Enrollment decline: the uses and disposition of excess space in 106 Oregon public school districts

• Main Author: Brothers, Marjorie
• Format: Others
• Published: PDXScholar 1983
• Subjects: School administration; School facilities > Oregon; School facilities > Extended use > Oregon; School attendance > Oregon
• Online Access: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/791; https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1790&context=open_access_etds

A survey was made of the status of public school districts in Oregon with regard to growth or decline in enrollment and the uses or disposition of excess space resulting from a decline. A questionnaire was mailed to superintendents in each of the 126 districts which had declined in enrollment during the years between 1970 and 1983. Of the 106 districts which returned the questionnaire, 53.7% had experienced a decline of sufficient magnitude to require some adjustment in the ways in which building space is used. This excess space was used for classrooms, curriculum centers, office space, community programs, and for programs mandated by state, federal, or local governments. Districts used varied means to inform or involve the public in decisions concerning excess space. Administrative decision was the most often reported method; the use of a task force or citizens' advisory group was less often used. To explore the issues which might be factors contributing to conflict surrounding the closure of a school, the 33 last closed schools were examined in detail. Pearson correlation computations revealed a significant inverse relationship between the level of opposition to the closure and the presence of a task force in the decision-making process. An inverse relationship was also found between the level of opposition and the average length of time that school board members had served. No significant correlation was found between the level of opposition to the closure and the financial result of the closure. Of the 33 schools examined in the study, 29 had resulted in a financial saving; the remaining four had been closed so recently that the financial result was not yet known.