A growing demand for grants, rising college tuition costs and the inability to generate sufficient revenue has forced the Clemens Foundation to significantly reduce what it can offer through its tuition grant program, the organization announced.
The Philomath School District was notified through a letter from the foundation’s board of trustees that it will discontinue the tuition grant program for four-year colleges and universities in 2025 but added that it plans to continue awarding grants to attend trade schools and community colleges.
“We understand that this decision will cause frustration and disappointment with communities that have benefited from the Clemens Foundation Tuition Grant program,” the board wrote in the letter to the school district. “Current students’ grants will not be affected by this decision and the Clemens Foundation will continue to honor the tuition grants it has awarded. If a student is currently receiving a tuition grant, such grant will continue.”
The graduating class of 2025 will be the last group of seniors eligible to apply for the four-year college or university grants. The program will no longer offer new tuition grants beginning June 30, 2025.
“It’s a little disheartening after such a long history but also taking a look at the foundation and their income, what their priorities are and where they want to be, this has been their board’s determination on how they want to move forward,” Philomath Superintendent of Schools Susan Halliday told School Board members Thursday night.
Rex and Ethel Clemens, a successful timber industry couple with no children of their own, established the foundation in the 1960s to cover the cost of tuition for any graduate of Philomath High School. Through the decades, the grants have helped thousands of college-bound students not only in Philomath but also Alsea, Eddyville and Crane.
“Rex and Ethel and the foundation itself have just been huge within the community,” Halliday said.
The foundation attached residency restrictions to the awards beginning in the 1990s and in the following years, various requirements became a part of an application process.
“While we are tremendously proud of the success of the tuition grant program of the Clemens Foundation and the achievements of the students, it has been a struggle for the foundation to keep up with the growing demand for the tuition grants along with the ever-increasing college tuition costs in the United States,” the foundation board wrote. “Meanwhile, the foundation has been negatively affected by the economic downturn, starting with the 2008 recession and continuing with the COVID-19 pandemic and it is no longer generating sufficient income to support the tuition grant program with the same level of demand on a long-term basis.”
Board members expressed their appreciation for what the Clemens Foundation awards have meant over the years.
“The Clemens family has gifted this community immensely,” School Board member Sandi Hering said. “Rex and Ethel didn’t have children. I mean, it started with them and it’s gone on with my kids — both got through college with Clemens scholarships. What a gift, what a gift.”
Board members Erin Gudge and Rick Wells had similar perspectives.
“It’s just been a gift for so, so many people,” Gudge said. “It is sad to see it — it’s not ending — shrink down to another level. I’m happy they’re still going to continue funding for kids going to community college (and trade schools) … it’s so important.”
Said Wells, the School Board chair, “My family’s benefited from it in the past. It’s sad that it’s coming to an end … but I am glad that they are supporting tech and the trade schools. … A huge thanks to those people that have been involved in that for so many years and helping the students not only in Philomath but the other districts that are involved with Clemens Foundation.”
In other news out of the Feb. 29 School Board meeting:
• The board unanimously approved a 2024-25 school year calendar. Students in grades 2, 6 and 9 begin with a half-day on Sept. 3 and all students attend a full day on Sept. 4. Classes would end on June 12, unless makeup days are necessary from inclement weather earlier in the school year. Students will have no classes from Nov. 27-29 during Thanksgiving week. The winter break runs Dec. 23-Jan. 3 and spring break runs March 24-28.
• The board approved a proposal by Halliday to pause the district’s acceptance of incoming transfer students through the end of the academic year. Halliday asked for the action to allow the district to evaluate its current student population. Enrollment has grown by 68 students since 2022-23. “What we want to do is get a handle on who do we have as we look forward to next year to be able to predict our time schedule … we don’t want to over-accept (incoming transfers) and get caught not being able to serve our own students,” Halliday said, adding that the action is temporary “to be able to make sure we have a while system in place and then be able to continue to move forward.”
• Halliday went through a review of state requirements for instructional minutes. In a related topic, the board decided to take a look at how to schedule remaining makeup days at its March meeting. One makeup day already occurred and two more remain to be scheduled.
• Halliday reviewed an English Learners state report with Philomath-specific details. The school district currently has 16 students in the English Learners program.
• The board unanimously approved a local service plan with the Linn Benton Lincoln Education Service District. LBL school districts include Alsea, Central Linn (Halsey), Corvallis, Greater Albany, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Lincoln County (Newport), Monroe, Philomath, Santiam Canyon (Mill City), Scio and Sweet Home. Core services included those in the areas of special education, technology support, school improvement and administration.
• The board approved a resolution to accept $623,000 in additional funding from the State School Fund, an amount greater than what had been originally budgeted.
• The board approved a resolution to accept $372,000 in special revenue grant funds that were greater than what had been budgeted for the Early Literacy Grant and Student Investment Account grant allocations for 2023-24.
• The board approved Philomath Academy as an alternative education program, an annual state requirement.
• Gudge discussed with David Dunham, high school student leadership adviser, ideas on moving forward with selecting a student board representative for 2024-25. Raegan McKinney currently serves in the position.
• The board approved a consent agenda that included an out-of-state trip request for the cheerleading program, personnel staffing adjustments, past meeting minutes and a list of bills.
• McKinney, student body representative; and Dunham, Philomath Education Association co-president, provided reports to the board.
• Kings Valley Charter School’s Mark Hazelton and Diana Barnhart attended the meeting to answer questions about its annual report. Philomath serves as the sponsoring school district for KVCS.
• In addition to the news about the Clemens Foundation Scholarship, Halliday’s superintendent’s report covered various other topics, including a rundown of the district’s upcoming standardized testing season.
• Prior to the regular meeting, the board met in executive session for roughly two hours for executive officer job evaluation purposes.
