Sunday. April 1, 1958
Background on Proposed School Consolidation Given by Officials of Districts
MXDFORD (ORIOOK) MAIL TRIBUNE
April 9 Set for Vote on
Merger of Bedford,
West Side, Oak Grove
Residents of the Merffnrrf nav
Grove and West Side school dis
tricts will 20 to the polls Mon
day, April 9, to determine wheth
er the three districts will con
solidate. Polls will be open from 2 to 8
p.m. Medford residents will vote
in the girls gymnasium on the
south side of the Medford High
school; the Oak Grove poll will
be at the Oak Grove school; and
West Side at the West Side
school.
Voters must be registered in
the precinct where they reside
at the time of the election, be
registered for at least 30 days
prior to April 9, and must have
resided in the school district at
least six months immediately
prior to the election.
Absentee ballots may not be
used at a school election.
By Boundary Board
The Jackson County Boundary
Board, composed of the county
court and the county school su
perintendent, is responsible for
the election.
Information pertaining to the
consolidation of the districts has
been prepared by school officials
and is being distributed through
out the districts.
Here are facts concerning the
proposal as set forth by the
school districts:
1. What hag brought about the
consideration for consolidating
the three school districts?
The educational and financial
problems relating to operating
standard schools as required by
the State of Oregon are becom
ing more complex and difficult
for all districts, especially small
residential type districts. Many
authorities believe that the best
solution to the problem is for
these districts with mutual eco
nomic and educational interest
to consolidate. According to the
records, Medford and adjoining
districts comprise the only large
area in the state which has not
consolidated.
2. How may school districts
join for educational purposes?
There are three ways in which
school districts may join accord
ing to state law. The status of the
district determines the method.
a. Suspended districts. This re-
c
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fers to a school district which
does not operate any type of
school. Such districts normally
contract with nearby schools to
take their students on a tuition
basis. Dewey and Kenwood are
local examples of this type of dis
trict. Existing laws make it man
datory for susDended districts to
begin operating an elementary
school andor high school, or
join a district that does. All of
Dewey district will be Dlaced in
Medford District 49, and about
80 per cent of Kenwood will be
placed with District 49 on Julv
1, 1956. A small section of Ken
wood will go to Central Point
and another section has already
been placed in the Lone Pine district.
b. Consolidation. School law
permits two or more operating
districts to join for the purpose
of forming one district. This can
only be done when the majority
of voters of each district ap
proves. c. Annexation. School law per
mits one district to annex or be
annexed by another district un
der certain conditions. There ap
pear to be a number of restric
tions relating to annexation that
do not apply under the consoli
dation method.
3. Why was consolidation se
lected as the method for joining
Oak Grove, West Side, and Med
ford School Districts?
After careful study by mem
bers of all three school boards,
consolidation was selected as the
better method because: (1) it was
approved by the State Depart
ment of Education, (2) it has
been successfully used by many
other school districts about the
state and in Jackson county, (3)
it was approved by the legal au
thorities on school bonds and in
debtedness, and (4) assurance
was given through letter from
the State Retirement Board that
employees benefits would not be
jeopardized.
4. Does consolidation mean
that the new district will have
to add an extensive pupil trans
portation program?
In all probability pupil trans
portation through either district
owned school buses or by con
tract with private operators will
be added as a new service. None
of the three districts at present
provide transportation services
for their pupils. High school stu
dents from Oak Grove and West
Side receive a small allotment to
assist them in paying for trans
portation" to and from high
school.. Dewey and Kenwood, the
two districts contracting the edu
cation of their students, do pro
vide transportation. Medford
does not provide transportation
except for handicapped and crip
pled children.
5. How are school board mem
bers elected in a consolidated
district?
Board members are elected at
large from any area in the new
district just as they are in "any
first class district. There would
be a five member board. The
law provides that board mem
bers of the larger district shall
continue to serve until their reg
ular term expires.
6. Why the urgency of this
election?
It is essential that school
boards of Oak Grove, West Side,
the Rural School Board, and the
Medford board know at the ear
liest possible date in. order that
proper operating budgets may
be completed and presented to
the voters' for the school year
1956-57.
7. What is the policy of the
The Man Who Wears a HALO
h taking his family
fo the
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Other Selections Complete
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Children's Portions 75
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2-6231
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SIZE AND LOCATION OF DISTRICTS ;
PROPOSED. CONSOLIDATION '
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Penny Barnum Starts Paper
Deliveries by Horseback
By MRS. H. H. CHAPMAN
Hornbrook One of the surest
signs that spring is here arrived
Thursday night, when Penny
Barnum, for the first time this
season, delivered The Mail Trib
une on horseback.
Penny, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Oscar Barnum, and a sev
enth grade student at Hornbrook
CONSOLIDATION VOTE SCHEDULED Voters in the
Medford, Oak Grove and West Side school districts (shown
above) will go to the polls from 2 to 8 p.m. April 9 to deter
mine whether the three will consolidate. Voting will take
place in the school building of each district, Medford residents .
voting in the girls gymnasium at the high school. Portions of
the Dewey and Kenwood districts will be merged with the
Medford district in June by the county boundary board. Their
assets and expenses will become a part of the Medford budget
as of July 1, but Oak Grove and West Side would not be in
cluded in the Medford budget until 1957-58 school year. The
remainder of the Dewey district was absorbed by Lone Pine.
UN Theme Planned
For Dinner Here
United Nations flags, colorful
UN posters and table decora
tions have been flown here from
Portland and San Francisco for
the sixth annual Roosevelt Me
morial dinner Monday, April 23.
Reservations for the 7 p.m.
dinner at Hedrick junior high
school are still available, accord
ing to Mrs. W. G. Werner, foods
chairman.
"Your plans for the . . . dinner
sound fine," Mrs. Roosevelt
wrote. "I am looking forward to
an enjoyable evening in Med
ford." The U N decorations were
geared to Mrs. Roosevelt's ad
dress, which will give special
emphasis to the international
organization. Local Democrats
in charge of decorations are Mrs.
Harlan Bosworth Jr., Mrs.
George W. Rode, Attorney
Bruce Manley, Mrs. Moore Ham
ilton and Mrs. Neva Clarke.
Tickets for the event may be
obtained at Walt Young's Sta
tionary store, Lamport's Sport
ing Goods, and from committee
members. '
Main portions of the dinner
will be furnished by the com'
mittee, with supplementary
dishes such as salads, or casser
oles received as potluck contri
butions.
grammar school, has practically
grown up on a horse. Since she
was a small girl she has been a
familiar sight riding around the
country-side on her horse. And
now she is putting this enjoyable
hobby to good use as a business
asset, asshe is sole agent inHorn
brook for three daily newspapers
the Sacramento Bee, the Siski
you Daily News, and the Med
ford Mail Tribune.
. During the winter months, her
father takes her on her rounds
in the car, and helps with the
deliveries, but as the days length
en, she will be "on her own".
It could be said of Penny and
her father as with the mail car
riers, nothing detained them
from the completion of their
rounds, for through all of last
winter's bad weather and high
water, they never failed to get
the papers out.
Medford School District regard
ing maintaining schools in such
areas as Oak Grove and West
Side?
School policies may be
changed by each succeeding
school board. Members of the
present board believe that their
traditional pattern of six ele
mentary grades, three junior
high grades, and three senior
high grades is a sound and effic
ient organization.
They believe that the first six
grades should be kept as close
to home as an efficient and eco
nomical operation will permit.
Elementary schools will probably
be constructed at places where
enrollment or potential enroll
ment warrants it.
At present the school district
owns an elementary site on Cun
ningham Drive in the South
western area of the district and
another one on Grand Avenue in .
the North central part of the dis
trict. The present board favors con
tinued operation v of existing
schools in Oak Grove and West
Side. Placement of students and
grades would depend upon what
was considered best for the stu
dents plus the most educational
and efficient operation plan.
8. What are the educational ad
vantages and disadvantages for
consolidating school districts?
Briefly the primary advantage
may be summarized as follows:
All of the boys and girls of the
district attend schools which are
planned, operated,' and adminis
tered under the same program.
They are taught by the same
methods. Thus all the pupils
have the same advantages as any
other student in the district. Pu
pils are a part of a coordinated
program grades one through
twelve.
The primary disadvantage is
that a small school district loses
its identity as a district, and
must conform to the same gen
eral policies established for all
schools within the district.
9. Will consolidation result in
lower operating costs?
Generally speaking, savings
can be made in a number of
areas of operating schools such
as: (a) purchasing supplies and
equipment, (b) more efficient use
of existing facilities through'
flexible assignment of teachers,
students, and equipment, (c)
more elimination of duplication
in areas of maintenance, trans
portation, and teaching fields,
(d) better adjustment of teacher
loads.
Experience has proven that
such savings are usually offset
j by the necessity of extending to
1 all children in the new district
the same or best services and op
I portunities given the children in
: any other part of the district.
! Examples of these are: transpor-
tation, vocal., and instrumental
i instruction, special and remedial
education, school nurse and su
pervisory services.
Such services add additional
cost equal to the extent they are
provided. '
10. How will the bonded in
debtedness of each of the three
districts be handled?
It is proposed that the three
districts will share all assets and
all debts after consolidation. The
same i tax levy will apply
throughout the entire new dis
trict. State law permits this.
11. .If consolidation is ap
proved, how will the districts be
financed and administered?
All consolidating districts will,
according to law, be adminis
tered by the School Board of the
largest district.
The first year (until June 30,
1957) the consolidated district
will be financed as follows: Med
ford, Dewey, and that portion of
Kenwood annexed to Medford,
will operate under the budget
prepared by the budget commit
tee and Voters of the Medford
School District 49. Oak Grove
and West Side will have to be
operated the - first year (until
July 1, 1957) under the rural
school district budget, as pre
pared by the local . district, ru
ral school board and approved by
the rural school district voters.
This means that services, equip
ment, and improvements will
have to be limited to those pro
vided in each school district's
budget for 1956-57.
Beginning with the budget for
the 1957-58 school year, all dis
tricts would be assessed the same
which would be based on the
single budget for the entire dis
trict. 12. Will consolidation lower
taxes?
Consolidation, based on . a
study of current operation costs
for the three districts will have
the following effect on taxes. As
long as costs of equipment, sup
plies, and services continue to
rise school taxes will goup. Even
if operating costs remain stable,
school taxes would have to rise
because student- population in
and around Medford and in Oak
Grove, West Side, Dewey, and
Kenwood districts is increasing
on an average of from 350 to 450
children a year. This is equiv
alent to 10 .to 14 schoolrooms
each school year. New school
rooms must include the same
number of teachers plus new
equipment and additional sup
plies. This increase in school
population obviously will con
tinue whether consolidation
takes place or not. School census
indicates that such an increase
will continue at least for five
more years because a number of
children in the age group from
one to five are already here.
In general the consolidation
of schools has no effect on the
two primary factors which are
causing increased school taxes:
(1) increased costs of goods and
services, (2) many more boys and
girls to attend the schools.
13. How will consolidation af
fect taxes In the three districts?
Information on taxes can only
be estimated. The following sum
mary applies only to the current
school year and asumes that the
educational program and serv
ices would remain just as they
are now in each district.
Consolidating all five districts
for the purpose of budget making
would have meant, for this cur
rent school year, a Medford raise
in millage approximately 35 of
a mill (.6 mill); Dewey lower
school taxes, approximately 10
mills; Kenwood lower school
taxes approximately 10 mills;
Oak Grove lower school taxes
approximately 10 mills; West
Side lower school taxes,' ap
proximately 12.9 mills.
These estimates 'refer to the
difference in millage. rates be
tween what they are now paying
and what they would have paid
had we been consolidated for the
current school year and operat
ing schools exactly as we are
now. Proportionate differences
may vary from . year to year.
Next year Oak Grove and West
Side will pay taxes on the basis
of the 1956-57 rural tax even
though they consolidate with
Medford.
No attempt is made to predict
any. exact amount that the mill
age will go up or down for any
one district for the next, few
years after consolidation. It can
be estimated 'with evidence to
support it that percentage wise
the millage for taxpayers in each
district would be affected in
about that proportion in the for
seeable future. "?
Medford's increase would be
partially if not entirely offset by
the increased valuation brought
in by the added districts. Each
district would be . taxed to pay
its full share of bonded indebt
edness for- secondary students
grades 9 through 12. Under ex
isting state laws this is not being
done.
ther-Daughter tea.
School was dismissed at 1:45
p.m. on Monday to give all stud-
ents an opportunity to attend the
Parade of Progress at Hawthorne
park. Busses were, furnished to
the park for students desiring
their use.
.
The operetta cast and orches
tra have been practicing furious
ly for the presentation of "Babes
in Toyland," which will be pre
sented early in April.
B
A
R
B
E
C
U
E
Broiled
Steaks
Prime Rib
Spare Ribs
Beef '
Pork
Ham
What
Am
GRILL
201 West Main
OPEN TODAY
High School News Notes
By NELLIE RAWLINSS
The , primary elections for
next year's student body offices
were held this week. Each can
didate for an
office gave a
short speech
Tuesday
morning in
front of the
student body.
The actual
v o t i n g was
Thursday, and
was conducted
Nellie Rawlintfs a C C O raing lO
democratic, standards.
Students were allowed to
check out of school early Friday
afternoon to attend special Good
Friday services at the First Me
thodist church. ,
Orders and measurements for
the seniors' caps and gowns are
being taken during both noon
hours.
The Girls' League senior com
petition assembly was held
Thursday. This meeting conclud
ed the series of competition as
semblies between the girls of
the three classes. The winner
was the junior class. Each junior
girl received "suckers" as a
prize.
The new Girl-of-the-Month
was announced. Former Girl-of-the-Month,
Sandra Laing, pre
sented Joyce Gregory with the
"A
Holland Hotel
Wooden Shoe Restaurant ,
" Featuring
Fine Food Reasonably Priced
Open Daily 6:30 A.M. to Midnite
Friendly Place to Dine"
pin. All girls that have been hon
ored as Girl-of-the-Month will
compete for. Girl-of-the-Year,
who will be announced at the
next meeting.
Plans are getting Hinder way
for Girls' League week, to be
April 23 to 27. Committees are I
being organized, and the pro-J
gram is taking shape for the Mo-1
HELD OVER!
ENDS MONDAY! 1.
ftiin a iHsm
PLUS
A GARY - BARBARA
Cooper-Stanwyck
at the
'CtlNCO GIANT'
i till
W0MM ! Nil DUIlS-
Ruth ROMAN Anthony QUINN
HOTEL Mi
Oregon Crabmeot Cocktail 25c
Alaska Shrimp Cocktail 25c
O SELECTIVE DINNERS O
SOUP
Consomme Celestine or Creme of Chicken Royal
Spiked Tomato Juice Cocktail
SALADS
Crisp Hearts Lettuce or Whipped Tropical Jello
ENTREE
Sliced Prime Ribs of Beef,. Au Natural - $2.25
Baked Honey Cured Ham,
Cumberland Glaze - $1 .50
Leg O' Lamb Roast; Its Natural Gravy -$1.65
Salmon, Fresh Ocean King, Pan Broiled - $1.50
Selected New York Cut or Tenderloin Steak,
$2.75
, Baked Potato Early June Peas .
Sweet Potato Garden Green Beans Vienna
Beverage
Chocolate or Pineapple Sundae
. Ice Cream - Sherbet
I
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Breakfast 7:30 to 12
Dinner Noon 'til 9