Background: Originally published November 12, 2003. The issue of school mergers is somewhat of a moot point right now. North Douglas and Yoncalla still have separate school districts and there are no ongoing merger discussions in Douglas County. But, as rural school districts continue to lose students, it's evitable that school mergers will once again become a topic of discussion, as districts struggle to provide a complete education for their students.
A new school district in northern Douglas County has been delayed one year. The earliest that North Douglas and Yoncalla can form one district will be July 1, 2005....not 2004 as originally projected.
The reason for the delay is to allow local residents the opportunity to vote on the proposed merger. The Drain election will take place in March, 2004 while Yoncalla voters will cast their ballots in May.
Statewide budget cuts combined with lower enrollments in both districts have prompted the merger proposal. It's a tough decision, because there remain many unanswered questions.
Which schools will remain open? Which workers, if any, will lose their jobs? What will be the name of the new district? What will be their mascot? There are obviously no answers that will please everyone in both districts.
As an outsider with no personal ties to either district, I offer the following observations:
* NAME OF DISTRICT
Many moons ago, there were the Drain and Yoncalla school districts. For whatever reason, there was discussion decades ago about merging the districts at that time.
Discussions were serious enough that Drain changed its name to North Douglas and a piece of property north of Yoncalla near Boswell Road was proposed for the site of a new high school.
Drain already "gave up" its community name years ago. North Douglas would be a good name for the new combined district. Its geographical reference to the northern portion of Douglas County does not tie itself down to any one town.
* NAME OF MASCOT
The easiest solution would be to eliminate both the warrior and the eagle, and let the new combined student body vote on their new mascot. However, IF North Douglas retains its name for the new district, it would be only fair to Yoncalla to christen the eagles as the new district's mascot.
The North Douglas Warrior has attracted its share of controversy over the years. Even though legitimate efforts have been made to portray the Indian as a dignified mascot, inevitably some student during spirit week one year will draw some caricature of an Indian that is less than flattering. And voila, another controversy.
On the other hand, the Yoncalla eagle represents a noble bird that pays tribute to the original Native Americans who lived around Yoncalla. Just like North Douglas portrays a geographical reference to the entire area, the eagle is a symbol that also represents surrounding areas.
* ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
This will have to be balanced with other decisions that are made. The Drain "castle," a two-story Victorian house with two towers, is a picturesque school administrative building that is expensive to maintain but a pleasure to look at. It would be nice to retain the roomy building for the combined district's new office.
However, ideally the administrative offices and the combined high school should be located in different communities. A high school serves as a gathering place for sports and other school events. An administrative office, to a lesser extent, serves as a gathering place for school board, budget committee, site committee, and other official meetings.
Drain and Yoncalla should each retain some type of ownership in the new district. Whoever sacrifices the high school should have the privilege of housing the administrative offices.
* SCHOOL LOCATIONS
It goes without saying that both Yoncalla and Drain will keep at least one school in their community. There will only be one high school. But there will be an elementary or combined elementary/middle school in the other town, or perhaps both towns.
From a geographical point-of-view, Drain potentially could be the best central location for a high school. This statement is made with the assumption that Elkton may one day be forced to merge with its neighbor. Elkton students would face a minimum 14-mile bus ride to Drain, versus a minimum 19-mile bus ride to Yoncalla.
However, all types of scenarios could play out. Elkton could team up with Sutherlin or Oakland. And if the state legislature ever requires district mergers, even Oakland could be forced to merge with Sutherlin or the new "North Douglas" school district.
Drain and Yoncalla voters have to decide what's best for them now, and not worry about what may or may not be in the future. Voters next spring may reject the proposed merger, and continue on as they have before.
* BUS ROUTE REDUNDANCIES
Schools busses from different school districts pass one another daily on the same road. Both Yoncalla and North Douglas send a bus down Boswell Road. Both Yoncalla and Oakland send a bus down Hogan Road near Elkhead. Both Oakland and Elkton send a bus down Cougar Road at Tyee. The list goes on.
No district is willing to give up any students, when each student represents money flowing into the district budget. That's perfectly understandable. But now that some districts are discussing mergers, perhaps the issue of boundaries can be addressed as well?
If North Douglas and Yoncalla do end up merging, perhaps they can talk with the Douglas Education Service District boundary review board about establishing district boundaries that make the most economic sense for everyone?
No comments:
Post a Comment