The Corvallis School Board voted 6-1 to close Letitia Carson Elementary and Cheldelin Middle Schools, effective next school year.
The decision also includes moving sixth grade to elementary schools, changing Mountain View Elementary to a K-8 school and redrawing boundaries for schools near Letitia Carson.
"It does not feel good to make these kinds of decisions at all,” said Board Chair Luhui Whitebear. “And as much as the audience is scoffing the board right now, I want to let people know that we care about the students of this district."
The decision came in the early hours of Friday morning after a marathon meeting that started at 6 p.m. Thursday, and included three hours of public comment and a similar amount of debate between board members.
The original plan received a 3-3 vote with Shauna Tominey abstaining. After discussion and amendments, the board voted 6-1 in favor of the closures.
The additions to the vote added stipulations that in the future, the board would look at all school boundaries, try to minimize more school transitions for affected students, and examine the continued use of choice schools that require parents to enter a lottery to see if their student attends.
Board member Judah Largent was the lone “no” on the final vote. He objected to closing community schools while the district continues to have a choice school program.
Public comment has been contentious in recent Corvallis School Board meetings, as parents, community members and students lobbied to keep the schools open, particularly Letitia Carson.
"To me, this is the only way that we can work both directions to figure out how to move our community forward and still be sure that our schools are ready to open in the fall. And it’s okay. It’s not a solution that everyone is going to like, and I accept that. I understand it," said Board Member Terese Jones.
The Corvallis Gazette-Times reported that police were called after the meeting due to an audience member calling for violence against the board.
The closure debate comes after years of declining school enrollment in Corvallis. The district reached peak enrollment in 2017-18 with 6,875 students. Enrollment dropped to 5,916 in the 24-25 school year, a decrease of 11%.
