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Forest Grove superintendent warns declining enrollment and facility assessments will squeeze district budget; reaffirms sanctuary-state protections
Summary
Superintendent Dr. West told the board the district faces lower state funding tied to enrollment declines and upcoming state facility assessments while reaffirming the district's compliance with Oregon sanctuary-state law and FERPA protections.
Forest Grove School District Superintendent Dr. West told the board on Jan. 28 that the district is facing continued enrollment declines that will reduce state funding and that state facility assessors will be in the district through February.
Dr. West said the district is about 129 students below budgeted projections and "at about a 129 students below what we budgeted, we can expect, at a minimum, about a $1,000,000 less than what we're receiving right now." He linked that shortfall to both a long-term decline in enrollment and technical limits in the state funding formula that have not kept pace with recent cost increases.
The superintendent framed the budget risk in statewide context, noting a post-pandemic funding gap and the governor's $600 million proposal to adjust the State School Fund current-service-level (CSL) calculation. He said the CSL changes are technical and do not fully cover districts' increased costs, and that districts are being asked to deliver more services without commensurate funding.
Dr. West also reported that the state is carrying out a facility assessment prompted by recent legislation; Forest Grove is among the first districts to be assessed. He said the state review is narrower than the district's own long-range facility planning and bond work and that the district will share the state's findings when the final report arrives.
On district staffing and structure, Dr. West described a long-term increase in FTEs juxtaposed with falling enrollment: "We have declining enrollment, and we have increasing FTE. We can't sustain that." He showed district data indicating students per FTE fell from just over 10 in 2015'16 to just over 7, which he said will require "right-sizing" during the upcoming budget season.
Dr. West also addressed federal executive actions and local anxiety about immigration enforcement. He reaffirmed the district's legal obligations and policies. "Oregon law as a sanctuary state explicitly prohibits public employees, including school district staff, from assisting in federal immigration enforcement efforts," he said, and added that "FERPA protects student educational records, and our school policies or district policies align with that as well." He emphasized that the district will not release students to anyone other than their parents except on a judicial arrest warrant and urged the community to rely on facts rather than rumors.
Dr. West announced next steps on personnel and engagement: focus groups to inform the high school principal search (Karen O'Neil is retiring after roughly 15 years), invitations already issued to community members, and a district "transition team" convened to provide local insight and communicate with community leaders.
The superintendent closed by asking the board and community to follow legislative developments and attend local forums; he pointed to a Hillsboro town hall scheduled for Jan. 29 with state lawmakers Susan McClain, Janine Solman and Nathan Sosa.
Dr. West opened the board to questions after his report; board members discussed legislative strategy, the special education funding cap and the difficulty of persuading some legislators about school funding needs.
Looking ahead, Dr. West said the district will share the state's facility assessment results when available and will incorporate the enrollment and budget information into work on the upcoming budget cycle.
