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Merger vote likely
Signatures necessary to put school merger on ballot verified
By TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
Klamath Falls City Schools district residents will likely vote in March on whether to merge their district with the Klamath County School District.
The Klamath County clerk’s office verified Wednesday that activists collected the necessary 500 signatures to put merger on the ballot. Linda Smith, county clerk, said she would forward the petitions to the Southern Oregon Education Service District, which must officially order an election.
Clerks also are verifying signatures collected in the county school district. Activists turned in 510 signatures on Friday.
Only if city district voters do not reject merger would the county district vote.
The boundary board of the Southern Oregon ESD has approved both a merger plan and a boundary realignment that would resolve an overlap attendance area shared by the districts. The overlap is where students attend county elementary schools and then transfer to city high schools.
Merger overrides boundary realignment because it has a broader impact. But registered voters in each district can file petitions protesting merger and place the issue on the ballot.
Presenting signatures
Petitioners plan to deliver verified signatures from the city district to the service district office in Medford today or Wednesday. The group submitted about 700 signatures to the clerk for verification, but collected about 1,500 total, said Karin Brookshire, a chief petitioner.
Five hundred signatures from registered voters in a district are required for the petitions to be forwarded to the service district and placed on the ballot. The petitions must qualify for the ballot by Dec. 9.
“I think people want to see the democratic process go forward,” Brookshire said.
More than 500
Petitioners had collected more than 500 signatures for the county petition as of Monday, and Brookshire said they would continue to seek more.
Steve Boyarsky, superintendent for the Southern Oregon ESD, said the boundary board would meet Dec. 17 to order an election for merger in the city district. If enough signatures are verified for the petition in the county district, that election also will be ordered.
The Klamath County clerk’s office verified Wednesday that activists collected the necessary 500 signatures to put merger on the ballot. Linda Smith, county clerk, said she would forward the petitions to the Southern Oregon Education Service District, which must officially order an election.
Clerks also are verifying signatures collected in the county school district. Activists turned in 510 signatures on Friday.
Only if city district voters do not reject merger would the county district vote.
The boundary board of the Southern Oregon ESD has approved both a merger plan and a boundary realignment that would resolve an overlap attendance area shared by the districts. The overlap is where students attend county elementary schools and then transfer to city high schools.
Merger overrides boundary realignment because it has a broader impact. But registered voters in each district can file petitions protesting merger and place the issue on the ballot.
Presenting signatures
Petitioners plan to deliver verified signatures from the city district to the service district office in Medford today or Wednesday. The group submitted about 700 signatures to the clerk for verification, but collected about 1,500 total, said Karin Brookshire, a chief petitioner.
Five hundred signatures from registered voters in a district are required for the petitions to be forwarded to the service district and placed on the ballot. The petitions must qualify for the ballot by Dec. 9.
“I think people want to see the democratic process go forward,” Brookshire said.
More than 500
Petitioners had collected more than 500 signatures for the county petition as of Monday, and Brookshire said they would continue to seek more.
Steve Boyarsky, superintendent for the Southern Oregon ESD, said the boundary board would meet Dec. 17 to order an election for merger in the city district. If enough signatures are verified for the petition in the county district, that election also will be ordered.
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bee wrote on Dec 2, 2008 7:15 PM: