Oro Loma Elementary School closing

As of Dec. 17, the small rural country school 13 miles outside Dos Palos will close its doors -- possibly for good.

Last week the Dos Palos-Oro Loma School Board voted 6-0 to close Oro Loma Elementary School in order to save more than $400,000 next year.

The midyear closure will yield a much-needed savings of $180,000, said Brian Walker, superintendent for the Dos Palos-Oro Loma School District.

Last year, the school was named a distinguished school. It's the only school in the district not on Performance Improvement, a classification given to schools that aren't meeting federal academic benchmarks.

And parents wrote a letter, calling attention to "the very sheltered life" the students have led at the school -- a life that will now be changed, if not disrupted.

Rose Jordan, a teacher at the school, said she was sad about the decision to close the school, but the main focus of the teachers is to ensure a positive educational experience for the students.

The district is in a dire financial situation because of a combination of state cuts to school funding, payment deferrals from the state and declining enrollment, according to a report prepared by school district administrators.

"When the governor signed the state budget, it included several deferrals, primarily for us in April, May and June," Walker said. "(The state) is taking 33 percent of this year's apportionment and into the next fiscal year. For every dollar we are owed, we are only getting 83 cents."

Over the past three years, the district has lost $3.26 million in funding. That's because 293 students have left the school district since 2007, plus $1.47 million was slashed from the school's budget by the state.

Merced County Superintendent of Schools Lee Andersen said that over time the school district has failed to make necessary spending cuts that correspond with the decreased funding. "Closing the school is one of the significant things they can do for the district," Andersen said.

Earlier this year, district officials discussed closing the K-3 school next fall, but the potential cash flow shortages made the district's financial situation more urgent.

"It's tough to make cuts in the middle the year, so this is another way to save costs," Walker added.

"It is true that a large number of school districts around the state are in similar situations because of declining enrollment and reduced state funding and delays in state funding that are resulting in cash-flow problems for district," Andersen added.

The closure will result in six layoffs to classified staff, which includes one custodian, two paraprofessionals, two food service employees and one school secretary.

The district has also made a number of other austerity cuts that include closing the district's print shop, cleaning classrooms every other day, eliminating substitutes for administrators and scaling back on professional development training, Walker said.

Layoffs and furlough days could be possible next year, he added.

Since the district has been in declining enrollment, its teaching staff has already been pared down to four teachers for 75 students, one for each grade.

In a letter addressed to the school board, parents of Oro Loma Elementary School students urged trustees to examine their decision closely because of the impact it will have on children.

"We ask you to acknowledge that these kids are different, and have led a very sheltered life in an isolated rural setting," parents said in the letter. "The site change alone will be pretty overwhelming for them. If they are also separated from their classmates and teachers all at once, they will be devastated, the damage to their academic and social progress will be severe. Whether or not those changes will be honored is unknown."

Walker acknowledged how children's lives can be disrupted by midyear school changes, but he said classes will be kept intact to minimize the damage.

The teachers will be absorbed by the school district. The K-2 classes will be kept as is and added to Dos Palos Elementary School. The third-grade class will be added to Bernhard Marks Elementary School, Walker said.

And a majority of the school's students live in Dos Palos, so many won't have a long drive ahead of them.

What will happen to the building is unknown, the district is exploring a number of options that include using it for adult education classes, opening a charter school or allowing Fresno Head Start to use the facility.

The worry is that if the district boards up the school now and reopens it in the future, the district could spend a lot of money bringing the building up to code, Walker said.

Reporter Jamie Oppenheim can be reached at (209)385-2407 or joppenheim@mercedsun-star.com.

This story was originally published November 23, 2010 at 2:05 AM with the headline "Oro Loma Elementary School closing."