With Oregon school districts facing potential state funding cuts, leaders are looking to staff, who account for 85% of most district budgets, where staffing has grown even as enrollment has fallen.
About 200 Ashland High School students walked out of their classrooms Friday and marched to Ashland Plaza to demand action on climate change and immigration enforcement.
Ashland School Board members are in agreement with Ashland Superintendent Joseph Hattrick’s recommendation to extend Ashland High School Principal Francisco Lopez Atanes’ one-year contract to the 2026-27 school year, though his contract will be a “multi-year” contract, according to Hattrick.
A proposal was shared recently that would do away with Oregon’s 27-year-old Quality Education Model, the 11-member Quality Education Commission that produces recommended school funding levels every two years, and the education appropriation committee. Lawmakers would have one month to debate and pass the bill during the legislative session beginning Feb. 2.
Around 80 second and third-graders from three classes at Helman Elementary School in Ashland, whose mascot happens to be a dragon, took to the ice at The Rrrink in Medford Thursday morning, continuing an annual tradition at the school to introduce students to ice skating.
With Oregon’s kindergarten vaccine opt-out rate among the highest in the U.S., state public health officials fear the situation could worsen following a controversial shift in federal guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine.
Oregon’s fourth-grade reading scores have plummeted to last place in the nation, even as education spending has surged. Meanwhile, Mississippi, known for its underfunded schools, now leads the country after embracing the “science of reading.”
Ashland school officials greenlit an 18-month road map to explore restructuring the district amid declining enrollment. While emphasizing that no school closures are being proposed, district Superintendent Joseph Hattrick outlined an approach to the plan that focuses on data analysis, public input, and long-term planning. Changes are not expected until 2027 or later. The plan aims to curb anxiety about school closures, particularly at Bellview Elementary.
Ashland High School may soon face stiffer competition as Oregon’s athletic governing body moves forward with reclassifications that place the school in a new 5A Southern Cascade Conference alongside Crater, Eagle Point, and Henley high schools. AHS officials argue that 4A would be the best fit, citing participation numbers and resource gaps, but OSAA’s committee is preparing to finalize the changes next week.
Don’t miss your chance to experience the Ashland High School production of “Wizard of Oz” in its closing weekend.
Oregon state Sen. Jeff Golden announced in a news release Friday, Feb. 13, he plans to retire at the end of his current term and will withdraw his filing for reelection.
A joint Ashland City Council and Parks & Recreation Commission meeting Wednesday took a look at governance confusion, project missteps, and looming budget concerns as the city pauses its search for a new parks director.
Herbert Rothschild: I hope Congress renames Dulles International Airport for Trump. Then, after Trump has receded into infamy, Congress can rename the airport for someone far more deserving than either he or the Dulles brothers.
For the first time since the pandemic, four of Oregon’s most dedicated community choirs will come together Sunday in Ashland to sing their hearts out for peace.
A Democrat, Isabella Lee Tibbetts, is challenging incumbent Colleen Roberts for her seat on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. Upcoming deadlines for the primary election include a Feb. 27 deadline for any county/city/district ballot titles; a March 3 deadline for any incumbents to declare their bids for reelection; a March 10 deadline for all “other than elected incumbent” candidates to file; and a March 19 deadline for county/city/district measures to be filed.
During a wide-ranging campus conversation on Friday, Feb. 6, Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey said he planned to have discussions with the Governor’s Office, including about the possibility of asking for a one-time, estimated $15 million payment from the state of Oregon to SOU to help “bridge” the campus financially to the summer of 2027.
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