ELMIRA, Ore. – Parents in the Fern Ridge School District are pushing back against a plan to split elementary students between two campuses starting in fall 2027.
On Sept. 21, the Fern Ridge School Board voted 3-2 to reconfigure its two elementary schools. Under the new plan, Veneta Elementary will become a K-2 school, while Elmira Elementary will become 3rd-5th grade. But parents say the change could hurt their kids and make life harder for working families.
“The initial reaction was just disappointment,” Hayden Henneman said. “I have a third grader and a kindergartner. My children, cousins will get split up, families will get split up.”…