The Waldport High School student newspaper Shillalah reports publicly for the first time that the innovative programs of block scheduling in Lincoln County schools will be abandoned. "Budget cuts lead to a standard schedule," March 19, 1999, announces that these changes are necessitated by the anticipated $4.1 million cut in the district budget next year.
According to the "Shillalah" report, WHS Principal Lehman acknowledged that the district's planned cuts are "being made for the worst case scenario." From this it would appear that, since the budget picture has improved recently, block scheduling might be saved. However, Principal Lehman discounted this possibility saying, "The move to the seven period day looks to be final." This remark would seem to mean that something more than just budget cutting is behind the return to the old schedule.
In 1993, with strong encouragement from the Oregon State Dept of Education and the LCSD administration, the now six-year-old program of customized scheduling was adopted by Waldport, Taft and Eddyville High Schools, and most of the district's middle schools. These changes were undertaken in response to the passage in 1991 of the Oregon Schools for the 21st Century Law (ORS 329), which specifically requires establishment of site councils in each school to implement cerain of the law's reforms (ORS 329.704) . Scheduling plans were investigated in staff and site council meetings during a period of up to two years. In addition to significant curriculum changes that would be required, teacher training and the availability of Oregon State grants were issues discussed.
The curriculum reform plans were eventually put into practice through decisions made by the site councils of the various schools. It shows the importance given by the LCSD Administration to the site-based decision-making process that Newport High chose to remain with the 7-period day, while Toledo High decided on still other innovations.
Reading between the lines of the Shillalah report, the fact that the announcement of the end block scheduling was delivered in a "late February notice [which] informed all high schools and middle schools in Lincoln County of the schedule change," indicates the decision to terminate the project was not made by the site councils of the various schools. Since there was not even a pretense of discussion, one wonders what will be the future of site-council decision-making in LCSD under the Stoops Administration.