North Clackamas School Board to vote on fate of closed school buildings
Ellie Adcock on July 6, 2011 in School Stuff
District staff will recommend leasing Clackamas Elementary School to another education institution, possibly the Cascade Heights Public Charter School, which operates independently within the district.MILWAUKIE — The North Clackamas School Board is slated to decide tonight on the future use of three elementary schools buildings involved in a controversial closure and consolidation plan.
The district tonight plans to recommend negotiating a lease with the district-approved Cascade Heights Public Charter School for the use of the Clackamas Elementary School building, which will not re-open this fall. If those negotiations fall through, a lease could also be worked out with the Micha-el school, a nearby non-profit Waldorf School, under the plan.
Meanwhile, district officials will not endorse leasing out Campbell Elementary School during the next school year in case extra facilities are necessary in the future because of recent “Open Enrollment” legislation that could enable more students to transfer into the district, as well as a recently passed law that requires districts to offer free full-day kindergarten in 2015. The district would also like to continue exploring possibilities with community gardens, North Clackamas Parks, or other district departments with the school.
Under the same proposal, the Sojourner School building, which is located next to New Urban High School, would be maintained but unoccupied.
The board voted in March to shut down both Clackamas and Campbell Elementary schools, and move the Sojourner School magnet program to Linwood Elementary School. Throughout the decision-making process, multiple citizens cited concerns about unoccupied buildings attracting vandals, and some recommended leasing out the buildings for revenue.
The facilities decision is one of 11 votes scheduled for tonight, which kicks off the new fiscal year. The meeting will be the first for newcomer and Molalla River School District teacher Trisha Claxton, who ousted Lee Merrick from his seat this May.
You can download the agenda from the district website, and here’s a rundown of select votes:
- The Academy of International Achievement charter school, which was rejected in January by the board, is resubmitting its application to operate within the district. Founders of the Russian language immersion school will likely have a hard time swaying board members to reverse the decision, since district officials again plan on recommending against approving its charter.
- Board members will consider a policy prompted by Board Member Sam Gillispie that would enable union workers to access construction sites to make sure employers are paid proper wage rates. The superintendent will recommend its approval, but the policy is rubbing some the wrong way — an op-ed in the Clackamas Review by Mike Salsgiver of the Oregon-Columbia Chapter of the ASsociated General Contractors of America and John Killin of the local chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors argued the policy will “compromise worker safety and increase liability.”
- The Milwaukie Academy of Arts, which operates within Milwaukie High School, has its charter up for renewal.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the district office, 4444 S.E. Lake Road, and I’ll have a story up on OregonLive later tonight. Got any questions for board members? Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail at .
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