Cascade Locks school merger with Corbett District?

[www.corbettoregon.com]

Cascade Locks school merger with Corbett District?



From 11/30/11 article in the hood river news:
“.... the council got its first word on a proposal to merge Cascade Locks School with neighboring Corbett School District. The council heard an impassioned argument by Cascade Locks Charter School Committee chair George Fischer and committee consultant Connie Kennedy Buttaccio  on pursuing a petition to place the school within the Corbett District. ( Note: Buttaccio was at the Nov. school board meeting in Corbett. See below. ) Buttaccio called the idea a win-win for Cascade Locks, Corbett (which she said is overcrowded and could use an additional facility) and for HRCSD. She said the committee would need to acquire about 500 signatures of HRCSD residents and 140 from Corbett District to successfully gain permission to merge.”

UNOFFICIAL NOTES FROM NOVEMBER 2011 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING:
" Cascade Locks redistricting presentation:  Connie Kennedy and George Fisher
Please consider merging Cascade Locks with Corbett.  The Hood River district has closed the doors on the HS and MS and are planning on busing the sixth graders to Hood River next year.  This is being done due to declining student enrollment and economic conditions.
Hood River has not done alternatives to keep Cascade Locks open.  They could have changed boundary lines instead of taking the students to overcrowded Hood River classrooms.  They could have allowed a Magnet school to open.  They could have located Dos Mundos in Cascade Locks instead of adding modulars to Westside Elementary, making room for 200 students when Cascade Locks had space for 400.
 
Some in Cascade Locks see Corbett as their rich cousin and believe they can operate as a benefit to Corbett.  Cascade Locks has space, you can bus the middle school students up there when the time comes to upgrade the middle school.  They receive more money per student than Corbett does due to their rural designation and that money would come to Corbett.  The Nestle water bottling company is considering coming into Cascade Locks and that would bring money into the district.
 
There are currently 60 students in Cascade Locks, K-6.  The number of 7-12 students is unknown, maybe 50.  The plan to fill the rest of the spaces would be to have students come in from Reynolds and Gresham/Barlow, having parents bring them in just like they are currently doing in Corbett.
 
You assume your own debt up to the time of the merger, then the two districts would build debt together.  So, bonds and levies needed to run the Cascade Locks school would be voted on and incurred by Corbett residence, and vice-versa.
 
Ms. Kennedy would like have this process started by February 1, 2012.
"

- source: http://corbettoregon.com/forum/index.php?topic=534.0

[KLande]

I would really like any and all details regarding this possible merge. What exactly does this mean for Corbett? Happy it's not a ton of students, sounds like around 100 total, which is good....but just how are we able to and why are we continuing to bring in MORE and MORE out of area kids??? Personally being a resident, it's getting frustrating and I feel like bit by bit our "small town" school environment is being destroyed. The reason many of us LIVE here is because we want our children to grow up in a small community, surrounded by friends they make at school that also LIVE here...to play on weekends, to grow up and graduate with!

Also would like this explained
"Dr. Trani’s timeline vision for Springdale school
The district needs to let the other districts know by 3/1 what grades they can accept, and how many.
Inform other districts who has been accepted by 4/1.
Once you open the district you are obligated to take the students.  We can stretch the acceptance date to 4/15 so we can have a better idea of Springdale will be open in time.
We will hold a lottery for those currently accepted in on the District side to cut back on paperwork as long as the student wants to stay in the district."

Are we back to taking all and any out of district transfers in the district schools? Has the purpose for Springdale school already been decided? ...And it's purpose is to create more space to bring in MORE out of area students?

I'm sorry but it just seems to me that the forces at work here are searching and finding every way possible to flood Corbett with students to bring in more $$ and have this elite reputation! When will enough be enough? Why can't we focus our energies into making Corbett a self sustaining school....for the kids living here?! It is getting ridiculous and flat out of control in my eyes.

IF out of district transfers ARE still allowed, than why the heck did we bring in this whole Charter mess to begin with? I understand the financial need....but with those transfers came their funding.....the Charter has created 2 separate entities that seem to be battling each other.....and honestly has brought nothing but negativity to Corbett as a community. With transfer students, the numbers weren't 500 (give or take) and there was no us against them kind of vibe in town......seems to be everyone is forgetting about the CORBETT KIDS!!! I know all kids deserve a great education....but why is this all of a sudden in the last few years....Corbett's responsibility? Why is the community made to feel guilty for these other kids if the thought of getting rid of the charter is ever mentioned? C'mon....live where you want your child to attend school.

Not to sound narrow minded but I just think the whole mess is out of control and think the bigger picture of the future of this small community is being ignored and swept under the rug. Yes our students may benefit from the financial gains...but I know a lot of Corbett residents would rather see some cut backs, and go without for a while in order to sustain the very thing that brought us all here....our small schools and community!

I'd like to see the Charter abolished myself, and I think accepting the Cascade Locks kids as well as SOME other out of district transfers in place of the charter would be a fair financial offset to the district. If Cascade Locks needs help and those kids need somewhere to go, than hey, they're just like us, a small district struggling....we can help them out and combine, great! Because it's not a separation situation...they'd BECOME Corbett...not a Charter AND District situation that I personally feel has hurt this community more than it has helped.

We don't need 2 separate entities here, one that is run like a business, looking to expand and grow in any way possible, and the other a small town just trying to survive and keep it's roots. We're selling out our community and our children. It's like Walmart taking over the mom and pop gift store. Corbett was a great place and had great schools BEFORE the Charter was here....I think we need to get back to that. I don't see where the Charter is such a financial necessity if we can bring in other out of area transfers and Cascade Locks kids and their funding will come too! We need to look at the in district student to out of area or Charter student ratio....and really ask ourselves if this is what we want as a community. Do we want the halls at school filled with more out of area kids? Do we want the kids whom live here to feel out of place at their own school....or that all these kids I am becoming friends with are only here for school and live 30 miles away.....

I understand Corbett is struggling financially but ya know what the whole dang country is, we've got to find better ways than just flooding our community and schools. Even the woman from Cascade Locks (I think) stated Corbett is bursting at the seams! Why are we doing this to ourselves? Anyone tried getting in and out of Corbett at school start or end times? What a nightmare! If we wanted to deal with this many people, this much traffic...we'd live in town. We don't so why are we trying to turn our schools, the place that houses and teaches our beautiful children, into big city over crowded schools!?

We really need to re-think this all, and in quick order because things have a habit of magically just happening around here and than we're left to deal with it after the fact. Yes I know the Charter is here now...but by all means we should not even consider expanding it! If anything it should be downsized and honestly just abolished. Take some of the charter kids as district transfers instead, along with the Cascade Locks kids. Keep the numbers reasonable and put an end to having 2 separate entities!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! 

[www.corbettoregon.com]

If you are interested in learning more about the plans to redistrict....or the Charter in Cascade Locks... or other topics visit the 'Corbett Post' web site:

http://corbettpost.com/news/cascade-locks-merger/

Also check back as a new article in Hood River News will be posted here soon!

[MultiAgeMomma]

JUST ME, 
How is this any different than a Charter - "busing" in Cascade Locks students?   Ignorance when it comes to Charter and District drives me nuts.  Ok, I understand the additional traffic is an issue, but you sound like you have a vengence towards Bob Dunton.  Do you not remember the state this district was in before he become superintendent and turned this into one of the most prestigious schools in the state, and also country?  What is so wrong with that?  What is wrong with a 'quality' education?  Before you accuse me of drinking the Koolaid - I am not.  Why is it that you can not 'embrace' District and Charter and see we are one unified 'school'..do you even volunteer at the school or school events?   Regardless if my kids graduate from the District or Charter, it does not matter...its one 'combined' graduation and it doesn't matter to me.. It's Corbett High School and because of their teaching staff (both district & charter) my children have been well prepared for college and are thriving..and there are more to come. 

There is no separation in the middle school or high school.  All students share the same buildings and are entertwined.  In the high school both district and charter share the 'same high school' teachers.   This year they 'segregated' the grade school into two wings..district and charter -- and I hate it.  They don't share the same playground, they don't share the same lunch room?  Wasn't segregation abolished YEARS ago.. I guess not in Corbett-- and that is sad.

The above is just my opinion, we all have one..and sometimes we just have to agree to disagree - and this might be one of those moments.

Proud to be a "Corbett Parent".

[www.corbettoregon.com]

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE LATEST HOOD RIVER NEWS ARTICLE FROM SATURDAY:


http://www.hoodrivernews.com/news/2012/jan/31/cascade-locks-seeks-k-12-return/