West Linn mayor weighs in talks of future school closures

Like many people in West Linn, Mayor Rory Bialostosky was surprised to hear that a local elementary school could be closed.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Wow, it sounds like there's a risk that at least one or more elementary schools will be closed or consolidated,’” said Bialostosky. “I started thinking about the impacts of folks losing their neighborhood schools. A lot of folks in West Linn move into neighborhoods for the purpose of sending their kids to one of the schools.”

Attending West Linn schools is part of what shaped Bialostosky’s dedication to the city. He attended four West Linn-Wilsonville School District schools: Willamette and Cedaroak Park for elementary school, then Athey Creek Middle School and West Linn High School.

“I recognize the city has its lane — we provide municipal services,” Bialostosky said. “The school district has their domain over education and providing schools. This is going to be a school district decision. The city, you know as City Council and the city of West Linn as an organization, is implicated as community members are coming to us expressing concerns, but I would encourage folks to contact the school board. I think they are, from what I understand.”

Many community members have questioned the ten-year enrollment projection prepared for the school district by an outside firm, FLO Analytics, which estimated in both its moderate and low-growth forecasts that West Linn enrollment would plateau and steadily decline over the next decade.

“I can just see that our community members are smart and they understand the issues. The parents are going to advocate for their students and they make good points,” said Bialostosky. “They’re taking a really strong look at the actual analytics.”

Some question the validity of using census data from the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many students left the district and never returned. Others say it feels like many new families are moving into their neighborhoods.

“It starts with building and having more housing. Finding space for that is hard; we don’t have room to grow like Wilsonville, but we have room to grow up and not out as much anymore,” said Bialostosky.

Ultimately, Bialostosky is hopeful about the prospect of future growth in West Linn. Vision43, the city’s plan for developing the 3.3-mile corridor that connects West Linn and Lake Oswego, is often mentioned by community members as an example of development in the city. However, Vision43 can’t impact an enrollment forecast because it is still in early stages of development.

“I’m sure we’re going to be called on to make some comments and we may do that, but overall I just want to make sure people are routed to the right place which is the school board, superintendent and others at the school district,” said Bialostosky. “I hope that the schools and others will listen and take their concerns seriously.”

Bialostosky’s advice for West Linn residents making their appeal to the school board? Be honest and tell your story.

“Telling stories about how important and impactful these schools are for the students (is helpful),” said Bialostosky.