Jewell School Goes to War: Taking on Oregon's Timber Slash in a No-Holds-Barred Legal Showdown

The scene is almost absurd, almost Shakespearean: a tiny, struggling school district standing defiantly against a massive conservation plan that’s about to gut its funding—maybe forever. We’re in the Jewell School District, a remote outpost in northwest Oregon, where logging dollars are the lifeblood of the budget. This is not your typical tale of fiscal woes; this is a high-stakes, 'bet the farm' scenario. The stakes? Millions. Specifically, Superintendent Cory Pederson predicts the district could lose up to $3 million in just the first year if the state implements its new Habitat Conservation Plan, which will slash logging revenues by 35% across 630,000 acres of state forest.

Jewell School District has always lived outside the normal boundaries of the state’s education system. Thanks to timber revenues, they have more than enough to fund their 124 students and 15 teachers without dipping into state funds. Their current budget sits at $4.3 million, about $680,000 more than what the state would give them under its equalization formula. Now, with the looming conservation plan, they’d be forced to cut back to $3.6 million—a 17% reduction. It’s like asking a Michelin-starred restaurant to thrive on a fast-food budget.

So, what does the school district do? They lawyer up. Enter John DiLorenzo, charging $955 an hour. That sounds insane—until you remember that the district has already thrown $148,000 at this legal battle, with no ceiling in sight. They’ll spend whatever it takes to keep that extra $680,000. DiLorenzo’s firm is not new to these woods (pun very much intended); in 2019, they went after the state for $1 billion over insufficient logging. That case didn’t fly, but this one? DiLorenzo says he’s confident they’ll win.

The district has other plans too. There's a $20 million investment fund, earmarked for infrastructure and future capital projects. But they aren’t leaning on it yet. Pederson says it’s unclear whether their timber-reliant community will even be able to afford future bond measures if the conservation plan chokes off their logging revenues.

But here’s the kicker: The state, led by Governor Tina Kotek, has promised that no school district will suffer financially. They’ll ensure Jewell gets its $3.6 million, just like any other district in Oregon. That’s not enough for DiLorenzo and the school’s administration. As DiLorenzo puts it, if there’s any endangered species in Oregon, it’s adequately educated kids. This fight isn’t just about money; it’s about principle, a fight for Jewell to retain its ability to meet state education quality standards.

What’s at the heart of all this chaos? The Western State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan, a 70-year initiative that aims to protect 17 threatened or endangered species across Oregon’s timber counties. For Jewell and its surrounding community, it feels like a death sentence. For the state, it’s a necessary step toward ecological preservation.

In the end, this lawsuit could determine the financial future of this tiny district. Or it could be yet another David-versus-Goliath tale, where David doesn’t quite hit the mark. Either way, the stakes are high, the players determined, and the outcome uncertain.

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