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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2016)
Polk County Education 16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 26, 2016 SCHOOL NOTES Fall school enrollment for 2016-17 Elementary Middle School High School Total Central 1,533 786 1,002 3,321 Dallas 1,243 656 1,022* 3,294** Falls City 126 (K-8) -- 60 186 Perrydale 152 74 92 318 *Dallas High School and Morrison Alternate Campus combined. **Includes enrollment from Polk Adolescent Day Treatment Center (17), Luckiamute Valley Charter School (196) and Dallas Community School (156). Source: Central, Dallas, Falls City and Perrydale school districts Luckiamute school director retiring BRIDGEPORT — Dan Austin, the executive director of Luckia- mute Valley Charter School, and his wife, Elaine Austin, a teacher at the school, are stepping down this month. “Mrs. Austin and I had originally planned to retire at the end of this current school year,” Dan Austin wrote in an Oct. 18 let- ter to parents. “However, our family physician suggested that a slower pace with less stress would be advisable at this time. With that in mind, we have decided to retire at the end of Oc- tober.” Steve Diehl, a teacher at the school’s Pedee campus, has been named that site’s administrator, and Bridgeport teacher Jenneca Crocker will be assisting at that campus. Matthew Beasley, LVCS board president, said the school plans on hiring an interim director to finish the year. “It’s been the highlight of our professional careers to serve the students and families of the LVCS community,” Austin wrote. “We wish you all the best in the years to come.” A retirement celebration for Austin is Thursday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Latitude One, 904 Main St., in Dallas. It is open to the public. For more information: 503-623-4837. DHS lead testing results reported Graphic by JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Enrollment is on the rise in most Polk County schools. The end of the Extended Campus caused a decline in Dallas. Dallas exception to enrollment gains Falls City, Central continue trend in growth, while Perrydale increases slightly By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Cen- tral, Falls City and Perrydale schools are all seeing enroll- ment growth, while Dallas is in what could be a pattern of decline in student numbers. Central is up 53 students from last year, bringing the total enrolled to 3,321. Of those, 1,002 are enrolled at Central High School. Tal- madge Middle School is at 786 students, while the dis- trict’s elementary schools have 1,533 students en- rolled. In keeping with a trend seen in the district in recent years, most of the growth is happening at the secondary level, said Cec Koontz, the district’s business manager. Meanwhile Dallas is mov- ing in the opposite direc- tion. Enrollment in October was 3,294, including charter schools Luckiamute Valley Charter School and Dallas Community School, which have enrollments of 196 and 156, respectfully. Dallas High School is at 971, while Morrison Campus Alternate School has 51 stu- dents. LaCreole Middle School enrollment is at 656 and the three elementary schools have 1,243 students combined. Polk Adolescent Day Treatment Center has 17 students in grades six through 11. “We are down about 80 students from last year at the same time,” said Tami Montague, the district’s fis- cal services director. “We were expecting the drop be- cause of the loss of the Ex- tended Campus (fifth-year program), so we are not making any significant change to this year’s budg- et.” Extended Campus has been replaced, mostly, by Oregon Promise, which of- fers community college grants to students who maintain at least a 2.5 GPA during high school. Dallas still offers the Post-Grad Scholars program for stu- dents who don’t meet the GPA standard. It had four students enrolled. Growth or decline in en- rollment has an impact on state funding, which is paid to districts based on student population. That means Dallas will face a drop in funding in 2017-18 of about $550,000 if enrollment stays the same or falls further, Montague said at a school board meeting earlier this month. That is combined with in- creased costs associated with Oregon Public Employ- ees Retirement System rate increases, estimated to be about $660,000. Montague that could mean the district could have to bridge a $1.2 million gap in 2017-18 if nothing changes. With 318 students, Perry- dale is up slightly from last year. That breaks down to 92 at the high school, 74 in middle school and 152 in el- ementary. Superintendent Eric Milburn said there were no significant changes, ex- cept for in one classroom. “We do have quite a large kindergarten class (27) due to late registrants and move- ins after school had started,” he said. Falls City has experience a pattern of growth in the last three years, jumping from 139 students in the 2014-15 school year to 186 enrolled this year. Falls City Elemen- tary has 126 students, while Falls City High School has 60. The growth has forced the district to separate its tradi- tional seventh- and eighth- grade blended class into two classes, and if the trend con- tinues, the same will happen in the first- and second- grade class. That class now has 27 stu- dents. and the district had to hire an educational assistant to help in that room, said Super intendent Jack Thompson. “This has caused some growing pains, but in a posi- tive way,” Thompson said. DALLAS — Results from lead testing at Dallas High School revealed that 15 of the 184 samples taken exceeded the action threshold of 20 parts per billion. Only one was a drinking fountain located in the school’s shop that is not used, said Kevin Montague, the district’s facili- ties director. That fountain has been turned off pending the re- sults of a second sample. The others that exceeded 20 ppb were science sinks and other fixtures not typically used for drinking and cooking. Signs have been posted on those fixtures saying they are not to be used for drinking or cooking. Second samples will be tested on those fixtures as well. Results of the second-sample tests and a complete analytics report should be sent to the district in the coming week, Mon- tague said. To find complete lead testing results, go to: http://www.dal- las.k12.or.us/lead-information-in-dallas-school-d. LMS presents ‘Comedy of Terrors’ DALLAS — Just in time for Halloween, LaCreole Middle School will be staging “Comedy of Terrors” Thursday through Saturday. Shows will be at 7 p.m. at the school, 701 SE LaCreole Drive, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a 2 p.m. show on Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and $1 off for the matinee showing. The play’s author is LaCreole drama teacher Anna Jackson. For more information, 503-623-6662. Report cards show improvement DALLAS — Dallas School District found highlights and areas needing improvement in the 2015-16 state school report cards. On the positive side, Dallas High School ranks as a level 4 on a 1 to 5 scale in academic achievement, based on how many students passed state assessments. The school’s graduation rate earned a level 4. Academic growth, or the improvement over the last year, is at a level 5. “It’s the first time our high school has seen a level 5 any- where on the report card,” said Steve Martinelli, director of in- structional services for the district. “To have it be in academics is even more exciting, because that is what we are after: growth.” Martinelli said an area needing in improvement at all schools is academic achievement and growth among “subgroups” or categories of students separated by race, economic status, dis- ability or those who are learning English.
