Oregon's rural schools look to charter status to survive | OregonLive.com

Oregon's rural schools look to charter status to survive | OregonLive.com

Oregon's rural schools look to charter status to survive

Published: Friday, December 17, 2010, 9:00 PM Updated: Friday, December 17, 2010, 11:18 PM

By Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian
Follow

Share12

ShareEmailPrint

View full sizeBenjamin Brink/The OregonianRecess is over at Elkton's elementary school building and the children are ready to rush in for their next adventure of the day singing carols around town. Children come to Elkton's elementary program from up to 40 minutes away. Behind the covered play area is a trail that leads to the schools learning lab part of the 1200 feet along the Umpqua River that Elkton plans to use as outdoor classrooms.

ELKTON -- White Christmas blasts from a boombox in the corner of Elkton's high school cafeteria as teenagers wearing Santa hats fill plates with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy.

After having their fill, parents and board members watch in amusement as students and staff descend on a table of gifts, tearing off bows and digging through gift bags to find puzzle books, flashlights, hoof picks, bath soaps and overflowing tins of cookies and chocolates.

For at least 30 years, the people of Elkton have kicked off winter break with a Christmas community lunch and gift exchange.

But it's a tradition that two years ago many feared would be lost. When newly hired superintendent Mike Hughes arrived in this town overlooking the Umpqua River in 2008, Elkton School District was dying.

With dwindling enrollment and a state funding crisis, Hughes told community members the 130-student K-12 school -- split between two buildings -- would likely have to close its doors within