As school districts prepare for impending state budget cuts, they’re trying to find ways to lower costs. Now, Eugene 4J is looking at reducing some of its programs.
At last week's 4J school board meeting, Superintendent Gustavo Balderas announced the district anticipates an $8.3 million dollar budget cut. About half the amount of their original projection.
To save funds, Balderas says the board should consider closing Corridor Elementary School—a choice school that serves students throughout the district.
Before the pandemic, Corridor was set to move to a wing of North Eugene High School. But if the school closed, the district could save about $1 million and roughly $300,000 annually.
“This is not a north versus south situation as some people try to put it,” said Balderas. “This truly is asking the question, do we want to keep a school open that has 10 kindergarten kids coming in from our district. And if so, that’s wonderful if we can afford that. That really is. But that lends itself to a lot of equity issues as well when we have some kindergarten classes closer to 30 across the system.”
As of now, Baldares says the district does not plan to close Corridor. The board says there will be a process for making cuts, and no decisions have been made.
