Siletz Tribe Supports Siletz Valley School

Siletz Tribe Position On Potential School Closure

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (CTSI) has supported Siletz Valley

Chater School financially and programmatically since the signing of the charter in 2003. Even prior to 2003, the Siletz Tribal community has advocated to the Lincoln County School District (LCSD) for the fair treatment and distribution of resources for Siletz schoolchildren. As early as 1983, when the school district closed Siletz High School, the Tribal Council has strongly opposed the closure of educational institutions in Siletz.

Not only does a substantial proportion of the student population include Siletz Tribal Members, but having a K-12 program in Siletz itself fosters the overall social, economic, and cultural growth of the local community. Removing critical educational resources from the Siletz community and forcing students to access those resources elsewhere is not a viable path forward from the tribe’s perspective.

Under LCSD control, the Siletz school never received the same level of attention as other

institutions in the district. For example, the school buildings and grounds have been minimally updated since their construction in 1934, despite regular improvements to other district schools. Due to these and other barriers, the Siletz school was never truly given an opportunity to flourish. In an effort to balance these inequities, the Siletz Tribe has expended significant resources since the charter’s adoption in 2003. This is to ensure that Siletz schoolchildren have adequate institutions in which to learn and grow.

These resources have included $7.06 million from charitable donations and more from programming and cultural integration, in-kind and staff volunteers, and support for

proposals to improve the grounds and facilities for the school. Along with its financial woes, forcing Siletz schoolchildren to leave their local culture and community to attend school elsewhere sets them up for failure. Significant progress has been made in integrating local Siletz culture into the education and programming for these students, but that work is

not yet complete.

This progress should not be halted and instead the district should continue to invest

in expanding quality opportunities for the Siletz community, like the efforts made in other district institutions. Bussing our schoolchildren out of the community is not the option.

The Siletz community, in partnership with the tribe, has tried in earnest to run their own school for the children in and around Siletz. Despite their best efforts, successive school boards and administrators have been unsuccessful at maintaining charter compliance, educational benchmarks and financial stability for the Siletz Valley Charter School.

With gratitude, the tribe acknowledges the work that has taken place to rebuild trust and build partnership between LCSD and CTSI over the last six years, under the leadership of both Dr. Karen Grey and Dr. Majalise Tolan. While great strides have been made, there is still work to be done. The tribe also acknowledges the barriers Siletz Valley Charter School has faced and implores Lincoln County School District to take responsibility over efforts to maintain and improve the Siletz Valley Charter School, up to and including reintegration into the district. The Siletz school needs to be a Lincoln County School District school again. Our students deserve educational stability.