Ordinance No. 20319 - Laserfiche WebLink

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accommodate the siting of new public school facilities. The need and inclusion of lands for new public school facilities shall be a coordinated process between the affected public school districts and the local government that has the authority to approve the urban growth boundary." I 27~-2-S. Enrollment projections for the five public school districts in the metropolitan area and the University of Oregon and Lane Community College (LCC) are not consistent. Bethel School District and the University of Oregon expect increases while Springfield and Eugene School Districts and LCC are experiencing nearly fiat or declining enrollments. Enrollment is increasing fastest in the elementary and high school attendance areas near new development. I 28~-2-6. Short-term fluctuations in school attendance are addressed through the use of adjusted attendance area boundaries, double shifting, use of portable classrooms, and busing. School funding from the state is based on student enrollment for school districts in the State of Oregon. This funding pattern affects the willingness of districts to allow out-of- district transfers and to adjust district boundaries. Adjustments in district boundaries may be feasible where there is no net loss or gain in student enrollments between districts. I 29~2-7-. Creating or retaining small, neighborhood schools reduces the need for busing and provides more opportunity for students to walk' or bike to school. Quality smaller schools may allow more parents to stay in established ne~'ghborhoods and to avoid moving out to new subdivisions on the urban fringe or to bedroom communities. However, growth patterns do not always respect school district boundaries. For example, natural cycles of growth and neighborhood maturation result in uneven geographic growth patterns in the metropolitan area, causing a disparity between the location of some schools and school children. This results in some fringe area schools exceeding capacity, while some central city schools are under capacity. I 3~02g. Long-range enrollment forecasts determine the need to either build new schools, expand existing facilities, or close existing schools. Funding restrictions imposed by state law and some provisions in local codes may discourage the retention and redevelopment of neighborhood schools. Limits imposed by state law on the use of bond funds for operations and maintenance make the construction of new, lower maintenance buildings preferable to remodeling existing school buildings. In addition, if existing schools were expanded, some school sites may not meet current local parking and other code requirements. I 31~-2-9. Combining educational facilities with local park and recreation facilities provides financial benefits to the schools while enhancing benefits to the community. The Meadow View School and adjacent City of Eugene community park is an example of shared facilities. Policies III-G-10