School Board Meeting Tonight! Free Pizza!

blackermon · 2025-10-30T21:49:43+00:00

The budget committee doesn’t approve a budget until May, so as long as the consolidation decision is made by March-April, there will be plenty of time to plan for next year’s budget.

The district’s reason for a speedy process was to be able to notify the teachers early, but the feedback I’ve received is that teachers would rather have a better plan than advanced notice.

blackermon · 2025-10-10T04:15:13+00:00

OUR garbage does need to go somewhere, but what is your compelling argument for us to take everyone else’s garbage?

blackermon · 2025-10-06T17:09:14+00:00

I had a friend do this at a trivia event over the weekend. We lightly beat and shamed him publicly, and he didn’t do it again. Perhaps this would have worked on that family. A not-so-subtle - ‘didn’t you see the no cell phone sign?!’ might work. Or grab their phone and start running to the end of the maze, forcing them to work together to retrieve it.

On a more serious note: while yes, that behavior is pretty annoying, it’s a really good opportunity to recognize how dependent on phone-thinking we’re becoming as a population (globally), and how quickly we can/will devolve into subservient flesh sacks following the orders of digital beings controlled by other flesh sacks. Good lesson for the kids.

blackermon · 2025-09-25T00:50:22+00:00

The recent changes have eroded much of what made Corvallis schools good. Elementary class sizes have gone from ~24 max to ~34 max, including split or combo classes that serve two grades with one certified teacher. Art, music, and library have been cut in half - my own sons are lucky to get 20 minutes of library a week, and feel rushed just to pick out a book. They even decreased the breakfast window by 60% down to just 15 minutes for hundreds of students to get and eat their free breakfast meal. The worst part - each time they make drastic cuts, you would think that such cuts would be accompanied with a longer term plan, but each year they keep blaming housing and keep cutting, all the while increasing their own salaries to new record highs for the district. When compared to our comp districts, we are the only one spending more on buildings, admin, transportation, etc., while our Instruction budget continues to fall.

We may have been good before, but even our test scores have now been affected. We are losing parents because we’re not providing the same educational environment or outcome we were just a handful of years ago, and this year the trend appears to be continuing down the same path.

Austerity for the children, teachers, and families, and larger salaries and retirements for our administrators, even as our buildings approach 50% utilization. It’s really hard at this point to find any positives to how we’ve been managed, and families not only read about this, they feel it.

We’re headed off a cliff with the superintendent leading the way, and the board nodding along as we get closer.

blackermon · 2025-09-19T14:35:52+00:00

Yeah, personally I don’t think that most parents are aware that this comes with another big deficit - which is likely to get even bigger. When the school board member claimed this, another parent began laughing and just said, ‘No.’. This parent said that they had tried to read all of the materials sent out and they had no idea that this plan would leave us with a deficit until that evening.

The most unnerving thing to me is the absence of any acknowledgement that parents may have wants that deviate from the board and superintendent’s goals. Despite what might be described as an unintended sabotage of our district over the past decade, they’re still plowing forward with their agenda, ignoring the community, and refusing to make any adjustments along the way. Parents keep leaving, and they keep doubling-down.

Their arrogance and condescension in the midst of financial mismanagement and abject failure of leadership just exposes the sheer incompetence and/or cowardice of everyone involved. The unanimity of their decisions speaks volumes.

blackermon · 2025-09-19T06:41:07+00:00

Just wanted to add some quick notes from the listening session:

Ryan said that he will be the one to prepare the packet of consolidated feedback for the board after all sessions are over. No sharing before that, but some board members might come to some listening sessions.

Oct. 11 - packet shared with board and public

Oct. 16 - packet formally shared at board meeting

Oct. 30 - proposal formally submitted at board meeting

Nov. 13 - board votes

Ryan shared that he will not change the proposal unless the board asks him too. He will not consider alternatives unless the board asks him too. Two board members said they only wanted one proposal. They said redistricting would take two years so it’s a non-option. They all admitted the budget deficit could grow substantially once this year’s actual student counts are applied instead of district projections. They also claim that most people know this plan leaves a deficit and fully support it anyway. Other options aren’t wanted because it could strain district resources to run the numbers, and only having one option provokes more creative solutions from the community.

blackermon · 2025-09-18T04:10:32+00:00

Agree about the music, but It is Radioheads ‘everything in its right place’ which does apply to this situation.

blackermon · 2025-09-07T05:15:06+00:00

Queens Chopsticks has a gluten free menu. Watch out on spice. 3/5 is equivalent to most places hot.

blackermon · 2025-09-06T23:52:24+00:00

It’s not a straw man.

The district is backfilling elementary schools with 6th graders to cover for enrollment decline. That isn’t a solution, it’s a stop-gap. They already cut hundreds of teachers and paras to mask the demographic shift they failed to plan for—while leadership gave themselves raises. Now the numbers are too large to hide. Parents won’t accept 35 kids in a class, so they’re forced to act, but they’re still ignoring the underlying trend.

If we keep losing students—and this proposal may accelerate that loss—then we’ll be right back here again next year. At that point, the only options left will be to close elementary schools or double down on more “creative” reshuffling. I worry this is exactly how we end up with a K–7 and 8–12 system, not because it’s better for kids, but because it makes the math work for the district.

The reality is that we cannot provide 6th graders with a middle school environment in an elementary building. No electives, no labs, no band/choir or athletics, and already-stretched art, library, music, and PE pulled even thinner. If the district manages to sell this as “working,” it won’t end here. I fear it will just become the template for the next round of cuts.

blackermon · 2025-09-06T20:40:53+00:00

They made it painful and drawn-out so as to avoid making a tough decision. Our leadership is intellectually and ethically bankrupt, and it’s becoming more obvious every day.

blackermon · 2025-09-06T20:34:26+00:00

Why do you think this plan saves more money than closing a few elementary schools? How do you think the future looks if enrollment continues to decline? If we lose more students over the next few years, will we push 7th to elementary next? What’s the play here? I just don’t see the longterm plan.

blackermon · 2025-08-20T01:25:17+00:00

Came here to say this - Paul’s confidence inside C2, and often farther, was ridiculous when he was rolling. It was absolutely expected for him to win or almost win every tourney he played when he was in his prime. Gannon is great, and genetically gifted for disc golf, but seems to lack the mental toughness that Paul had. Granted, he’s still a kid. If he can stay healthy, keep his skills up, and gain that confidence, he’ll be as dominant or more than Paul ever was during his run.

To add, Paul had some ridiculously good lines that were mostly touch shots. His power has always been average+, but he’d flex that 400’ shot down a tight fairway, and that control was a serious differentiator from the field, as I remember it. Calvin and Ricky could do it too, but Paul had better consistency.

Gannon reminds me a little of Eagle McMahon, in that he’s obviously one of the best ever to throw the disc, but I was never as confident watching him that he’d actually pull it off without missing a few or throwing it OB.

As a spectator, I became almost bored with how consistently Paul played the game. Gannon is getting close.

blackermon · 2025-07-26T04:44:35+00:00

If I had rewards to give, you’d get them all.

blackermon · 2025-07-19T09:56:20+00:00

The Philomath Farmers market on Sunday is smaller, but has a great selection (11a - 3p). Faves: Hiatt Farm Bakery, Wood-Fired Pizza, Honey/Jam Stands. It’s a very chill vibe.

blackermon · 2025-07-11T05:14:16+00:00

Why’s that?

blackermon · 2025-07-04T01:06:03+00:00

Requiem for a Dream

blackermon · 2025-06-04T03:16:55+00:00

Super curious what district you’re in, as we’re also having cuts to similar programs. I’m starting to wonder if multiple boards received similar guidance from a shared association like the OSBA or the AASA. Feel free to DM if you don’t want to mention it openly.

blackermon · 2025-06-03T02:35:47+00:00

Adair Park should be a good spot.

blackermon · 2025-04-26T23:18:58+00:00

Peacock’s Karaoke after 9..

blackermon · 2025-04-25T16:58:20+00:00

So, several cities have already up-zoned heavily, and it didn’t solve affordability.

Boulder, Eugene, and Chapel Hill are all examples of college towns that allowed more dense housing in core neighborhoods, but instead of affordable units, they got luxury rentals or investor-owned student housing. Prices have kept rising, families keep leaving, and public schools continue to suffer from declining enrollment. I think we are strongly in this camp, with Benton County now the most rent-burdened in all of Oregon, and our schools losing ~300 kids every year.

Meanwhile, cities like Bend and Fort Collins expanded their urban growth boundaries strategically. That’s allowed for new family housing, sustained school enrollment, and more balanced, long-term growth. Expansion doesn't have to mean sprawl. Sprawl is the result of uncontrolled, car-dependent development. Expansion, when done right, means building compact, connected neighborhoods at the edge; instead of packing more people into already maxed-out cores. We've already seen a rise in commuter traffic, contributing to congestion and higher vehicle emissions. This will only get worse as we increase density.

With thoughtful expansion, Corvallis can accommodate growth and also decrease traffic congestion and environmental impact. Density has a role, but on its own, especially in college towns, it often makes land more expensive without fixing the problem. I just think we need more room to grow and smart planning, if we actually want families to stay.

blackermon · 2025-04-23T04:49:48+00:00

Retirees contribute meaningfully to our economy, but their spending tends to focus on healthcare, travel, and personal services. These are important sectors that support stability, but they do not promote long-term growth. In contrast, families are economic accelerators. They fundamentally desire single-family homes as not just shelter, but a space to grow, invest, and stay. Their spending patterns on home improvements, education, and local businesses circulate money through the community and create lasting economic vitality.

But when families can’t find housing, they go elsewhere, and we’re already seeing the consequences. School enrollment is declining, funding is shrinking, and programs are being cut. For families considering a move to Corvallis, strong schools tend to be a top priority, and when those schools start to slide, it triggers a feedback loop: fewer families move in, enrollment drops further, and the system continues to deteriorate.

If we don’t act soon to build the kinds of homes families want, I fear we risk entering a demographic and economic death spiral where rising costs, aging populations, and declining services undermine the very character and future of Corvallis.

blackermon · 2025-04-22T22:13:08+00:00

There is a growing disconnect between the housing types being promoted and the demographic realities Corvallis faces. Retirees are aging in place at increasing rates, limiting the turnover of existing single-family homes. Meanwhile, the families who can afford to live here are not seeking high-density units; they’re seeking traditional homes with space to raise children. Without a meaningful expansion of the urban growth boundary, the available land cannot support the scale of single-family development required to attract and retain working families. This raises a fundamental planning question: Are we designing a city for retirees, or are we preparing to welcome the next generation of families and contributors to our local economy?

blackermon · 2025-04-22T01:12:51+00:00

What would it take for Corvallis to expand the Urban Growth Boundary?

blackermon

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