It’s likely that next year students from neighboring towns will be allowed to enroll in the Newberg School District, with few caps placed on admission.

On Tuesday, the district’s board of directors discussed policy options available to the district after the passage of House Bill 3681 by the 2011 Legislature. Superintendent Paula Radich told the board that the plan she would present at the Jan. 24 meeting would likely allow open enrollment through 10th grade, but with some limitations.

The reason for not taking juniors and seniors, Radich told the board, is that testing transfer students who aren’t prepared could consume a large amount of resources as well as place “a huge amount of pressure” on the high school.

“We know of a couple of districts who are heavily recruiting,” Radich said, adding that it is not her intent to follow suit. “We’re not shopping for other districts’ students.”

The plan as it is shaping up would allow open enrollment for Newberg’s elementary and middle schools, with the exception of Mabel Rush Elementary School. That building is already above capacity.

Radich added that she would propose an open enrollment policy for online classes from first through eighth grade, with the caveat that students would have to live within 40 miles of the district.

One of the weak points of HB 3681, Radich said, is that the district would have to accept all students. “They’re ours whether they behave or don’t behave,” she said, explaining that a student who doesn’t adhere to the district’s code of conduct couldn’t be returned to his or her home district. Under the current policy, the district has sent middle and high school students back to where they came from for failure to behave properly.

The board approved the addition of four classes for next school year. At the alternative high school principal Bill Rogers will teach a philosophy course on the influence of individuals on government and world issues.

“Argument comes very easily and naturally to my students,” he said. “They’re well practiced.”

He said he hopes the class format will pique their interest and allow him to teach them logic so they understand what constitutes a valid argument.

Math teacher Pam Sherman said that an AP statistics course would be helpful for students who want to pursue careers in the humanities. She added that the curriculum would be equivalent to that of a beginning college statistics class.

“I hope we catch these kids who their senior year say ‘I don’t really want to do math anymore,’” she said.

An AP chemistry class will be offered in partnership with George Fox University, said science teacher Luann Lee. Students who arrive at university unprepared in chemistry and physics often struggle with those classes.

An AP studio art class will have students assemble and submit a portfolio to be juried. Green School principal Karen Pugsley said this would be of tremendous help for students who intend to apply to colleges of art and designs.

The board of directors voted unanimously to take the second step in withdrawing from the troubled Willamette Education Special District. This fall the district sent WESD a letter regarding their intent to withdraw. By March 1 they must send WESD a second letter stating their intent to withdraw.

Last year the district started providing some of the services they formerly purchased from WESD in-house and saved significant amounts of money. By withdrawing they expect to increase their savings and in the case of excess capacity in highly specialized programs, could allow students from other districts to enroll, generating additional revenue.

In other business the board:

• Appointed Ron Mock director for Zone 1.
• Delayed the introduction of Joshua Dodson of Day CPM, the firm hired to manage bond projects, due to an illness.

Laurent Bonczijk, Newberg Graphic