Churchill High fearing worse enrollment hit.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

For the past decade, Churchill High School has nurtured a reputation for innovation and excellence, gaining statewide recognition and ample federal funding for its "small learning communities" and other programs.

But a sharp decline in enrollment - one linked in part to the district's laissez-faire school choice policies - poses a threat to Churchill's future.

That was the message Churchill's three top administrators took to the school board last month.

On the eve of recommendations from Superintendent George Russell regarding the district's future, Principal Dennis Biggerstaff and Assistant Principals Cindy Sainz and Doug Kelly implored the board to make the "courageous" decisions necessary to keep Churchill viable. They specifically suggested enrollment management - in effect, setting more stringent limits on the number of students allowed to transfer beyond their neighborhood schools.

"We believe we are in danger of losing all the momentum we have built up here at Churchill High School," Kelly told the board.

Districtwide enrollment has been falling steadily for a decade, and high schools in particular will feel the pinch over the next three or four years, as unusually small middle school classes move through.

But the outlook for Churchill is especially startling.

After a high water mark of 1,426 students in 2002, Churchill's enrollment has declined every year and stood at 1,195 last September. Projections released this week show enrollment falling to 1,086 in September, and the numbers beyond that don't look promising.

Kennedy Middle School, one of two "feeder" middle schools for Churchill, has an eighth-grade class of 164 ready to move up - a typical size among district middle schools. But the Arts and Technology Academy at Jefferson, the new K-8 school that absorbed the old Jefferson Middle School and Magnet Arts Alternative Elementary School, has just 45 eighth-graders.

While the academy anticipates building enrollment in future years, the current sixth- and seventh-grade classes aren't a whole lot bigger than the eighth-grade class. While Biggerstaff offered praise for the K-8 concept, they said it's an open question how keen fifth-graders from Jefferson's traditional feeder elementary schools - Crest Drive, Adams and Cesar Chavez - will be to attend for their middle school years.

Barring an enrollment spike at the K-8 or a flurry of new transfers from other regions, that could mean a very small Churchill High School - fewer than 1,000 students - two years from now.

"Next year is the big hit for us - and then it gets scarier," Biggerstaff said in an interview.

Typically, enrollment drops of that magnitude necessitate cuts in staff - cuts that administrators say could hinder efforts to maintain signature programs. Since 2001, Churchill has been the recipient of two small learning community grants totaling more than $1.3 million, the first used to establish five, theme-based SLCs for freshmen and sophomores. Students spend half their day in their SLCs, staying with the same students and teachers both years.

The second grant, awarded just last year, is being used to strengthen existing programs and launch new ones, including a summer "bridge" program for incoming eighth-graders and an advisory period that pairs a small group of students with one teacher to discuss topics such as graduation requirements.

Churchill also has long-standing career-based programs for juniors and seniors, including the popular Rachel Carson Center for Natural Resources.

Despite the allure of such programs, many students in the Churchill region transfer elsewhere - most commonly to schools in the South Eugene region, notably South Eugene High, where enrollment tops 1,600. According to the most recent district figures, 274 of the 1,442 students who live in Churchill boundaries actually attend South Eugene. In all, 451 Churchill region students attend other high schools or alternative programs (including 63 who go to Churchill's own separate alternative school), although 205 transfer to Churchill from other schools, making for a net loss of 21 percent of enrollment.

By contrast, South Eugene boasts a net gain of 16 percent from transfers in, although both Sheldon and North Eugene also lose more students than they gain - compared against total enrollment, 6 percent for Sheldon and 30 percent for North Eugene.

Transfer policies have figured prominently in "Shaping 4J's Future," a long-range district planning process.

While the district has imposed some limits on transfers in recent years, unfettered school choice has been the rule of thumb for 35 years. The policy has come under scrutiny in recent years, though.

In 2004, Superintendent Russell concluded that open school choice and alternative elementary schools, which accept students by lottery, had contributed to growing concentrations of low-income and minority students in some schools.

The recent survey tried to gauge public appetites for setting enrollment targets and limits, along with a laundry list of other policy options, such as giving more money to small schools so they can keep programs intact and altering boundaries to achieve better socioeconomic diversity. While district staff voiced strong support for setting limits on high school size - thereby restricting transfers and reducing disparities in size - parents were lukewarm, especially those living in the South Eugene and, to a lesser extent, Churchill regions.

Russell is expected to bring initial recommendations to the board on Jan. 16, with specifics to follow on Feb. 13.

Enrollment

Total high school enrollment fall 2007 and projected fall 2008

Churchill High School: 1,195; 1,086

North Eugene High School: 1,068; 1,065

Sheldon High School: 1,662; 1,639

South Eugene High School: 1,646; 1,569

School enrollment

Total enrollment fall 2007 and projected fall 2008

High school 2007 2008

Churchill 1,195 1,086

North Eugene 1,068 1,065

Sheldon 1,662 1,639

South Eugene 1,646 1,569