Overcrowding in the Schools by Ivy Garlow
The schools in Corvallis lack the room needed for the increasing size of the student body. In some aspect the schools in Corvallis have already outgrown their facilities and have turned to more creative solutions while they await a more permanent solution to the issue.
For the majority of the day, all the rooms in the Corvallis Elementary School are in use. In addition the original building being at max capacity, the school has had a two-room modular put in that is also over occupied. In the modular, also known as the portable classrooms, the class sizes are large.
The problems at Corvallis schools are caused by the growing population of the town of Corvallis located in the Bitterroot Valley. These problems are exaggerated at the elementary school by the installation of full day kindergarten.
The major problem at Corvallis middle school is the lack of space in the lunchrooms. The efficient lunchroom employees have approximately 7 seconds to serve each student. After being rushed through the lunch line, students often have difficulties finding a place to sit while they eat. For extra seating the middle school is using a large room with no windows as a second cafeteria.
At the high school, the overcrowding causes a problem mainly in the specialty classrooms. More space is needed for machines and students in the classes such as shop or welding. The machines are big and need appropriate room in order to operate safely.
There was a proposal made to the school district to expand the school system in Corvallis by adding a new building to house 5th and 6th graders, but they were unable to come up with the funds for this project. Wile the district searches for a more permanent solution; they will continue temporary problem solving.
Corvallis schools are in need of expansion to meet the needs of their current and future student population. For now the administrators are able to find temporary solutions to their problems, but will soon be in dire need of permanent solution.