For schools districts from Florence to Brookings, and throughout Coos County, $558,742 is a nice chunk of change.

South Coast schools will receive approximately $558,742 of the $23 million to be distributed statewide through the Common School Fund this year.

The Common School Fund is provided by profits from state lands, that help support the 198 public school districts throughout Oregon. The funds for each school district is determined based on the number of children and young people, aged 4 to 20 years old in each county.

2006 will be the first year the Oregon Department of Education is sending revenues directly to the school districts, rather than sending funds to the 36 counties to be redistributed.

“Common School Funds make a difference for Oregon's school districts,” Susan Castillo, state superintendent of Public Instruction, said in a press release. “Whether it's a million dollars a year or a few thousand dollars, these funds are critical to each district's budget. Every single dollar counts in the effort to ensure all students are successful.”

The lands and resources that finance the Common School Fund include nearly 644,000 acres of rangeland and agricultural land; 500 acres of industrial, commercial, and residential lands; about 133,000 acres of forest land; 800,000 acres of waterways; estates with no known heirs or beneficiaries; and assorted unclaimed properties, such as abandoned funds, accounts, unclaimed checks and safe deposit boxes.

A large part of the forestlands are in the Elliot State Forest, a 93,564-acre forest between the Umpqua and the Coos rivers, through Douglas and Coos counties.

“The Elliot State Forest is one the primary funding sources for the Common School Fund,” said Julie Curtis, with the Oregon Department of State Lands. “Sixty percent of all the revenue come from forest lands, and the bulk of that is the Elliot State Forest.”

Annual distributions from the Common School Fund have ranged from $9 million to $40 million depending on board policies and market conditions. The state constitution requires the resources be used to obtain the greatest benefit for the Oregonians, consistent with conserving the lands and resources through sound techniques and land management.