Corvallis School District presents revised consolidation plan; community urges pause

Superintendent Ryan Aslan told the Corvallis School Board on Oct. 30 that the district needs structural changes to address declining enrollment and a budget shortfall, and presented a revised consolidation proposal that would close Leticia Carson Elementary and reassign its students to Mountain View, Catherine Jones Harrison and Bessie Coleman.

The revised plan, which staff said was developed after four community listening sessions and an enrollment and demographic study, is projected to reduce district spending by about $3.0 million for 2026–27, compared with a roughly $1.87 million reduction under an earlier option. District staff told the board the district faces about a $4.0 million shortfall for 2026–27 and that projected revenue and enrollment trends could produce much larger gaps in subsequent years unless structural changes are made.

Why it matters: The district’s basic school funding in Oregon is driven by enrollment. Staff said concentrating students on fewer sites can preserve specialist positions (music, art, library), reduce the number of blended classrooms and increase opportunities at individual sites. The proposal would also reconfigure middle‑grade programming to a junior‑high (7–8) model and adopt K–4, 5–6 and 7–8 grade…