Hood River County’s school board members voted to make a tough, but prudent, decision Wednesday night to close Cascade Locks High School.
    The bottom line conclusion reached by the board was that it is too expensive to operate the high school. (The elementary school and middle school will remain open.)

Starting this fall, high school students in Cascade Locks must travel to Hood River to attend classes in the county schools (details on page A1).

Understandably, the board’s decision isn’t sitting well with some folks in Cascade Locks. And it shouldn’t. As is the case in most small towns, the high school is a source of pride for the community. It’s a gathering place; a magnet for social, academic and athletic activities.

The district committee that studied the issue was aware of that information. This wasn’t an easy decision for the committee to make — other than, perhaps, financially.

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Closing a high school is nothing new in Hood River County. There was emotional clamor when Parkdale High closed its doors in 1951 and students were bused to Wy’east High. Nineteen years later, both Wy’east and Hood River high schools became middle schools and all high school students were transferred to Hood River Valley High School.

Rural schools have been closed in other parts of the state, as well. In 2002-03 Eddyville High in Lincoln County closed as a public school, but it opened a year later as a charter school.

There’s another dynamic — a positive one — at work here vs. what went on in Eddyville. The Hood River district and school board did their due diligence in reaching a decision on Cascade Locks High School. They did studies, they held meetings, and then they came to the conclusion that the high school simply didn’t pencil out. That didn’t occur in Eddyville. Seven years ago, the Lincoln County School board blindsided parents and students by abruptly announcing they were closing the high school. As one might imagine, that didn’t sit too well with local residents. The majority of the school board was recalled. Folks in Eddyville opened their charter school a year later.

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A charter school is an option some in Cascade Locks are exploring. The scenarios of Eddyville and Cascade Locks are somewhat different. But it should be encouraging for school supporters in Cascade Locks to know that Eddyville has been successfully operating as a charter school the past six years; enrollment has grown from a little over 100 in grades K-12 to more than 200 today.

The emotional fallout of the Hood River School Board’s decision will subside. Hopefully, heightened involvement in the educational decision-making process in Cascade Locks will continue. When that occurs, it’s a win-win for students and parents, alike.