The Oregon Trail School District’s Facility Task Force (FTF), an advisory board
to the district’s board of directors, is on hiatus as the district assesses what
costs would be associated to retrofit the old Sandy High School building.

Welches area residents, however, remain wary about the possibility of
consolidating the district’s three middle schools at the location.

“No one (in Welches) is really for it,” said Travis Brewster, a Welches resident
and member of the FTF, of the consolidation option.

District Communications Director and FTF member Julia Monteith noted the
task force is not expected to meet again until summer after the cost
assessment is complete, and some time after that it will submit a
recommendation to the board on how to utilize the building.

Monteith added that while nothing will move into the building this fall, the
district will utilize the building for some purpose and “at a minimum, office
space.”

Brewster, a father of four and graduate of Sandy High School, noted a number
of concerns about sending students from the Mountain to Sandy for middle
school, including increased travel time, more traffic on Bluff Road from both
the middle and high schools and limited athletic and play areas.

And from the evidence he’s seen as an FTF member, he thinks the district
administration is steering the committee toward consolidation.

“That’s all they’ve done, is push towards that agenda,” Brewster said. “(They)
just picked out documents that would support what they wanted.”

Brewster, who would consider starting a petition against consolidating should
that be the recommendation, also noted numerous studies on the National
Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities website that indicate smaller schools
may offer a better educational environment.

“Almost everything I could find was pro-small schools,” he said. “It didn’t
seem like there was very much supporting bigger schools. If you have all this
info here and it all says smaller schools are better, why aren’t we even looking
at this?”

Sonya Butler, a Welches resident and mother of two children attending district
schools, noted she knows the students and teachers at Welches Middle
School, and she can get there in a few minutes if a problem arises.

And while she would like to see some new classroom opportunities for her
children, she’d rather have them at a local school than send them to Sandy
for those classes.

“It’s not worth the trade off,” Butler said. “I’ll get (learning opportunities) for
my kids on my own.”

Butler also wondered about where the money would come from to retrofit the
old high school building in order to make it safe enough for a consolidated
middle school.

“If we don’t have the money now to do these things, where’s that money
going to come from?” she asked.

Monteith noted that a number of options could be considered for the building,
including consolidating just two of the district’s middle schools, and stressed
that no determination on what to do has been made yet. She anticipated the
district having focus groups with staff and community members before a final
decision to gather more input.

“We understand where they’re coming from; we will listen to them,” Monteith
said. “Nothing is a done deal (and) the recommendation to board will be
based on best interest in kids.”

Kurt McKnight, representing Zone 3, Welches on the district school board,
stressed everyone should allow the full process to take place before reaching
a conclusion on the matter.

“We’re supposed to look out for the best interest of our kids,” said McKnight,
whose two children have attended Welches Elementary and Middle Schools.
“I’m very attached to that school, I’m very attached to the community around
it. But I am also open to listening to the options that may present the best
future for our kids.

“That may be consolidating, that may be leaving them what they are.”

For more information on the Oregon Trail School District’s Facility Task Force
and information pertaining to possible consolidation of the middle schools,
visit oregontrailschools.com/Page/2565.

For more information on NCEF studies on school size, visit ncef.org/rl/size.cfm