001We're going to call this meeting to an order. Manit School District number 54 uh May school board meeting. Stand for the pledge salute, please. >> Pick them all. All right. Point 1.0 addition additions and deletions approval of the agenda. We have four items. 3.11 to add the resignation of Jonah Ausberger to BHA sped assistant and 5.07 elect board chairperson. 5.08 superintendent resignation and 5.09 designate board member to work with OSBA to hire interim superintendent. Can I get a motion? For those additions of the approval agenda. Move that we approve the additions. Second. Second. All in favor? Unanimous. Uh 1.5 public input for items on the agenda. Nope, none this time. All right. Uh going on to consent agenda 2.01 approve regular board minutes for April 13th, 2026. We approve the board minute meetings. Minutes. >>
002Minutes. And meetings. Can I get a second? Second. Uh any discussion? All right. Call for a vote. All in favor? Man, it passes unanimously. 3.00 through 8. 3.11 is uh information there. Moving on to 4.0. Reports and discussions. All right. Um Here we are at complaints. As you are all aware, the board discussed a series of complaints uh following the March 9th school board meeting. These complaints were presented to the board and discussed in executive session held on April 13th. There were a total of six complaints present at that board meeting at that time. Is there any discussion of the board of member to the board members regarding those complaints? As we discussed in executive session, three of those complaints Oh. Okay, thank you. All right. Patience. As we discussed in the executive session, three
003of those complaints were attempting to revive or reinstate complaints that had been dismissed by this board on March 9th. The other complaints expressed frustration with how previous complaints are being handled or processed. I want to acknowledge that there have been delays in the processing of complaints, though this has been due in large part to the volume of complaints that the district and the board are receiving. We have a third-party investigator who is now actively working on the complaints that have been referred to him, and we expect to have a full and comprehensive report to the board before the end of the school year. The board is committing time and resources to address the concerns being brought to our attention. Thank you. Any other discussions on that item? All right, hearing none, we will move on
004to the next item on our agenda. uh those complaints will be uh emailed responses. Moving on to action items. Uh we're at pay the bills. 5.01 I move we pay the bills. Second. All in favor. Any discussion? Thank you. Passes. Um 5.02, accept the resignation of Briana Hutchins, position number six. Call for vote. Vote. Call for a second. Second. Any discussion? Briana. >> [laughter] >> Uh I would add the comment, I would say thank you for your time and your patience and your dedication to our schools and our students. And thank you for volunteering. Call for vote. All in favor of accepting the resignation. Passes. Uh 5.03, declare vacancy for board position number six. Can I get a motion? I move we declare the vacancy. Second. >> I'll second. All in favor. Passes. Board position
005number six is open. 5.04, accept resignation of Angela Cardis for position number five. Call for vote. I move we accept her resignation. Second. Once again, thank you for your years of dedication to our board. They have been valuable. And thank you for your continuing [clears throat] to volunteer all these many years. Your dedication is noted and um go Tigers. Passes. Oh, call for votes. Excuse me. Vote. All right. All four. 5.05 declare vacancy on board position number five. Call for a motion. I'm move we declare it vacant. Can I get a second? Second. All right. All in favor. Position five is board position five is open. Um looking at our board packets, uh 5.06 approve Manny Community Youth Center summer camp flyer. It's cute. They're the best people around. Support them 100%. Second three player.
006Excellent. Can I get a second? I'll second. You All in favor. Passes. All right. 5.07 elect chairperson. Our board chair has resigned. So, we can I move that we I mean I would like to see AJ I forget how to say that. I move for AJ to step into the role. To be nominated. Thank you, Shana. Yeah, he has been elected and he is certainly positive and forward 100% for the students and all the employees under the school district. And he is very non-adversarial. Surprisingly. And I just want to remind the board um this will only be for 1 month and then you do the reconfiguration in July or August when you meet. So, just so you know, this will be just for the June June board meeting. Yeah. So, that being said, I will
007be absent and unable to fulfill that position currently. So, I'll be present, but my constraints outside of work and life will not allow me to dedicate the time needed to be the chairperson. So. So, I will Because of Yeah, the board meeting will be at 4:00 next month because we have gradu- eighth grade graduation afterwards. Okay. And something else. Do I pull Do I pull it or do we just >> make a I I decline, so yeah. So. I'd like to nominate Troy. >> [laughter] >> Just for 1 month, Troy. >> second that. Any discussion? 1 month. It's 1 month. 1 month, I get Yes, I get All right. Call for a vote. All in favor of Troy taking chair. >> [laughter] >> Um just a point Okay. So, uh motion passes. My condolences. Uh
008Okay. Do we need to do vice chair. Okay. I stay on as vice. How about that? We can do this together. We can keep running the Oh, all right. Thank you. I'll keep running. Um Uh here we are at 5.08 superintendent superintendent resignation. I'll read the letter. Dear board members of the Bandon School District Board members of the Bandon School District Board, please accept this letter as my formal 60-day notice of resignation for my position as superintendent of Bandon School District. Based on this 60-day notice, my last day as superintendent would be July 7th, 2026. This notice is being provided in accordance with Oregon education educator resignation requirements under ORS guidelines and the term outlined within my employee contract. Serving the students, families, staff, families, and community of Bandon has been an opportunity and then
009excuse me, an important part of my professional journey. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to have led the district over the past several years. I'm proud of the work accomplished during my tenure and the collective efforts made to support students, strengthening systems, and moving towards uh moving the district forward. Together we have achieved meaningful progress including successful completion of key bond projects including the track and the bus barn, expansion and strengthening of early literacy efforts for students, growth in career and educational education the CTE courses offering, increased access to dual credit opportunities for students, implementation of systems to support consistency and success across programs and departments where structures previously did not exist. These accomplishments reflect the commitment of staff, students, and families and the board to continuous improvements and expand opportunities for students. After thoughtful
010reflection, I have determined that it is my time it is time for me to transition from my role. This decision was not made lightly. I have received recently been presented with future opportunities that align with my long-term goals and the passions in educational leadership. This is the right time for me to pursue those opportunities while ensuring the district has adequate time to plan uh thoroughly for a smooth leadership transition. For the next 60 days, I remain committed to ensuring the professional and orderly transition. I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities and support the district ongoing work in the best of my abilities. I sincerely appreciate the relationships I have built with students, staff, board members, and community members during my time at Bandon. I remain remain confident in the continued success success of the district
011and hopeful for its future. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Bandon School District. Sincerely, Shauna. Thank you for your your years of commitment to our district. They have been valuable and they've been very valuable and we appreciate all that you've done. Uh call for a motion forward [clears throat] to accept the resignation of our superintendent. So moved. Can I get a second? All in favor for accepting the resignation? Unanimous. Thank you. All right. 5.09 designate the board member to work with OSBA to hire interim superintendent. Who wants to talk to OSBA? They're fantastic people. They Oh, perfect. Uh Troywell, perfect. Uh call for a motion. Troy. Excellent, thank you. Can I get a second? Second. Excellent. All in favor? Thank you. Unanimous. All right, and Moving right along. Thank you. Now we're on
012to public input on items not on the agenda. Members, let's do our best to be civil and I will I'm pulling up my timer. So if you'll see me looking at my phone, it's because I am timing us. We have 3 minutes on the clock. Um we'll start with uh Lisa Watlington. Hi, my name is Lisa Watlington. I am Trent Hatfield's wife. He's a high school teacher, science. Got to get closer. Hello. Hello. I'm Lisa Watlington. I'm Trent Hatfield's wife. Um high school teacher at the I mean, science teacher at the high school. Um I'm speaking only as a concerned wife and citizen watching the crumbling and dismantling of the school district. Um a place where Mr. Hatfield has dedicated his entire professional career. He's been here long enough to teach children of previous students,
013which indicates to me that he absolutely loves his job, but also that we're getting very old. Nothing says community more than a school district. They serve families for generations. They aren't ephemeral or temporary. They're a pillar of a community with the opportunity and privilege to serve every child in a community regardless of income, race, party affiliation, sexual orientation, or background. And it provides this education free and fair. They are not divided and they do not function in a silo. Instead, they are diverse, cohesive, and function in and with the community. Children spend between 12,000 and 16,000 hours in a school district from K through 12. What a huge responsibility and privilege for the members of a school district, the school board, the teachers, diverse class, staff, administrators, parents, students, volunteers, everybody. A strong school district
014has transparent and effective leadership, a clear vision, high academic standards, and high family and community involvement. Bandon School District needs to get those values and characteristics back. BSD needs to get back to being proactive, developing man- and and maintaining relational trust, collaborating with stakeholders, modeling excellence, and mentoring others. Get back to what you have lost. Get back to a clear vision and one that has the Bandon kids at its core. The most important question in my view now is how does the Bandon School District get back out of this dark hole? Not can it do it, but how? And with that question comes the other obvious ones like what is the plan? Who is going to lead this healing process? And how is BSD going to show the community and most importantly the children of
015Bend that that it acknowledges mistakes, is capable of moving forward, and can get everyone back on the same team. And that team is team kids. It is in bold, bright letters, team kids. No other team. Team kids. And it's up to the school board to ensure that BSD returns to having a clear and shared vision, effective leadership, and a robust engagement community engagement. Thank you. Thank you very much. Scott Berg. Yes, sir. Three minutes. Uh I'm here tonight to talk about uh the suspended teacher still under investigation. Um because I have only three minutes, uh that's all I will address tonight, although I do have a lot of concerns. Please eat the mic. Can you hear me? There, thank you. Uh it came to my attention uh that uh other students have come forward with
016accusations against the same teacher who had highly inappropriate conversations with my granddaughter her sophomore year in high school. Others in the family, in my family, have suffered abuse from this person as well. Mhm. I have heard that this teacher has said the events with these girls were merely dress code violations he was addressing. If this is so, then why in my granddaughter's case, after start staring at her while she was stretching at her desk, he asked her to stay after class? When they were alone, he said she was distracting him. But not to worry, he had traveled the world and seen many naked women. Doesn't sound like textbook code enforcement to me. Uh maybe a simple your clothing is inappropriate. Please report in at the office. Uh this like it seems like grooming to me.
017I don't know how many other kids were affected. I know there was many. And it's not only that, it's the other things he did. Nice guy. In 2019, my nephew was playing in the students faculty basketball game. This game of fool is full of good-natured ribbing by both sides. The same this same teacher lost his cool and put my nephew in a chokehold and took him to the floor. And not in just a gentle playful way, okay? I was told the principal at the time took the teacher off the court. Again, nice guy and he can't control his emotions. Also in 2020, my daughter was on the school grounds watching her twins at soccer practice. She was speaking to a school employee, a woman, and he came from quite a distance across the school grounds
018and got in her face and the other person, too, aggressively about not having masks on. They were outdoors. She said after what seemed like 5 minutes of ranting, it probably wasn't, but seemed like it. She just walked away because she didn't want to deal with him anymore. Very aggressive. Nice guy. Also, I've been told he's been very aggressive with staff. And uh it seems that the only to be only women that he yells at and kids and students. And uh these people are also scared of retaliation. And I say this because I believe that the board doesn't know of any of these things. And uh Thank you, Scott. >> and haven't had encounters with this the the other encounters with this person. Thank you, Scott. >> So, anyhow, uh and if I could, one Yeah.
019one last thing. I I was told today that my granddaughter does dance out there at Marlow's. And there's 20 girls plus that dance out there. 20. Do you know that all but two of those kids are home schooled? So, I mean, I'm going to look at you guys and say, "Hey, Thank you, Scott. >> maybe you need to do a better job." Thank you, Scott. Jessica Markham Brink My name is Jessica Markham Brink. I love to ask people from the communi- community the question, "When did you move to Bandon and what brought you to this area?" My family has a story of how we came to be here. We were living in Boise, Idaho. My parents had a store on Front Street there where they made glass terrariums and candles. My mother hated the cold
020[clears throat] winters and missed the ocean. My father had heard about what he called the fabulous 50 miles on the Oregon Coast and a beautiful town named Brookings. As we As he drove the 101 on his way to see what Brookings was like, he stumbled across Bandon. It stopped him in his tracks. He spoke with a local who had storefronts to rent, a man named Meldoll, and came to an agreement. Pretty casual agreement to rent a building and where my parents manufactured candles and and sold them. >> [laughter] >> We were the candle-making hippies that moved to Bandon. Yep. See. And that was it. He and my mother packed up the old green International truck with all our belongings and we moved to Bandon. I was 3 and 1/2 years old. I attended Ocean Crest
021Elementary, Harbor Lights Junior High, and Bandon High School. I'm a graduate of the class of 1987. My family put down roots here, built businesses, and contributed to this community. Our story is just one of many. Over the years, Bandon has grown so much. So many amazing people have moved to Ban- who have made Bandon their home. Whatever your story is, whatever brings you here and keeps you here, we all belong. Our schools are at the core of our community spaces and where Excuse me. Our schools are at the core of our community, spaces where we are all together for school concerts, plays, meetings, the common ground for community members from all walks of life. We come together to provide safe space for our children to learn and grow. I believe that we all want to
022provide the best education and opportunities possible for all the children of the community. Now today, there is complete upheaval, discord, and anger between so many people. Anonymous Facebook groups viewing AI-generated attacks against community members who have asked questions and expected accountability and oversight from the Bandon School Board, describing other parents and community members in terms that paint them as outsiders. The division and acrimony in our community have reached such toxic levels that we are seeing a breakdown in the very structure of this district. I hope in the days going forward that this community can rebuild trust with local families and that they will come to trust our public schools with the well-being and education of their children. Trust comes when leaders are accountable and inclusive. I look forward to the results of the independent investigation
023into the actions of the superintendent. Even though she's leaving us, I believe that the investigations must go forward. We need accountability and this community deserves that. Thank you. See here. The count It's accountability. I mean, accountability is going to bring the trust that you want to bring our community back together, to bring our children back into the school. Thank you very much. Sue. Uh I'm Sue Dodrill and >> Use the mic. I'm Sue Dodrill and I'm a past uh retired teacher from this school. First of all, I really didn't come with something to really say too much, but I want to thank Shawna and our administrators and other people that have been resigning and say that thank you for the job I supporting the kids. And I know a lot these people were always right
024there when we were volunteering everything for this school. And I like to thank you for the backing. And I think what has happened in this community is disgraceful. I think what should have come out was a fair uh uh treatment. I know my daughter, who is an a teacher in here, has been not very welcomed and very uh uh Other faculty members have been in her face about being a BEA member and asking her to resign. And I think as a past BEA uh president, I think that was very rude and very inappropriate. And not to me, it's more of a bullying thing than anything. Then having teachers and other people who do not respect the quality of our kids and giving them the treatment that they gave my granddaughter and the teacher that was
025involved, it is not right. We should be held accountable on those things. And whether you think it's appropriate or inappropriate, it should have been able for all of our students to come forward and say, "This is what's happening." With if you look at the news, all the coaches, the teachers, superintendents, whatever, that are fired because of inappropriate behavior. And we've had others people in our leadership that were not honest in the past. And they kind of have some backing to some people and that is not right either. I think you need to really listen to everything and have both sides. Thank you. Thank you. And Breanna Huggins, please. Hi guys. Uh before you start, just so you guys know, if you want to leave your written stuff with us so we can all see it
026and reread it, that would be fantastic. We email it. Thank you. We appreciate it. All right. Thank you. Thanks. Uh my name is Breanna Huggins. I'm a former member of the Bandon School Board, a position I was elected to running unopposed. I am also a parent of a Bandon High School student. I'm saddened that I had to resign my post to regain my voice, but I did so to shine a light on what the teachers union has done for our schools. My roots here run deep. My grandpa was born here in 1934. My mom and dad, 1957. Myself, 1982. In 1999, my grandpa retired from this school district after serving decades as the director of transportation. I didn't just cross over from Deschutes or Curry County because I thought the schools were better. My stripes
027run deep. I have two Bandon High School graduates, but because of you, I'm not sure my third one will get that. The teachers of this district filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit. A settlement offer is often referenced, but one detail is left out. Me. Angela and I were both personally named in that settlement offer. I have spoken with other unions and superintendents who have confirmed that's not normal. This is a targeted attack. I came out of 2020 with an immense appreciation for our teachers. However, this coming year, I will be homeschooling my child. This is because of the dishonest, vindictive practices of this union. They are no longer focused on education. They are focused on power and revenge. Following the secret union meeting on May 1st, it is clear that the Bandon Education Association is
028choosing to protect predators and bullies. They are fighting to put a teacher back in the classroom who has made numerous numerous girls, boys, and adults uncomfortable. I have heard the stories from former students, now adults, who are still afraid to come forward because this community has shown them they won't be believed. That is a failure of leadership. Our kids deserve better than a union focused on protecting a predator while trying to destroy the administration. To those following filing constant complaints, the world does not owe you a satisfying outcome just because you are loud. Filing a complaint is not a mandate for policy. You have been heard. You simply don't like the answer. You think you know more than the specialized school lawyers and experienced administrators. To the community, I have lost friends over this. Please
029do not interpret the board's silence as an admission of guilt. The board is bound by confidentiality. The union knows this and uses that information gap against them lobo- lobbying inflammatory, exaggerated accusations. Is your plan really to burn it all down? Or did you just think you'd do a little arson for fun and now you're surrounded in flames. For the sake of our children, it has to stop. Do better. [clears throat] I second. That's the end of public comment. Uh 7.0 is adjourned and I make a motion to adjourn. Can I get a second? Oh. Oh, yes. Thank you. Uh the next meeting for the June board meeting will be at 4:00 p.m. Be- Here? Because we have eighth grade uh recognition and promotion. I understand. Yes. So. Excellent. Yep. We'll make note of that. Um
030I move to adjourn. Can I get a second? Second. All in favor of adjourning our May meeting, please raise your hand. And we're adjourning. Approved. Thank you. >> Mhm.