The controversial consolidation plan has stirred many community discussions about the future of the Corvallis School District. However, while the plan focuses on the elementary and middle school level, if these changes were to happen, it would bring disastrous results and accelerate the closure of CV. There are two main problems with the consolidation plan that relate to Crescent Valley High School. 

First of all, the current plan does not explain much about the feasibility studies that may be done in 2028 to consolidate the two high schools. This uncertainty and secretive nature of the high school consolidation plan have caused many students and parents to panic. Despite the board’s best effort, many have accepted the reality that Crescent Valley is going to close, even though that is not the case. The board needs to ensure, before voting for the plan, that they are transparent with how the feasibility study is going to be conducted and when any recommendations will be implemented. We don’t want another rushed scramble to get community feedback in 2028, like how this current consolidation plan is playing out right now. The uncertainty of whether the high schools will be consolidated has now resulted in many parents not wanting to send their children to a “dead” HS that will be closing down. This brings me to my second concern.

Now, if the current trend of declining enrollment continues, I’ll admit, it is inevitable for CVHS to close. But right now that wouldn’t be for a couple of years, hopefully. From now until CV’s closure, whether that be in 5, 10, or 15 years, the district really needs to focus on one thing that has been hurting the CV community and our broader community as well. Balancing the number of students between the two high schools. Right now, there are 3 elementary schools feeding into CV, while 4 are feeding into CHS. The consolidation plan should make an effort to restore balance between high schools, but instead only worsens the imbalance of students. By turning Mountain View into a K-8 school, the district has acknowledged that there aren’t lots of students living in the Mt. View boundary area. This means that CV is being effectively served by 2.75 elementary schools compared to CHS 4. Furthermore, if most middle schoolers go to Corvallis Junior High, that would mean that there would be more transfers out of CV into CHS. How?

Excluding Franklin and Mt. View, when all the 7th and 8th graders have to be in one school, these students will form new friendships and friend groups in Corvallis Junior High. If a student makes friends with someone, chances are, they would like to stay with their friend and go to the same high school with them. But what if a student makes friends with someone who goes to a different high school? Then what? 

While you might not think it is a big problem, clearly the district does. One of the reasons it canceled the boundary review process pre-COVID was the pushback that students’ friend groups would be split up for KJH elementary. 

So here’s even more bad news. People who come to Corvallis Junior High would only come from 6 schools. Two of them will lead to CV, and four of them will lead to CHS. So statistically, if you were to make a new friend at Corvallis Junior High, there is a 2 times chance that your friend will go to CHS. Great if you come from the ES that feeds into CHS. Bad if you come from an ES that feeds into CV.

So generalizing in this case, in a friend group at Corvallis Junior High, 66% of the friend group will go to CHS, and 33% will go to CVHS. And if you are in that 33% that goes to CV, there will be a real and strong desire to transfer to CHS to stay with their friend group. 

And as you can tell, this will worsen the imbalance of students between the two high schools. 

There are ways we can solve this problem, including limiting the number of transfers between schools. Before 2020, the district had a 7% rule, where if the two high schools’ enrollment difference was more than 7%, transfers would be closed down.

To recap, there are not enough details about the process of the CVHS closure feasibility study in 2028, causing uncertainty and panic. Finally, by combining most middle schoolers into one school, this will result in students transferring into CHS to stay with their friend groups. 

While the consolidation plan only focuses on the elementary and middle school levels, the effects have massive consequences at the high school level. I hope the school board will take these concerns seriously and work with the community to solve these issues before voting for the consolidation plan. Because if not, the results could be devastating for students, who already had to face challenges with COVID, and now are ‘guinea pigs’ in Corvallis Junior High as the district attempts to adjust to a 7-8 Junior High.