Population increases prompt attentive school district planning

Over the last year, various housing developments have begun construction in Stayton and Sublimity, which have led people to express interest and concern about the North Santiam School District’s response to the addition of new neighborhoods in our communities.  Those questions reflect a genuine concern about what increasing populations will mean to the quality of our schools. 

Last year, the District brought together our Long Range Facility Master Planning Committee to examine the impact of the three new developments proposed at the time. This committee was a mix of new members as well as citizens who had served on the original committee which had planned the 2012 construction bond, which had passed in November of that year. Last year’s committee had based much of its work on a new population forecast provided for the district by Portland State University, which provides population projections for cities and school districts across Oregon.

The trend in the district’s student population did not reflect a drastic and immediate increase in the next five years but did show a trend of further increase in the area schools. 

The 2012 construction bond was largely focused on maintenance and refurbishment projects, and expanded our school’s population capacities only minimally.   The population study showed three schools that would experience crowding within the next five years; Sublimity School, Stayton Middle School, and Stayton High School.

The Portland State forecast included three proposed housing subdivisions in its projections. These subdivisions were either under construction at the time or were proposed. These included the Hassler Farm Subdivision in Sublimity (93 homes plus a 36-unit multi-family structure), Wildlife Meadows in Stayton (46 homes just east of Stayton Middle School), and Hayden Homes’ proposed development (51 homes, just west of Stayton Middle School).  As of this writing, only a small portion of the Hassler Farms Subdivision in Sublimity is constructed and occupied, so we are not yet able to discern any resulting increases.

However, we have recently become aware of two additional proposed developments in Sublimity. The Hassler Farms Phase 4 development on the east side of Sublimity will come before the Planning Commission in January 2018 proposing 37 more single-family units. At the same time, the Starr Street Sub-division, also in Sublimity, is proposing to add 91 more homes and a 128-unit multi-family unit as well.   If we add up all the current and future homes proposed in the five proposed or ongoing developments, we have approximately 320 houses (with a few duplexes in there) and roughly 150 multi-family units coming to our communities.

By law, these developments cannot be denied by cities on the basis of existing school capacity.  Therefore, as the developers and contractors engage in the planning process for new homes, the district must likewise look forward into the future and make plans for the possible increases. To put it simply, we can’t just wait and see. There is a considerable amount of time involved to work with a representative committee to develop a responsible bond proposal for voters, to conduct the election process, then implement those projects and make them a reality.

As a result, the district will ask Portland State to update its projections to include the recent developments, then re-convene the Long Range Planning Committee early this spring to examine the impact of the newly-proposed houses. There was concern voiced by several citizens a year ago that the homes would all be built by now, and that schools would be crowded with new students. The sale of lots and construction of homes has moved forward in a consistently steady manner, but not as quickly as many were concerned about. This is fortunate because it will give the district ample time and afford us the opportunity to respond in a thoughtful and engaging manner with our communities.

So, if you hear someone ask what the district will do with all these new homes coming, let them know that we at the North Santiam School District are aware of the planned developments and that we are gathering information on the estimated student populations. The board and the district will continue to work with community members to plan for school growth if needed.

Andy Gardner is the superintendent of North Santiam School District. He can be reached at  503-769-6924 or andy.gardner@nsantiam.k12.or.us

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Contact Justin Much at 503-508-8157 or jmuch@salem.gannett.com.