Students will see change in school this fall

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Debra Sato, Oak Grove Elementary School custodian, cleans the floor of the new commons area while contractors work in the background. The stairs lead to the new media center. School resumes Wednesday for first through sixth grades at Oak Grove, Sept. 15 for kindergartners. Mail Tribune / Jim CravenJim Craven

September 07, 2009

By Paris Achen

Mail Tribune

As students flock back to school this month, they're seeing changes that range from a four-day week in Central Point to full-day kindergarten in Butte Falls.

In Medford, students will have longer school days but a shorter school year as part of budget cuts. The majority of Medford students begin classes Tuesday, but some campuses won't start until Wednesday or Thursday.

Students go to classes about 10 minutes earlier and stay later.

This week, the district also gradually will unveil remodeled schools at North Medford High School and Lone Pine, Oak Grove and Hoover elementary schools.

North Medford boasts a renovated administration building with more windows for supervision and more centrally located services, said Medford schools Superintendent Phil Long. The potholes in the front parking lot are gone. The bus lane has been moved from the front of the school to its north side.

Construction of the high school's media center will continue through December.

Hoover, which starts school Tuesday, has all new windows and a new playground that is completely wheelchair accessible.

At Oak Grove and Lone Pine, where classes begin a day or two after their sister schools, construction crews are scrambling to finish and clean up comprehensive renovations at both campuses.

All of the renovations are part of a $189 million bond package approved by voters in November 2006.

Central Point has moved from a five-day school week to four days to offset a shortfall in state funding. Students no longer will have classes on Mondays, but their school year will last eight days longer. The change is expected to save the district $2.5 million in salaries, plus the cost of utilities and transportation.

Phoenix-Talent will debut an environmental science-based magnet program at Talent Elementary School for kindergarten through sixth grades. Funded with federal stimulus money, the pilot program will begin with about 70 pupils divided into kindergarten through second grade and fourth through sixth grades. Third-graders may attend either class based on their skill level.

Meanwhile, Prospect's new natural resources-focused charter school enters its second week of operation.

The small, remote district on the Upper Rogue has grown from about 160 pupils to 230 because, as a public charter school, Prospect can enroll students from any district without a transfer, said Principal Wayne Gallagher. The charter was funded through a $455,000 Oregon Charter Incentive Grant.

"For the past 10 years, we have been in a steady decline in enrollment," Gallagher said. "By being able to open our borders, we've brought in 70 students. It's been awesome."

The district has hired an additional employee to work in the cafeteria and another bus driver to accommodate the additional students, he said.

The tiny district also has a new Web site: http://prospect.or.schoolwebpages.com/education/district/district.php?sectionid=1.

Butte Falls School District will begin its second week of full-day kindergarten on Tuesday.

The school system of about 170 pupils in rural northeastern Jackson County this year decided to join about 80 other school districts in the state that offer full-day kindergarten as a way to boost reading and math skills early.

The district offered half-day kindergarten last year. The state funds only half-day kindergarten programs through its per-pupil funding formula.

The kindergarten class, with about 10 pupils, is from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

In the Eagle Point School District, students will see new menus in the cafeteria as a new food services company takes over, and high school students will see more of the school mascot around the campus in an effort to bolster school pride, said Superintendent Cynda Rickert.

France-based Sodexo Worldwide will replace Chartwells this school year in Eagle Point.

Sodexo has a strong presence in the Rogue Valley, providing food services at Southern Oregon University in Ashland and the Ashland, Medford and Phoenix-Talent school districts.

"Sodexo has brightened up every cafeteria," Rickert said. "Kids will walk in and see a difference in the cafeteria."

Rickert said students can expect to see more food choices and more healthful choices, as well as nutritional information about each meal posted in visible locations.

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail pachen@mailtribune.com.

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