How Rainier School District navigated economic boom and bust cycles

¶ … Boomtown Effect Impacted the Ranier School District

This is a case study on the rapid rise and decline of revenue within a public school district. The focus of the dissertation was on a specific school district using a qualitative research methodology including interviews of past and present of board members and present and past superintendents to identify the leadership qualities necessary to navigate through difficult financial times. The goal throughout the study was to determine if characteristics exist that can be identified as leadership qualities that will help other similarly situated districts through challenging periods. To this end, this case study traces the consolidation of numerous smaller districts forming one larger district in the seventies, the growth of that district due to an economic upturn fueled by the establishment of Portland General Electric and its nuclear power plant, Trojan, (the Boom) and the subsequent loss of the PGE revenue with the closure of Trojan and is decommissioning 16 years later, coupled by the passage of Ballot Measure 5 in 1990, a property tax rollback, (the Bust). A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the study's conclusion.

Review and Analysis

Background and Overview

Public education is reliant on federal, state and local funding sources to sustain and prosper. This has never been more evident than in the last 10 years with such a significant economic downturn across the country and throughout the State of Washington. More than any other section of the government, the public not only controls the success of their schools through taxation, but believe that the payment of those taxes gives them ownership in the decision making process of running the schools.

Schools are societal microcosms. There is a direct connection between the boom and/or bust of the economy in any given area and the success and/or struggles of its public schools. When an economy busts, the financial microscope of the community turns to its schools. The cost of education is a large part of any tax package. When the economy struggles, the public expects schools do to with less. They see it as a controllable resource.

Schools are also political pawns. Countless politicians have used education as their platform for election. Local, state and national governing bodies have passed legislation to improve education. The educational debate revolves more around political aspirations and less around genuine reform. The massive amount of rules and regulations from all levels is daunting. The increase in these requirements often comes with fiduciary caveats. These provisos are often not in the support of more funding if requirements are met, but rather less funding if they are not. The combination of a struggling economy, legislative micromanagement and educational best practices establish an explosive combination of events that can lead to educational gridlock. Yet most schools continue to persevere and some even thrive in adversity. This case study is of one such district. The Rainier School District has gone through repeated economic crises and yet continues to demonstrate many of the attributes of a high-achieving educational system. One of the more remarkable attributes of this district is the fact that it has weathered the storms of change time and again while remaining focused on its real mission to deliver high quality educational services in an environment that is conducive to learning.

Ballot Measure 5 is an amendment to the Oregon Constitution and is often seen as the beginning of the Oregon Tax Revolt. One effect of the measure was that funding for local schools was shifted from primarily local property taxes to state funds. With this, it led to an overall equalization of funding between school districts as funds were subsequently distributed based on the number of students in each district.

Schools with higher value property in their districts previously could fund local schools at a higher rate than more economically depressed areas. Measure 5 established limits on Oregon's property taxes. Property taxes dedicated for school funding were capped at $15.00 per $1,000 of real market value per year, and gradually lowered to $5. The measure transferred the responsibility for school funding from local government to the state, to equalize funding. The measure was blamed for cuts in school programs and the budget crises of 2002 and 2003. The measure was passed in the November 6, 1990 with 574,833 votes in favor, 522,022 votes against. Thereafter, Measure 5 was followed up with Measure 47 in 1996. Measure 47 limited the growth of a property's assessed value to 3% maximum per year to combat local governments raising assessed values to make up the difference in the rate they could charge and Measure 50 in 1997 clarified Measure 47.

The so-called "Boomtown Effect" is a cyclical experience of a community characterized by alternating periods of rapid growth and subsequent shrinking of its economy. During periods of boom, an economy will experience a surge in its production and the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within an area in a given period. This is the Gross Domestic Product or GDP. The per capita GDP is frequently regarded as being an accurate indicator of an area's standard of living. Conversely, during periods of bust, an economy will experience a decrease in production and an increase in unemployment. Not surprisingly, making choices concerning the allocation of educational resources during periods of boom frequently fail to take into account the potential for subsequent busts. This tendency can have profound implications for the school districts that rely on localized funding sources and these issues are discussed further below as they relate to the school district of interest to this case study.

Rainier School District

The Rainier School District is located in sparsely populated Columbia County in the State of Oregon. It is outside of Portland suburbia, but within driving distant to not only the larger cities of Longview and Kelso Washington but less than an hour to Portland. Prior to the building of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, the district, which encompasses most of Columbia County had a Union High School in downtown Rainier with numerous K -- 8 or smaller feeder districts. The district school population surged from 1600 +- to over 2700 and is currently about 1,000 students (Williams, 2010).

Literature Review

Chapter Introduction

The literature review was organized into two main categories: (a) social impact assessment of educational decision making and (b) boom and bust theory as applied to the influence it has on schools. These two ideologies will be interwoven with the historical storytelling that is followed by chapter three which more fully describes the study's methodology.

Social Impact Assessment

"Social Impact Assessment" (Finsterbusch, 1980) uses a progression that studies, observes and manages the anticipated and unanticipated outcomes, both positive and negative, of planned events and any social and shared changes brought about by those actions. Finsterbusch identifies areas that can be impacted by the outcomes of these events. They are; population changes, employment changes, displacement and relocation, neighborhood disruptions, noise impacts, leisure and recreation impacts, stressful community growth and decline. As a case study, Rainier experienced most all of these areas of impacts.

In the Imperfect Union, Peshkin (1982) relates the events in a town in Illinois from 1975 to 1979, a period during which the people of the town sought to fight the closing of its elementary school by splitting from the consolidated school district to which it belonged. The larger school district is symbolized as a district consisting of five politically distinct areas that was established on the theory that the focus of schools is the education of children. The account follows the efforts of the people of one of these sub-communities to bring other issues to the surface. This group hoped to examine the nature of communities and their limitations; the characteristics of a new district when smaller districts are consolidated; the actions of struggling groups as they work to blend over school affairs; and the sense of what a school should be to its community. The similarity between this community in Illinois and the events leading to the consolidation of the Rainier School District in the 1970's parallel.

Another work by Peshkin, the Color of Strangers, the Color of Friends (1991), looks at the impact of ethnicity in a Northern California town. Riverview High School is a public school in with a diverse student population. According to Peshkin, Riverview High School student values demonstrate a higher acceptance of different cultures and the blending of these differences is prevalent. The author states that this blending of ethnicity or specific cultural norms is not an issue at Riverview High: "RHS's ethnic potpourri does not encourage thinking about ethnic maintenance." Peshkin's writing suggests three major contradictions at the school: (1) purported respect for human diversity; (2) assimilation as a primary goal; and (3) the continued reproduction of inequality. The similarities with the community of Rainier do not focus as much on ethnic differences as much as cultural. My experiences working in that community indicated that students were what were referred to as "Color Blind."

While there were students of color in the community, their race was rarely, if ever, a source of conflict. The unfortunate outcome, however is that in being "Color Blind," and believed that everyone is being treated the same. In reality, the outcome does not celebrate the uniqueness of those same ethnic groups. The bigger implication in my work will be the study of the blending of economic classes. Prior to the consolidation of the schools, Rainier had numerous rural one to four room schoolhouses. Each school had its own distinct area of the county and each group was resistant to blending with the others. This was an area of generational poverty. Families were land rich and money poor.

In the early 1970's, when Portland General Electric began construction on the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, there were the beginnings of a local population explosion. The first group to come to the community was the more transient construction workers. Their jobs were finite in nature, many did not bring their families and businesses opened to accommodate their needs, some of these businesses, like the "Diss Stop Inn Topless Bar," were in conflict with schools, but somewhat socially accepted or at least tolerated by the community. Once completion of the energy plant drew closer, higher end home construction increased and the permanent workers of the power plant began to move into the area. The blending of these cultures, while not necessarily ethnic in nature, was awkward and uncomfortable for many.

In his book, Growing Up American, Peshkin (1978) studies the relationships between students and their high school, and that school and its community. To this end, Peshkin used on-site interviews, tapes, diaries, and minutes of school board meetings. This study of the Rainier School District will follow a similar format. The school district in Growing Up American was smaller than Rainier, having approximately 2,200 residents and slightly more than 500 students in a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade.

Rather than describing the school structure, the study was developed through the perspective of the people who experienced it; students, teachers, parents, board members, and others described their opinions and feelings toward their school and the type of education they received. Peshkin's work strengthens the theory that the rural school and community are closely related; when a school is removed, the community is likely to disappear. After the closure of Trojan and the passage of Ballot Measure 5, 3 schools in the Rainier School District were closed. Their sub-communities had to fight to re-establish themselves as viable members of the school district. Even though schools are designed for students, the impact on the community greater on their culture and identity than the impact on the students themselves.

"Teachers vs. Technocrats" (Wolcott, 1978) is a study of the random introduction of a change effort into a school district and the subsequent turmoil it created. Wolcott, from the University of Oregon, found it interesting to investigate the unique subdivision of education in the United States and the clash of its culture with the larger context of business in this country. The clash of cultures in Rainier; the generational residents, the migrant workers and the new regional immigrants who represented a higher economic stratum did have tumultuous issues as described in this book.

One of the cultural challenges for Rainier was the change in clientele. The staff of the various regional school districts as well as the Union High School had to adjust to a broader depth of student ability and higher expectations from parents and families. "Among School Children" (Tracy Kidder, 1989) is an account of a teacher's fifth grade classroom at a school in Massachusetts for an entire year. Through his observations, Kidder explains the challenges and difficulties that the teacher went through working in a poor neighborhood in the United States. He uses this teacher's story as a larger comment on the American school system as a whole. The case study that I will present will reflect the style of storytelling represented in this book.

Description of the Study Approach

As noted in the introductory chapter, this is a case study concerning the rapid rise and decline of revenue within the Rainier School District in Oregon State. Because the overall focus of the study was on this specific district, the methodology employed was qualitative research that included a review of the relevant secondary literature together with primary research in the form of interviews of past and present of board members and present and past superintendents. This methodology was used to identify those leadership qualities that are most salient in navigating a school district during periods of economic downturns. The goal of this research methodology was to determine those characteristics that can be identified as the most important leadership qualities that can be used as a set of best practices by other similarly situated school districts across the country.

Although there are a number of social research methods available to the qualitative researcher, including historical methodology, ethnography, phenomenology, hermeneutics, grounded theory and action research (Burton & Steane, 2004), the case study methodology was deemed best suited for the purposes of dissertation. This case study provides a historical perspective on the rise, fall and subsequent stabilization of this district using a "Boom and Bust" framework. It comprehends a first-person narrative of the events that lead up to the consolidation of this district into one entity, the subsequent closure of numerous schools, the reorganization of the district numerous times over a historically short period and the continued success of its students and pride from the community.

As a case study, the research was primarily qualitative in nature; however, historical quantitative data was also used to augment the findings. This approach is congruent with the guidance provided by Dennis and Harris who emphasize, "Ideally, an effective research project should incorporate both primary and secondary data" (p. 39). The integration of both primary and secondary data makes the case study approach particularly useful for a single school district such as Rainier. For example, Neuman (2003) advises that the case study approach is "research in which one studies a few people or cases in great detail" (p. 530).

Case studies are also able to develop an in-depth analysis of a specific topic, thereby making this research approach highly appropriate for the purposes of this study. For instance, Feagin, Orum and Sjoberg (1991) note that, "The study of the single case or an array of several cases remains indispensable to the progress of the social sciences" (p. 1). Moreover, Feagin and his associates also emphasize that, "The case study offers the opportunity to study these social phenomena at a relatively small price, for it requires one person, or at most a handful of people, to perform the necessary observations and interpretation of data, compared with the massive organizational machinery generally required by random sample surveys and population censuses" (1991, p. 2).

In sum, the research will provide insights in the following areas:

1. The establishment of a larger school district through consolidation.

2. The historical perspective of consolidation and growth of this district.

3. The effect of the economic "Boom" brought to the district through the establishment of a major energy producing plant.

4. The effect of the loss of that same revenue stream less than 20 years later.

5. The compounded effect of Ballot Measure 5 to Oregon School Districts

6. The effect of the repeated reorganization of the district through the "Bust."

7. The impact of the recent recession on this district

8. The resilience of the staff, students and community through this economic adversity.

The research methodology will include survey techniques as well as interviews and semi-structured interviews, as appropriate, with the population of interest which is described further below.

Data-gathering Method and Database of Study

The communities that comprise the Rainier School District include Fern Hill, Hudson, Alston, Apiary, Goble, and Prescott (Rainier School District No. 13, 2012). According to the district's Web site: "Rainier is surrounded by a number of rural communities. In the past, these places acted as separate communities. Today, most businesses and services have left these rural sites and the communities are part of a large unincorporated area that receives services out of Rainier" (Rainier School District No. 13, 2012, para. 2). During the mid-seventies, these rural districts (many of which had their own schools) were consolidated into the current Rainier School District No. 13 (Rainier School District No. 13, 2012).

Today, Rainier School District serves about 1,000 students (Williams, 2010) at Rainier Junior/Senior High, Hudson Park Elementary and North Columbia Academy. Although each of these facilities has its own unique set of challenges, there are some quantifiable metrics that are involved that can help illuminate where educational leadership is making a difference with respect to academic outcomes. For instance, the Rainier School District has managed to make progress and sustain it across the entire spectrum of performance measures despite the challenges that are associated with boom and bust cycles in school funding as shown in Figures 1 through 7 below.

Figure 1. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 3 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Figure 2. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 4 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Figure 3. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 5 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Figure 4. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 6 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Figure 5. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 7 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Figure 6. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 8 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Figure 7. Rainier School District OAKS Scores: Grade 10 (2010)

Key:

Blue:

Rainier School District 13

Grey:

Oregon

Source: Rainier School District 13 at http://www.trulia.com/school-district/or-Columbia_ County/Rainier_School_District_13/

Notes:

In 2009-2010 Oregon used the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) to test students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 in reading and math; in grades 4, 7 and 10 in writing; and in grades 5, 8 and 10 in science. The OAKS is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Oregon. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2 above, in grade three, Rainier is outperforming the Oregon state average in math and reading (slightly), with more pronounced performance in grade 4 where the math and reading scores are significantly higher than the state average. Likewise, Figure 3 also shows higher performance levels for grade 5 (slightly) and high scores for science, and Figure 4 shows grade 6 on par with the state average in math and a higher performance level in reading. By contrast, Figures 5 and 6 indicates that grades 7 and 8 are struggling in both math and reading compared to the state average. Finally, Figure 7 indicates that grade 10 students are significantly outperforming the state average in math, but is at a slight disadvantage in its reading scores.

Likewise, there are some important qualitative leadership attributes that can be discerned only through primary research. For example, Innes (2004) emphasizes that, "Few specific questions about teaching can be answered directly by research" (p. 32). With respect to the leadership qualities that are necessary to guide Rainier School District through these challenging times, Williams (2010) reports that outgoing district superintendent, Dennis Friedrich, cited several initiatives during his tenure as contributing to the district's success, including the passage of tax levies and a construction bond, as well as early gains on standardized test scores and the stabilization of district finances, which were "shaky" when he assumed office. Since that time, the Oregon legislature has made what some observers term "short-sighted and shameful decisions" concerning educational funding (Wittenstein, 2010). Therefore, by drawing on both quantitative as well as qualitative resources, this study seeks to identify common themes and trends that can serve as a set of best practices for other similarly situated school districts faced with challenging times during periods of economic downturn known as busts, particularly when these periods have followed hard on the heels of periods of economic boom where commitments have been made and the need for innovative funding mechanism has become especially important for educational leaders today. Although it would be disingenuous to suggest that any single or even set of leadership attributes is most contributory in promoting improved educational outcomes, it is reasonable to suggest that there are some attributes that are cited more often than others by the affected stakeholders and there are instruments available for this purpose, including Bolman and Deal's (2000) educational leadership survey which will be used in this study. A proforma copy of the Educational Leadership Survey is provided at Appendix a.

Finally, the interviews and semi-structured interviews, as appropriate, with educational administrators and teachers will be conducted telephonically or face-to-face at the discretion of the interviewee and the geographic considerations and travel time that are involved.