Alex Gough is editor-in-chief at the student newspaper for Crescent Valley High School, The Crescent Crier. He has written this commentary pursuant to an editorials he had published at The Crier. We believe it is a highly valuable read.
My last editorial struck a nerve. It reached nearly 20,000 views and was shared across Facebook, Reddit, Nextdoor, Corvallis radio and beyond. While some have said, “That’s a really well written and thoroughly researched article.” and “Seriously. This kid will be a fantastic data journalist if he chooses to be. Amazing work” others have commented I am peddling a conspiracy theory. Some say not to write while angry—but when I see opportunities vanish and beloved educators cut while Ryan Noss receives an $80,000 raise, anger feels justified. So today, I want to follow up on these comments and introduce data to show the situation the district faces as a whole, not just Crescent Valley.
At the April 10th School Board meeting, a concerned elementary parent asked two hard hitting questions to Ryan Noss and the board. The first was why are executive administrators receiving their 3% CostOfLivingAdjustment? (To be clear I believe COLA is important for every staff member) She brought up that Samaritan, who is also in a budget deficit, temporarily lowered executive salaries until their deficit was over. The second question challenged the District Budget FAQ which states, “HOW DOES OUR LEVEL OF STAFFING IN THE DISTRICT OFFICE COMPARE TO OTHER LIKE-SIZED DISTRICTS? The District is currently in the process of gathering this data and will have information to share during the budget process.” the speaker was surprised that they had no information on this. I did research these numbers in a previous editorial and found that Corvallis has an insanely high district office admin to student ratio (higher than any other major school district in the state). This means we have many more admin compared to our student population.
Corvallis Schools are facing a massive crisis of enrollment and the money that follows. We have been told we are just ahead of the curve that the state and nation is experiencing. Some have punted the responsibility to the city, county, or state. We often hear the words housing and birth rates as reasoning for the millions of dollars our School Board will have to cut. Not many have challenged this narrative. A narrative that has left out large and crucial elements of declining enrollment in our district.
No one’s denying that housing hasn’t been built at the scale Corvallis needs. We have a housing shortage, or an affordable housing shortage rather, which has led to many families not being able to afford Corvallis. However, the Corvallis School District has willingly ignored major factors for families leaving the district while engaged in a chase for their self righteous policy goals.
In that same Budget FAQ released by the district they include the question, “WHY IS ENROLLMENT DECLINING IN CSD?” In their response to this community question they include two factors: Declining birth rates and unaffordability of Corvallis housing. No mention of transfers and private/charter school enrollment. This omission is deeply concerning and raises questions about the district’s transparency and accountability. I wouldn’t make these remarks without data so let’s dive into the numbers.
Philomath School District Transfers
Philomath has accepted many student transfers including from Corvallis. Superintendent Susan Halliday noted a notable increase in transfer approvals according to the Philomath News. For the current school year Corvallis has seen 87 students transfer out with transfer in rates at 36. Data for previous years has not been provided. Community members suggest these shifts stem from controversial CSD policies like “inclusive math.” One parent wrote: “That is also discouraging. I think a lot of this has to do with the “inclusive math”/leveling – parents expressed huge concern over this policy and fled the district.”
Private School Enrollment
In 2013-2014 private school enrollment of students in the 509j boundaries was 10.1 percent. In 2023-2024 it is 15.5%. To put that in student amounts, the year I entered the Corvallis School District as a first grader (2013) private school enrollment for in-district students was 640 according to district enrollment reports on boardbook. Last school year, that number clocked in at 1248. This is almost double.
The district tries to smudge the numbers in their Budget FAQ but their own public data betrays their platitudes. Santiam has added a class per grade since 2022. The Catholic school has opened their new high school wing. This is apparent: families are choosing private schools over CSD.
Charter School Enrollment and Home Schooling
Charter school enrollment has increased by 119% since 2013-2014 for in-district charter, out-of-district, and virtual charter schools. The local charters had 143 students from our boundaries in 2013 which increased to 341 for the 2023 school year.
Homeschool enrollment is less glaring and reflects a national increase in homeschooling. Here is the data nevertheless: In 2013 it was at 182 and in 2023 it increased to 232.
The fact that these were not included as enrollment factors on the budget FAQ shows to me that the district will not accept their failures and work to address solutions. Hundreds of families have been angered by math and literature standardization for 5th-7th and 6th-8th grades respectively. Others have left because we have lowered academic achievement and rigor. Corvallis School District is no longer as competitive and opportunity-rich as it was a decade ago. And finally, the most recent slashes. Elementary Libraries: cut 33% to 66% depending on school. Elementary Arts: cut 50%. Behavior and mental health: cut at different and drastic levels across all levels.
Now let’s be clear. Benton County birth rates are no where near replacement levels. This coupled with housing not being built at the needed level have created the largest contributor to our declining enrollment. Despite this, hundreds of families are still choosing private, charter, and out-of-district public schools over CSD. We don’t hear mentions of the statistics from above. Instead we only hear about housing and birth rates. It’s time the district look at what they can help alleviate: reverse the exodus of families from CSD. The district loves to collect data and do studies so I ask, why not study this?
The Problem.
Covid-19 allowed the School District to get bloated on extra funds, less expenses, and no spotlight on district decisions (except those pertaining to the pandemic) Many things transpired in those years. The first and most problematic was executive salary raises. Ryan Noss earned $153,444 in 2021. He is now earning $230,174. This $80,000 raise is more than most make in our district. Additionally, at the SAME meeting that the board heard every CSD Librarian speak about the gravity of the cuts, they approved salary raises for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th highest paid executive members in the district. One of those being Melissa Harder (Assistant to the Superintendent). When I was doing research for my last editorial, I found that there was no Assistant Superintendent the last time the school district was closing schools. There was an Assistant to the Superintendent who likely made a lot less than Melissa Harder’s $167,000 salary. Despite these raises, Ryan Noss was awarded Superintendent of the Year by his fellow Oregon School Administrators. There should be accountability for these raises. The district has known they would be facing budget shortfalls and school closures yet the board wrote off salary increases every time they had them presented. This is shameful and is likely a reason the former Board Chair Sami Al-Abdrabbuh (who presided over these votes) is facing two challengers.
To address a popular sentiment that we need to pay administrators well to be competitive, I agree. We need to be attracting strong leadership. Without getting into a debate on if that’s what we have currently, to me our values as a district influence the values of our students. When they have library time cut in half (or more depending on school), loss of PARAs, and half the time in music and arts classes while simultaneously raising top admin salaries, that reflects a value system that prioritizes bureaucracy over direct student experience. If we want to teach our students that learning, creativity, and support matter, we need to invest in the people and programs that touch their lives every day.
Additionally, the removal of 5th through 7th advanced math and 6th through 8th advanced language arts courses were done under the cover of Covid-19. Many community members say this is why they transferred out or opted for private schools instead. One said that she can count 5 homes on her street of families who have moved to one of the local privates. Smaller decisions like the removal of valedictorian and salutatorian have possibly had marginal effects on enrollment as well. This combined with the behavior issues of the past few years, the cuts to student services, and the low reading and math proficiency have effectively eliminated Corvallis’ reputation as a city with some of the best schools in Oregon.
The district’s failure to acknowledge its own role in declining enrollment is not just frustrating: it’s dangerous. You cannot solve a problem you refuse to admit exists. The pattern is clear: families are leaving because of district decisions, not just because of Corvallis housing costs or state birth rates. They’re seeking rigor, opportunity, and responsiveness elsewhere. And instead of course-correcting, the district has doubled down on misguided priorities and cushy raises for upper admin.
In a time of supposed financial crisis, the people bearing the burden aren’t the ones at the top. They’re students, teachers, and classified staff. Our classrooms are losing IAs and EAs, libraries, arts programs, mental health support, and beloved educators. Meanwhile, a ballooning central office continues to operate mostly untouched and overstaffed.
This isn’t sustainable. And it isn’t right.
Students don’t get a do-over. We don’t get to wait around while the district “gathers data” that’s already publicly available or ignores the real reasons families are fleeing. We don’t have the luxury of watching opportunity drain out of our schools one cut at a time.
So here’s my challenge to the board, the district, and this community: Stop spinning. Start listening. Stop dismissing criticism as conspiracy. Start facing the facts. Stop protecting administrative comfort. Start protecting students.
Students don’t get a second chance. Neither should this board and superintendent.
This guest commentary is by Alex Gough, Editor-in-Chief of The Crescent Crier – it may or may not reflect the views of The Corvallis Advocate, or its management, staff, supporters and advertisers.
Correction and update: This article was updated on May 4th to amend inaccurate data concerning Philomath School District Enrollment/Transfers. Additionally, on May 2nd at 5 pm, the Corvallis School District released data on enrollment pertaining to transfers and private school enrollment. This data shows that increases in private schools in Corvallis boundaries were not majorly effected by CSD students and families. This story has been updated to reflect these changes.
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com