Central Point School District 6 - School's Out for...?

First of all, let me be clear about at least one thing. While it is true that the Cascade Mountains divide the state of Oregon – East side and West side, in local parlance – the rural and urban cultural and economic divide is far too convenient and arbitrary to explain some of the socio-economic behaviors on display on both sides of the mountains.

For example, I live in Columbia County, as rural in many ways as you can get. Perched on the shores of the Columbia River, it is the home of loggers (See “Ax Men" on the History Channel), commercial fisherman, and a middle-class generation willing to challenge Cornelius Pass in a 45 minute ordeal to reach jobs in Portland and Beaverton. Unemployment is high these days, as are many residents who have surrendered to the meth pipe. It also happens to be a conservative county that voted for Obama.

Sure, there are differences between rural folk and our suave and cool urban cousins. In this post, however, I want to focus on what I believe to be an essential truth: Rural is no excuse for stupid. Which brings me to the "point" of this essay, which is Central Point, Oregon. Heart of Jackson County. Last stand of the California gold rush ‘49ers. Past and present home of my sons and grandchildren. And home of Central Point School District 6.

With heavy hearts and bankrupt values, in June Central Point District 6 confronted a $2.5 million budget shortfall for the academic year 2009-2010. Part of the solution? A four day school week. Superintendent Randy Davon was quick to point out that the decision was “… based on feedback from the community, employee groups and the District 6 Board of Directors.” Davon went on to declare that with this decision “…we have achieved the best opportunity to provide a quality education to all of our students with the four-day week and full staffing. What is lost in quantity will be made up for with quality.(1)”

Really. Let’s take a look at how District 6 has fared in performance in recent years. Instead of trying to amaze and mystify readers with my prowess in statistical analysis, I’ll rely on one simple, easy to understand index - the performance goals, or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets, established by the state and federal government in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act. According the explanation provided on the Standard and Poor’s website School Matters, “ AYP targets have been set for state test proficiency and participation, as well as for other academic indicators such as attendance and graduation rates.” (2) The district’s performance is summed up in the official report as follows:

"Is this district making adequate yearly progress (AYP)? No"

So let’s see if we’ve got this right. Superintendent Davon assures us that he and his “team” are going to do more with less, when past performance indicates they have been accomplishing less with more. And somehow, giving the kids an extra day off will facilitate a miraculous turnaround in system performance. Right. Talk about a Jedi Mind Trick.

Education has always been a priority item with me. My personal educational processes have put me on both sides of the teacher’s desk, as student and as a college professor(3). On the stregth of those experiences I conclude for today with a simple challenge to Superintendent Davon and his colleagues. It goes like this.

Take your school’s current directory, phone book, or any document that you feel adequately identifies its staff. Divide the staff into two categories – instructional staff and administrative staff. Now do the same exercise for your school for the past 5, 10 and twenty year intervals. Compare the ratios. Throw in a simple line graph showing student enrollment over the same intervals.

Now come back to your “stakeholders” and explain why you can’t find ways to cut $2.5 million on behalf of your kids. This grandpa will be all ears.

Notes

1 As reported by KMED AM “News Talk” and the website of Central Point School District 6 http://www2.district6.org/do/

2 http://www.schoolmatters.com/schools.aspx/q/page=dl/did=12098/midx=CommunityDemographics

3 John Stec taught and held leadership positions at Oregon Institute of Technology from 1986 until retirement in 2006. He holds the rank of Professor Emeritus from that University.