Superintendent's Recommendations
Corvallis School District School Board of Directors
April 3, 2006
1. A district decision has been made to have the current Inavale School boundary area for K-5 students assigned to Lincoln Elementary School; 6th through 8th grade students are still in the Linus Pauling Middle School boundary area. Students living in the current Inavale School boundary area will be provided district transportation and space at Lincoln Elementary School in keeping with school board policy JC and JC-AR.
2. I recommend that the school board approve a K-8 program at Lincoln School for the 2006-2007 school year, limiting the 6-8 program to one class each of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades for the 2006-2007 school year. After the first year of operation, the school would grow up to as many as two classes of students in each of these three grades, based on a phase in program designed by the K-8 planning team.
a. If more students apply for grades 6-8 for the 2006-2007 school year than there is space, the district lottery system will be used to select the students – with students from the newly assigned Inavale K-8 boundary given preference. A waiting list will be created after the lottery is completed.
3. Define a new K-8 program at Lincoln School beginning in the late spring and summer through the fall of 2007. Provide district level staff support to create a committee of current Lincoln Elementary staff, staff newly assigned to Lincoln School this spring, current and future Lincoln parents, and other interested district staff to design a new K-8 program for Lincoln that inspires the school community to provide students with learning experiences that challenge their thinking, extend their learning beyond the classroom, instill respect and understanding for cultural diversity, and equip students with the understanding of technology and problem solving that will sustain them as future citizens of this rapidly changing world. I encourage the school board to consider a name change for the school if the committee requests such a change and the board feels that it is an appropriate action to take. The new K-8 committee program recommendations will need to be presented to the school board by December 2006 to allow parents and staff in the district to hear about and understand the program that will be offered at the school for the 2007-2008 school year.
4. Include a current Inavale parent in the hiring process for the new Lincoln School principal. In reviewing the principal candidates, seek an administrator skilled in facilitating the development of an innovative and effective school program. Look for a professional who will recognize the best of our school programs that exist while also inspiring the creative and collaborative thinking of the team assigned with this new K-8 program development.
5. Creating a K-8 at Lincoln School will require that the current boundary area for Lincoln be changed. Boundary lines will need to be redrawn to shift students to schools north of Lincoln, which will in turn affect other existing school boundaries as well. It is anticipated that future decisions about Franklin School may also require some boundary changes, so it is the recommendation of the district that all boundaries be reviewed and adjusted at the same time rather than one school at a time. It is my plan to create a Superintendent’s School District Boundary Committee to include staff, a representative from the school board, parents, and community members to review all current school boundaries and to make recommendations to the superintendent. I would like to begin this committee work following the school board’s decision regarding the completion of Corvallis High School and Franklin School. I would recommend that the work of this boundary committee be completed by no later than December 2006 to provide the community with adequate time to be informed of the changes and how they will affect our current and future students.
a. All current and future schools of choice will be assigned an attendance area by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. Although the attendance area may end up being small, it will increase the possibility of creating a “web of transportation” around all district schools that will help to assure that all schools are potentially accessible to all students.
b. In creating any new boundary area, including boundary areas for schools of choice, the demographics of the students will be taken into consideration with the goal of creating a balance of the socio economic status of students. I suggest that the school board work toward the goal of having no more than 40-50% of the students at any district school qualify for free and reduced lunch.
6. My recommendation to the school board regarding schools of choice would require a review of and potential revisions to school board policy JECC – School Choice Program regarding an assigned attendance boundary area. I also anticipate providing the board with updates to school board administrative regulation JECC-AR regarding superintendent and school board review of all schools with specialized curriculum. I would involve the assistant superintendent and his staff in designing a process to review the education program, vision, and student learning of students at our schools of choice, including data on the demographics of attending students and involvement and engagement of the staff and parents in the program. The spirit of the policy is to assure that creative opportunities exist for staff and parents to set educational goals for their students. This is true for schools with attendance boundaries as well as for schools of choice. I would like to build a re-engagement process into our system to assure that current parents and staff have the opportunity to influence the future direction of the schools in our district.
Superintendent’s
Recommendations
April 3, 2006
