as follows:

• Waluga and LOJHS would become grades 6-8 middle schools

• Bryant Elementary would close and become part of the Waluga middle school facility

• Palisades Elementary would close

• Uplands Elementary would close

In arriving at this determination, the Consolidation Committee tested and verified the workability of Scenario B in the context of the economic challenges facing the district. The successful implementation of Scenario B would require some changes in building utilization and program adjustments that could affect the location of district preschool, pre-k, Spanish immersion kindergarten and full day kindergarten classrooms. The committee modeled Scenario B using a classroom teacher:student ratio of 1:27.

The Consolidation Committee will meet again on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Lake Oswego High School library to continue developing its recommendations and to begin looking at school boundary options.

It is important to emphasize that the School Board has not made a final decision regarding school reconfiguration/closures; the Board is scheduled to make its decision on April 5. The Consolidation Committee will present its recommendations to the School Board on March 14.

Meeting Update: 03-09-11

The meeting update that was published following the March 7 meeting of the Consolidation Committee indicated that a “tentative determination” had been reached regarding Scenario B. This statement was inaccurate. More accurately, in response to the charge from the School Board to determine the workability of Scenario B, a majority of the committee indicated the belief that the scenario is workable where “workable” is defined as the ability to implement the scenario if necessary. This decision regarding Scenario B workability did not constitute a recommendation or determination.

Last night, the committee again discussed the workability of Scenario B. While, as noted, the committee believes Scenario B is workable, the committee also noted a number of concerns about school capacity and, specifically, continues to review the availability of rooms to support all current programs under this scenario.

As a result, the committee is still considering whether Scenario B is the best option given its plusses and minuses, and is exploring other options in addition to Scenario B.

The following summarizes the two options now being studied by the Consolidation Committee and progress to date:

• Scenario B

  • Close Bryant, Uplands, and Palisades

  • Move 6^th grade to middle school

  • Preliminary review of school boundary changes

• Scenario B Modified

  • Close Bryant and one north side elementary school

  • Move 6^th grade to middle school

In light of the need for additional time to explore these options, the School Board will establish a new timeline for potential school configuration/closure decisions at its meeting on March 14. In lieu of making its recommendations on March 14, the Consolidation Committee will provide a progress update to the School Board.

The Consolidation Committee has scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the LOHS library.

Meeting Update: 03-16-11

The Consolidation Committee meeting continued its analysis and modeling of class size ratios, building utilization, and school boundaries. The following scenarios remain under discussion/review:

• Scenario B

  • Close Bryant, Uplands, and Palisades

  • Move 6^th grade to middle school

While no formal determinations have been made, the committee is in general agreement that Scenario B appears to be workable and that room availability would be generally acceptable. The committee will continue to study space issues and possible solutions at some schools relative to music, preschool, kindergarten enrichment, and immersion kindergarten programs.

• Scenario B Modified

  • Close Bryant and Uplands

  • Move 6^th grade to middle school

Committee members have identified significant boundary issues with Scenario B Modified if this scenario were to be implemented as a transitional step to the full implementation of Scenario B. The committee will continue to study Scenario B Modified as a potential single long-term solution. While no formal determinations have been made, the committee is in general agreement that Scenario B Modified also appears to be workable relative to room availability. This scenario improves room availability for south side schools relative to music, preschool, kindergarten enrichment, and immersion kindergarten programs, but the north side limitations are identical to those identified in Scenario B. The committee will continue to study space issues and possible solutions at some schools relative to music, preschool, kindergarten enrichment, and immersion kindergarten programs.

• Scenario A

  • Close Bryant or Palisades

  • Leave 6^th grade at elementary schools

At the request of the school board, the committee will explore Scenario A as a bridge option, which would provide more time to study Scenario B for possible year two or later implementation. Committee members expressed concerns that, as a transitional strategy, Scenario A could have negative consequences for some families who might have to change schools twice. The committee did not have time to begin significant analysis of implications of this scenario and will continue to study Scenario A at its next meeting.

After looking at the various scenarios, a number of committee members strongly expressed their concerns regarding the financial inadequacies of Scenario B Modified and Scenario A relative to the enormity of the $13M shortfall facing the district over the next two years.

Meeting Update: 04-04-11

The Consolidation Committee reached several determinations regarding its recommendations for school configuration and closures:

• The committee will recommend the implementation of Scenario B, which would close three elementary schools (Bryant, Uplands and Palisades), repurpose a portion of Bryant Elementary to serve as part of the Waluga facility, and move 6^th grade from the elementary level to middle school. A key factor in the committee’s determination is the significantly higher savings that would result from the implementation of Scenario B relative to the other scenarios considered.

• The committee determined that Scenario B Modified, which would close one south-side elementary school (Bryant, a portion of which would be repurposed to serve as part of Waluga) and one north-side elementary school (Uplands), is less desirable an option than Scenario B, and is an ineffective transition strategy to the full implementation of Scenario B.

• The committee determined that it will not recommend the implementation of Scenario A, which would close one south-side elementary school as a bridge strategy to the full implementation of Scenario B. The committee concluded that while potentially feasible, the implementation of Scenario A would have undesirable consequences and outcomes, including the following:

  • Scenario A would extend over a two-year period the significant changes inherent in school closure and would require additional change in the transition to Scenario B.

  • Scenario A would yield substantially less cost savings from infrastructure and support service reductions.

The committee will present its full report and recommendations to the School Board on Tuesday, April 12.

Report to the School Board: 04-12-11

The School Board received the report and recommendations from the Consolidation Committee on April 12. Following the report, the School Board asked the committee to reconvene and develop a recommendation for one additional scenario so that the Board will have a full and complete range of options prior to its decision on school consolidation on April 25.

The Consolidation Committee will meet on Monday, April 18 to develop a recommendation for a Scenario A closure and boundary reconfiguration for one south-side elementary school. The Board’s direction to the Consolidation Committee is that this Scenario A recommendation should be developed as a stand-alone recommendation for a single school closure, and not as a bridge strategy to the full implementation of Scenario B.