*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 106 Issue 1 of our news magazine, Amplifier.

Since the 2024-2025 school year, the West Linn-Wilsonville (WLWV) school district has cut more than $20 million from its budget. Rising insurance costs, changes to federal grants, inflation, and limitations in the state’s education funding have driven these reductions. As a result, the district has made staff cuts and announced the closure of Bolton and Stafford primary schools.

Since her freshman year, Maryam Al Medyadi, junior, has been involved in the WLWV Educational Equity Advisory Committee, a group composed of community members, students, teachers, and the district’s superintendent. The committee began in 2024, and each student involved has a two-year term. In their monthly meetings, the committee examines the district’s policies and changes through an equality perspective to address obstacles, including racism and bias, and as of recently, budgeting.

“We had a meeting on the closure of the primary schools due to budgeting and low attendance,” Al Medyadi said. “For us, we were trying to make sure that the new bus routes would get to each kid, and there were resources for everyone, like kids who lived within a mile radius of school but required wheelchair assistance. So, in this [example], we had to make sure every kid had equality and equity, and got to school.”

Outside of the school closures and staff reductions, other consequences of the budget cuts include larger class sizes, furlough days, and the district’s preschool program potentially being suspended temporarily. There has been some pushback from those affected, such as when teachers and administrators participated in a walk-in on May 1 of last year, and when an effort was made to recall the WLWV school board members.

“One thing that I really appreciated about our district was that they had a bunch of meetings with parents and students who would be impacted by the closures,” Al Medyadi said. “I really appreciate how they’re being super transparent and trying to make this the smoothest transition possible. I know it’s really difficult to deal with budget cuts, but from my perspective and with all the information I have, I can see that the district is working really hard to make sure that they’re being as fair and as considerate as possible.”

In response to the budget cuts, the WLWV School Foundation was founded last year to provide financial support to those affected. The organization operates independently of the district and is run by a range of community members, parents, former teachers, and others. Through fundraisers and donations, it aims to hire back teachers and educators who were previously laid off. 

Almost a year before the foundation was officially created, a temporary launch committee served its mission and purpose. Kat Granum, secretary, was a part of this committee and now serves on the organization’s executive board.

“I have three kids in the district, and some of my best friends are educators in the district, so I’ve heard from a teacher’s perspective how hard it is for them to provide what the kids need because the resources are pretty strapped right now,” Granum said. “They don’t have enough paraeducators in the classrooms to help kids with behavioral needs. I have also heard that teachers have had to take days off just to grade papers because they have so many kids in their classes.”

The foundation was recently named a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, meaning it only serves the public rather than generating profit for its owners. To achieve this, the organization hired an attorney last year and created a mission statement, vision, and bylaws to submit an application to the federal government. 

“We actually got certified a lot sooner than we thought we were going to because there had been a variety of government shutdowns over the past year, and we submitted our application during one of those periods,” Granum said. “We expected it to take six months to a year to get approval, but it only took about three months. We were excited but also kind of caught off guard because it meant we really had to hit the ground running and focus.”

On May 1, the School Foundation will host a launch gala at the Oregon Golf Club to raise money through auctions and ticket sales to increase community involvement. The organization has a fundraising goal of $75,000 for this event and has already received over $25,000. These donations will be handled with the rest of their funding, which is stored in a savings account. An allocation subcommittee then works with the district, teachers’ union, and educational board to decide how to distribute the money. 

“For the gala, we’re actively searching for sponsors and donations, but we’re constantly fundraising as well,” Granum said. “All the feedback I’ve heard [from the community] has been really positive, especially when they hear we are independent from the board, because our goal is to bridge the communication gap there and bring everyone together to fight for our kids and educators. Everybody’s been super excited and supportive. We’ve met with the teachers union, the district, and the board all separately, and all three of the groups are really excited that we’re here.”

To learn more about the WLWV School Foundation and its upcoming launch gala, visit its website. Early bird pricing for the gala ends April 14, and a donations page is always available on their website.