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Estacada superintendent cites county-leading enrollment growth, opens read-day access and defends cell-phone enforcement
Summary
Superintendent Ryan Carpenter said Oregon Department of Education data show Estacada SD grew while other Clackamas County districts lost students; he announced a pilot allowing any elementary student to attend Friday 'read day,' and said enforcement of a state cell-phone rule has coincided with less bullying and higher classroom participation.
Estacada SD Superintendent Ryan Carpenter told viewers on the district's Facebook Live that new Oregon Department of Education enrollment reports show Estacada was the only district in Clackamas County to grow enrollment year over year, a result he credited to both inbound families and stronger student retention.
"The Estacada School District was the only school district in Clackamas County to grow in enrollment," Carpenter said, noting multiple local media stories had recognized the district's graduation-rate improvements. He added that Summit Charter School's enrollment was not included in the K–12 proper figures shown and that Summit is a statewide charter with roughly 1,400 students; Carpenter said only about 8–9% of Summit's enrollments come from Estacada and that the district's contractual cap with Summit is "no more than 10%."
Carpenter also described a change to the district's Friday 'read day'—a morning block for targeted small-group instruction and intervention—and announced a pilot to allow any elementary student to attend read day beginning the coming Friday from 8 to 10 a.m., rather than classroom teachers selecting invitees. "Effective this coming Friday, if you want to send your child to read day, you are more than welcome to do that," he said.
On student cell phones, Carpenter said a state law limiting on-campus phone use has been enforced locally and that staff report positive effects. "Kids are doing a great job of following the rules. We're seeing less fights. We're seeing less bullying," he said, and asked parents to reinforce the policy as spring months bring higher risk of relapse.
Carpenter addressed a parent's special-education concern about a sixth-grade student with an IEP and advised the parent to contact the case manager, school principal or vice principal if supports are inadequate. He framed the district as a collaborative team and asked families to reach out so staff can troubleshoot individual cases.
Carpenter closed by pointing to continued budget work and upcoming parent-teacher conferences after spring break.
Attribution: All direct quotes and paraphrases are attributed to Superintendent Ryan Carpenter as spoken during the Facebook Live; questions were read by Communications Director Maggie Kelly.
