District forms boundary committee to address small elementary sections and staffing sustainability

Dave (staff member) told the Newberg‑Dundee Public Schools Board of Directors the district convened a boundary committee to find solutions to an enrollment‑configuration problem affecting four of six elementary schools.

Dave said several elementary grades average only one or two instructional sections per grade at some sites. That structure makes simple class‑size cuts impractical: removing a section in a school with only two sections would increase remaining class sizes to about 36 students, which the district said would be too high. The committee’s charge is to evaluate scenarios that increase the number of sections per grade across elementary buildings to improve instructional flexibility and financial sustainability.

The committee’s first meeting focused on clarifying the underlying data and explaining the problem to participants. The district has executed a data‑sharing agreement with the city and is receiving GIS boundary files to model scenarios, staff said. Future meetings will present scenario options and more specific data; the third meeting in November was identified as the point at which the district expects to begin considering concrete scenarios for public feedback.

Dave emphasized the district’s goal is not to disrupt programs or create unwanted changes but to find workable configurations so schools remain financially sustainable as state and federal funding tighten. The committee will gather community input before the district brings any recommendation to the board.

Staff said the committee will meet multiple times, will present proposed boundary scenarios and will solicit feedback from families and school communities; a public outreach phase will follow before any board action.