Corvallis School District Superintendent Ryan Moss and Director of Operations Kim Patton outlined a plan this recorded presentation described as the next step in a long-range facilities review that finds the district operating more buildings than projected student enrollment will support.

Patton, who led the April–June facilities review, said the committee examined enrollment and demographics, facility condition and building capacity. She described the district’s current inventory as eight elementary schools, one K–8, two comprehensive middle schools and one alternative high school and said the district calculated classroom capacity using 27 students per elementary classroom (29 at middle, 31 at high school) with a 90% utilization factor. Patton said districtwide elementary building capacity, after subtracting rooms reserved for district programs, is 3,233 seats.

The committee concluded that continued enrollment declines will leave the district with underutilized buildings. Patton cited the committee’s stated projections that elementary utilization could fall to about 59%, middle schools to about 86% and high schools to about 61%, leaving districtwide utilization near 65% over the projection period. Patton also noted facility-condition findings using the Oregon Department of Education facility condition index: most buildings rated in the good or fair range, with College Hill High School and Crescent Valley High School flagged for specific issues (a two-story portion of College Hill without seismic retrofit and mechanical needs at Crescent Valley).

Patton described how district- and building-level programs reduce seating capacity: several life-skills, English learner and transition classrooms, plus preschool classrooms operated by Kidco Head Start, are excluded from the per-classroom capacity totals. Using Adams Elementary as an example, she said administrators subtract program classrooms before multiplying by the per-classroom student factor to reach a building capacity (she cited 510 for Adams as an example).

Moss said the school board asked him to bring a single initial consolidation proposal to the Sept. 11 board meeting rather than multiple competing options, to provide a clear starting point for community discussion and to limit prolonged community unrest. "I will be adding that proposal to the school board September 11 during their board meeting," he said. He emphasized the proposal is an initial recommendation and expects it to change through superintendent chats and multiple listening sessions, including a planned Spanish-language session.

Moss outlined the public timeline the district shared: presentation of the initial recommendation at the Sept. 11 board meeting, superintendent chats and listening sessions through the fall, board deliberation on Oct. 30 and anticipated board action on Nov. 13 to approve a consolidation plan to be implemented for the following school year. He said an innovation team made up of educators, board members and association leaders will work for two years on educational delivery and implementation after the decision.

District leaders listed the factors shaping the proposal: alignment with board goals and an equity lens, inclusion and program preservation, feeder patterns, transportation and walk/bike access, potential loss of students (which affects per-pupil funding), staffing impacts, building conditions and opportunities for innovation. Patton reflected on past consolidations, saying adults in affected communities were deeply hurt but that "they were excited to join their new school" and that new communities often formed over time.

The district cited resources used in its analysis, including the Oregon Department of Education facility condition index and guidance from the Association for Learning Environments. The presentation closed with an invitation for community input and a contact method given in the recording (the transcript provides an email for the superintendent).