After the passage of the $199.9 million facilities bond in May 2018, Corvallis School District started planning for the design and construction of new and renovated school facilities. The bond program includes increased capacity throughout the district in K-5 schools but with our current school boundaries, we have more elementary schools feeding into one high school, resulting in an imbalance in middle and high school enrollments.
To utilize our school capacities at optimal enrollment levels and to stay on the same schedule as the bond program, the Corvallis School Board reviewed and approved the boundary review process at its August 15, 2019 meeting. The review is planned to be completed next spring with boundary adjustments going into effect for the 2020-21 school year.
The goal of the district’s boundary review process is to utilize core values and guiding principles to inform a well planned and publicly transparent process. The process will be facilitated by FLO Analytics, a consulting firm with expertise in data analysis and experience in assisting school districts with boundary changes.
- The process will include a Boundary Review Task Force (BRTF) that will meet nearly weekly from early December until March 2020.
- The Task Force will be made up of building principals, parents and guardians and community volunteers representing all neighborhood boundary areas. Meetings will be facilitated by FLO Analytics.
The charge of the Task Force will be to create a recommendation for adjusted boundaries that balances enrollments across high school feeder schools, prepares schools for growth, and identifies implications for the 2018 bond program. There will be opportunities for the general public to provide input mid-way through the review. The Task Force’s work will result in a recommendation report for adjusted boundaries to be presented to the School Board in March for consideration and approval.
“This is an important next step for our bond program,” according to Superintendent Ryan Noss. “With additional capacity planned for our elementary schools, we need to make sure that we are maximizing our educational spaces. We are committed to a transparent and open review process. The Task Force will take into account our bond promises, forecasted enrollment, and planned changes in our community that could impact enrollment.”
The first step in the process is a random sample phone survey of parents and guardians that will be conducted in early September. More information about the survey, the review process, and how to apply to serve on the task force will be available in September.