By ESTHER K. SMITH
News staff writer
May 31, 2007

Class size and seismology are just two factors driving a new facilities effort by the Hood River County School District.

The board of directors met this week and heard a report from a public relations firm the district hired last month to help develop a strategic communication plan that deals in part with informing the public about the district’s facilities challenges.

Also, the board approved an agenda for its May 31 work session on relieving school crowding. The board will discuss ways to deal with the current shortage of learning space at each of the district’s nine schools, and look at possibilities for facilities improvements.

According to a long-range facilities study done last year, the district may need to add up to 47 more classrooms by 2015. Every school except Parkdale Elementary will need new classrooms if no new schools are built, the study concluded.

The meeting, to be held at 6:30 p.m. at the district office board room (1011 Eugene St.) is open to the public.

Superintendent Pat Evenson-Brady also told the board that a mandated study of the earthquake-worthiness of each school in the district showed that only three of the buildings were judged to be worthy: Hood River Valley High School (built in 1970), Westside Elementary (built in 1970) and Pine Grove Elementary (built in 1923).

“All other schools were considered to have some problems,” she said. “But I don’t believe any of them were judged to be in imminent danger.” She noted that risk of earthquakes in this area is not very high.

Jim Randall and Bill Dixon of Randall-Dixon Public Relations presented the communication plan they developed after studying the district and its communication challenges. They recommended that the school district pursue the following communication goals over the next 18 months:

n Strengthen communication about workplace issues;

n Build communication about potential ballot measures.