001Okay. The December 11th meeting of the Corvalis School Board is now called to order at 6:32 p.m. To support the health and safety of all community members, particularly those who are immuno compromised and their families, the board continues to offer a virtual participation option for board members and district staff. Public comment is available at select meetings both in person and virtually. Details on how to provide public comment are available on the Corvalis School District website. Tonight's agenda, board packet, and a link to the district's YouTube channel can be found on the schoolboard page of the website. All public meetings are livereamed on YouTube, and the recordings are typically posted the following day. Tonight, we have all board members in attendance. And the first item on the agenda is board member reports. Do we have any
002board member reports, Bernie? >> Yeah. A couple of things. Um over the last couple of weeks I had uh the chance to attend uh the TDAC meeting, theater diversity advisory committee. I I was really excited to see uh new members from the community coming in with great ideas uh uh to support our uh theater program and a good reminder too that the theater program isn't just about actors but also the technical people and there are so many opportunities to do that. Um I also attended the audition for Foot Loose and again uh looking at the talent we have in the in the district. Uh that's absolutely wonderful again and I know it's going to be a good show come February I think. Um, also I I was invited to uh take a tour of uh
003the Boys and Girls Club by the executive director and it was uh uh a very enlightening and and uh I was just blown away by how much they do and how much their work compliments with uh our districts. And I really encourage uh other board members if you haven't had a chance. I know they uh uh Helen said, you know, you guys are all welcome to come visit. So, please uh uh take a look at that. And then um I'm sure everybody else will be mentioning this, but last night we had a great uh district equity committee uh meeting uh and uh I I'll leave it for somebody else. Thanks, >> Judah. Since last report, I had the opportunity to go to CHS and meet with their um leadership group, and that was just wonderful.
004And thank you so much for the invitation. I'm sitting next to the people who invited me. Um and that that was wonderful. And on Tuesday, I had the opportunity to um attend a series about healthcare education, about upcoming changes um and changes, things that will be impacting the district due to federal policy changes. >> Cool. Chris, >> uh yeah, a couple things. I um just wanted to give a shout out to the Bridges program next door. I've been able to visit um mostly the staff, not so much the school, but the staff and just hearing all the wonderful things that they're doing there and just such great um uh the staff just working so well together and just doing some really great work and the um so I just wanted to give a shout out
005to that. And then um I don't think have we met since we did the middle and high school um school improvement that was just again it's one of my favorite meetings and um I was so appreciative of all the administrators and their team just being so positive and such a positive push towards equity and connections in their schools and I just really appreciated that. Um, and then also just really really using the youth truth data. Um, I know there's some things that with youth truth that can improve, but I just think it's great with the what they do with the data that they get. Um, I also just wanted to give a little shout out to the I don't remember what it's called, but it's the reading program where people come in to this elementary
006schools with their dogs and read. and I I've heard that there might be some changes with that, but I just wanted to give a shout out to that because I know that they've been doing some great work. And then um I did attend the um district's equity team meeting yesterday and again I always feel so honored being there and I learned so much and they had a presentation by Dr. Lakes who did an amazing job just really making us all think about not just talking about equity but really thinking deep and profound about the work and our experiences uh as whoever we are. Um and I just um Marcianne did an amazing job creating that meeting last night and uh and having Dr. lakes there was very powerful. Shauna, [clears throat] >> sure. I have
007a couple of things to share. I wanted to thank uh Katie Kenny for inviting me to the mariachi concert a couple of weeks ago at Garfield which had students from both Garfield as well as Lionus Pauling and really being able to see their excitement and joy families there celebrating through music was really really wonderful. Um, so got to see both Katie Kenny and Valerie Goldman in their leadership there with those programs. I missed the high school mariachi club concert which I believe was last week. I know that that's um ongoing with with a lot of care and support from Mr. Love Tang, I believe, over his lunchtime to make that happen. I know that CHS also has a band concert tonight, so I'm sorry we're missing that, but just a shout out to music teachers
008across the district and really that appreciation for them sending us invitations when concerts come up. I had a chance on Saturday to volunteer with the CV and CHS speech and debate teams up. They had a tournament up in Clackamus or at Clackamus High School and Casey Pearly really is devoting and dedicating a lot of his afterchool time several days a week to creating an incredible and supportive space for students and it's a really wonderful opportunity to it was my first time being a volunteer judge for speech and debate and to be able to go and hear what high schoolers are thinking about talking about writing about the ways that they are expressing themselves just gives so much hope for where we are in society and the leaders of our of our future. So that was
009just an incredible experience to go and be there with them and see that work happening. Um, I also had a chance to attend innovation team meetings over the last couple of weeks and have really appreciated the careful and thoughtful work that's happening across the district to think about student experience now and moving forward and the process for brainstorming through thinking through what's possible, what's feasible, bringing that out for feedback and the iterative process that we're seeing happen. And then I also was part of the equity team meeting last night and also appreciated the um facilitated space by Dr. Lake as well as the deep connections that are happening between district staff, board members, community partners and others to really think about how we create educational spaces and community connections that are really really deeply meaningful.
010Theres uh two weeks ago I had the opportunity to um attend the Corvalis Public Schools Foundation meeting. Um it's always a great um uh opportunity to hear from them. That's a wonderful committed group of volunteers uh that spend a lot of time trying to um energize our community and find creative ways to support our students in the classroom and learning and our staff. Um I was excited to hear about their plans for um expanding the um um the uh innovation um support that they do with the YA grants. Um and they're gearing up for the um hands cross val. So uh just hearing a little bit of the organizing and the effort behind that to make sure that um they get the word out widely in the community. Um if you haven't um yet been
011invited um to uh somebody's cap somebody's table, then someone's got to have a spot, right? to make sure that you can get there for that. Um, and just a little preview of what they're planning for that particular event. It's always a great opportunity to come and hear uh about the um their work and how it supports our student learning. And then um the only other thing is that I was excited to go by uh Osborne and see our swim team practicing outside but practicing um looked very cold but they they were working very hard. So, um that's really exciting having not had the swim team in that space for a while to have them back there making use of that community um facility again. So, yeah, >> Sammy, >> thank you. Uh I want to
012echo uh the excitement that I have uh from or ha I have from the meeting that we just had with the principles of the schools and uh the highlights that I want to share from that meeting and also conversations with uh uh staff since then is the professional development opportunities that our staff are getting for the best practices in reading, best practices in math education, best practices in helping and supporting our students navigating uh special education needs. So really appreciative of those investments and programs that our staff are navigating uh this year. I want to also uh highlight something that is probably not purely school board or school district but in on school district property and was a really great highlight which is yesterday W three uh community meeting with the city councelor and uh
013city city staff were there at Lincoln school. uh they hosted us at Lincoln School and the cafeteria commons area was completely full. I want to appreciate the staff who were there to support the event and uh help with the chairs and uh it reminds me when I went to a rural community and they said uh Sam you say the school is the center of the community in rural schools the school is the community. Uh it was a reminder that in that situation the school uh is the community even in Corvalis and I was really appreciative that uh this property is being used for for the community neighborhood. >> Thanks you all. Um I had a couple things too. Um, I was able to attend the Indian education fall gathering. That was really fun. And it
014was great to see students and um, families attend that. And I know that they um, usually get more people signed up for the program. And again, for folks that don't know what that is, that's the um, Title Six Indian Education Grant. So, we get federal funding in to support that program. Um, and each time more students sign up, that's helpful for the following year. um also presented with Ryan at the Oregon School Law Conference about board and superintendent working agreement. So that was nice to kind of talk about some of our work that we do in Corvalis um in supporting those working agreements. Um and I went to some of the innovation team meetings. I couldn't go to all of the meetings for the whole time because of my teaching schedule, but I was able
015to go to at least parts of them and then the one this last one. and I was really excited to apply for and be awarded a scholarship to go to the um NSBA advocacy institute in DC. So that's really great training for doing political advocacy here locally at no cost to our district um to um help support the work of the district here with political advocacy. So I was really excited to get that scholarship. And um last yearly I was I didn't go to the equity meeting because I was at the Lionus Pauling um concert and I was really excited to go support that. I didn't don't have a kid that plays in their band, but it was nice to go support it. And um Principal Hyde did mention that they intentionally did move their
016concerts based on our feedback from last year. So I just wanted to highlight that for other board members to consider the middle school band concerts as well since they did move them. And so I was really happy to go support um last night and they sounded really great. I was like, "Oh." And it really highlights the importance of the music programs um across all age groups here in Corvalis. So that being said, um next item on the agenda is the OSBA and NSBA updates. I don't know if you have any updates, Sammy. I didn't prepare updates um for OSBA. Um but if you have some, you can you can do NSBA or if you have OSBA as well, you can. >> Absolutely. Thank you, chair. So, I want to share uh from NSBA uh very
017exciting updates for Oregon. Uh for the past two or three years, uh Congress did not pass uh or continue the authorization of rural schools, secure rural schools. Uh as a back background, secure rural schools is funding that the federal government committed to counties and school districts uh that relied on timber harvest revenue that the federal government uh was getting. And when the timber industry uh revenues declined, uh secure rural schools have proven to be very essential and a lifeline for many communities uh for essential services, including funding schools. It's not enough and sufficient, but it helps. And of course, uh we all share the same uh uh pot uh across Oregon. So those revenues helping rural schools uh help us by proxy as well. And it was really devastating to see that authorization not continue
018in the House for a while. Uh this week uh the House uh voted on the Senate bill. So it's either headed to the president's signature or it's been signed. And uh the the really uh I'm I'm really grateful for the advocacy of our colleagues, you and many colleagues across Oregon and the nation advocating for it. Especially Oregon and Idaho benefit uh more than other states. So, uh, the advocacy of Senator Widen, uh, first and foremost, and the Oregon delegation, uh, including our Congresswoman Val Hoy and, uh, uh, Cliff Ben, Representative, uh, uh, Cliff Bence from the eastern side of the Cascades as well voting for it. So, just want to highlight that. It's very important. And if you have a moment to share, uh, the gratitude for our congressional representatives or their staff, uh, it
019will go a long way. Uh speaking of the uh National Advocacy Institute, uh uh I look forward to join Lou as well. And for the rest of you, if you if you would like to attend some advocacy opportunities, NSBA is sharing for the first time uh the opportunity to leading up to that event is a virtual uh training sessions once a week over the course of January. And it was initially intended for those who will attend DC. But they I suggested they open it up for all our members of uh state associations. So including Corval school board members. So I will share that over an email if you'd like to register. It should be during lunch break. Probably not our lunch break. uh but it is uh something that would be very useful to know
020about opportunities to advocate and how to advocate and uh high high interest topics that uh our school district share with other school districts. Um I think that's my update. Thank you. >> Thanks Sammy. Uh the next thing on the agenda is the superintendent report. So I'm g hand over to Ryan. >> So a couple things I wanted to share with you. The first is um several of you mentioned the scorecard dinners that happened last month. Um we have another round of those next Thursday night um with our elementary schools. So that board packet will come out on Friday with that information for you to review um ahead of those opportunities to spend time talking with our elementary principles about the work that's underway in their buildings. Um also um after the decision on consolidation, a
021lot of work has taken place. Um, one, and I'm going to just list out a few of those things that have happened thus far. Um, on our district website, the boundary locator tool, which gives you information about where your um, your child's school is, has been updated for 2627. Um, also this week, we made announcements regarding principal placement for next year. Um we appreciate the work that our principles have done and at the same time recognizing that um having two fewer um principles um is a big deal and those folks have done a fantastic job and so just kind of keeping them in mind especially as we move into the SIP dinner or the scorecard dinners next Thursday night. Um also we've been working on the transfer windows having an early and a regular transfer
022window. that information will come out soon to families. Um, and with that prioritization for Leticia Carson and Sheldon students and their kindergarten siblings. Um, again, those that information will still come out later this month. Um, transition teams are beginning to form at our schools where the majority of change is happening. Uh, these teams will work on legacy projects, school memorabilia, and end ofear school events and celebrations. Um we are also working to develop student transition plans and more information will be coming out about that in January supporting students who are transitioning between the schools. Um finally next Tuesday we have um along with the Corvalis public schools foundation invited in um industry leaders to talk about the skills um our students need to have as they leave our system. So again that's part of that
023portrait of a graduate conversation. And so the foundation helped to bring in industry leaders to meet with district staff to talk through that. And so that's going to be happening next Tuesday during the day. So those are all things that have happened um over the last month that I think are important to note um and for our community to know. Also, next week we're going to begin our summer school planning. Um, so again, appreciation to this foundation for the support they give financially to make summer programming happen, the ability for high school students to earn credits over the summer to either stay on track to graduate or get um or fi get those final credits that they need to successfully move forward. Um, so again, the foundation has been a great partner and we begin
024planning that now for the summer. And then finally, um, also back to theater. Um, this weekend is the opening weekend for CV's high school production of A Christmas Story. Um, shows are December 12th, 13th, 19th, and 20th at 7 p.m. and December 14th at 2:30 for matinea. Um, then you can from the link from my soups report is a spot where you can buy tickets for that or you can buy them at the door. And then finally, um, our two, uh, CHS representatives, both named Thomas, um, tonight, they put a QR code out there. If folks want to participate in Winter Smiles, there's still an opportunity to do that. So, those are all, I think, things that are important for our community to be aware of and some of the highlights that are happening over
025the next couple weeks. >> Chair, um, would you be able to provide a point of privilege to allow CHS to make their student reports? I don't see it on the agenda. >> Um, they don't have reports this time, but if you all had something you needed to share, that is fine. >> Yeah, >> thank you for having >> Can we ask Ryan questions first? >> Go ahead. Sorry. >> Yes. Thanks. >> Yeah, >> Ryan, thanks so much for the update. Um, I have a question that I'd love to ask and I know I had a chance to just to ask you in in passing, but I think it's something important for the community to hear a response to. Um, you mentioned working on transfer windows with prioritization of families who have been impacted and will
026be impacted by school closures and consolidation. And I'm curious about that transfer window aligning with when information will be available to the community to understand what athletics will look like, what music programs will look like in K through six versus K through8 models so that families have the information they need to make effective choices. Yeah. >> Is there planning that's happening to make sure that those >> Yeah, we're aligned. >> Yeah, we're doing our best um to do that. And the other thing is is that we are currently underway with um I tried to say just with the high points, but um I've met with our athletic directors to talk about middle school sports. Our innovation team has been talking about um orchestra and um band. We have also spent time working through um some
027of the transportation pieces. So all those things are also happening right now. Today we met with our association to talk about schedules and what potential schedules could look like for next year um both in the K6s, the 78 and the K8s. Um so all of those things are also happening. So we're working really hard to time things um in a productive way. Um, but we're working so quickly to try to get those answers that we're going to continue to sort of we don't want to put information out about dates until we feel really solid about the information that we have. >> Great. But just to confirm that the hope is that that kind of information will be available for families in that priority window so that they can make those choices >> and staff as
028well. Um, tomorrow we'll send out a preference form to staff asking about their preference for next school year. Um and we want that that will be open for a period of time so that they also have a better understanding about um what the programming will look like um as they're making decisions too. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Go ahead, Thomas. >> Thank you. Um CHS's annual winter smiles program is in full swing. This is a long-running studentled project where leadership students organize gifts, food, clothing, and essential supplies for CHS families who need support um during the holidays. Last year, we served 35 families, including several who were living in cars, hotels, or temporary shelters. As this year's drive continues, we want to encourage the community to to participate. Donations of items are always
029welcome, but financial contributions make the the biggest difference because they allow us to fill specific needs quickly and fairly. If anyone is interested in donating, they can reach out to our fiscal clerk, Jen Jen Carr, or scan the QR code on the entry on the entry table. I also want to highlight the role of students. Uh, winter smiles is entirely organized by our leadership team. They coordinate outreach, gather supplies, and assemble the care packages. It's one of the clearest examples of of our students stepping up to support the community, and we're proud of their work. Thank you guys for your continued support of CHS. >> Thanks, Thomas. And I wanted to thank Judah, too, for helping organize for um the board to contribute to the program this year as well in our individual capacities, not
030from board funds, just so it's clear. Um, okay. Next item on the agenda is public comment. We will and we're not that far behind. That's awesome. We'll now open the public comment period. We value the lived experiences of students, families, staff, and the community and welcome public comment as an essential part of the district and board's work. The complete guidelines for public comment are available at the registration table, outside the boardroom entrance, and on the board's website. I will now share some important points. When it is your turn to speak, please come forward, take a seat, and direct your comments to the board. And you need to turn on the microphone with the little person button, and this turns red. Um, speakers may offer objective criticism of district operations and programs, but the board will
031not hear complaints concerning individual district personnel. As a reminder, you will have three minutes to make your comments. I uh the lights turn on. It's red. I mean it's green when your time starts at 3 minutes. Um 30 seconds is yellow and then red your time's up at which time I will need to ask you to um stop speaking. And following your comments, the board will have three minutes to ask clarifying questions but are not able to engage in direct conversation. I know that is the most difficult part for community members and the board um because we like to have conversations and we cannot in this format. Um so just wanted to remind everybody of that. If board members would like to revisit a topic or issue brought up during public comment, they may do
032so at the appropriate time in the agenda, which is during board member comments. As a reminder for the board, before you start your comments, please state the your name for the record and state whether you reside within the school district boundary. And Kim's going to read the first person. My name is Will Roen Cober and I reside within the district and I came tonight because I'm still concerned about the consolidation plan. Um, there are a lot of unanswered questions. There's a lot of um concern in the community about things that are deemed uh operational and not within the purview of this board, but are still serious concerns with the community like transportation and capacity in our facilities. Um communicating with the fire department and the city council and ODOT and other organizations that are going
033to be impacted by this decision. Um, not to mention parents and students. Um, I I heard a lot of board comments about the great things about equity and the great things about having schools be community centers. None of that was considered when those schools were slated to be closed. Nobody talked about real serious equity. Um, the stoplight report was completely based off of convenience. That was the metric that was used to rank the choices was which was more convenient. And now we're going to muddle through the the hard choices and decisions that have to be made to make this work. As one other fellow parent put it, you can't shoot arrows and then write draw targets around them. That's not how this works. You can't just keep hoping. We got to get off the hopium.
034Drugs are bad. I mean, I went through the dare phase of education. You guys are living on opium that this is going to somehow work out at the end of the day. It's not working out. You have 19 classrooms at Betsy Coleman and you have almost 500 plus students projected to go there. The fire marshall is concerned about capacity, not to mention all the parents and students and teachers. you're looking at having to put multiple portable uh classrooms in the uh playground to house students from K6 and then how are they going to actually participate in the in the playground and what are the optics of having a multi-million dollar hundreds of million dollar bond to rebuild schools and then their kids are in portables in the playground. That doesn't look very good. That's not
035planning on your guys' part. And I know some of you weren't on the board and I all things change, but you're on the board now and you guys need to make these decisions. I ask that you revisit this proposal since the funding change from the state has been improved. There is still time to revisit and actually have a thorough process. Thank you. >> Is there any questions from the board? >> Thank you for your time. Oh, >> thank you. Hey, good evening board. My name is Michael Eller and I am a parent here with my wife with four children in the school district. Four weeks ago, after midnight, the board voted six to1 to close the Sheldon Middle and Leticia Carson Elementary. The main reason for this was to address our district's projected budget uh
036shortfall that stemmed from the state's projected $373 million deficit for our current bienium. We were facing a $4 million deficit for the next school year. This was the driver to push through on this decision after several hours, right? even after several board members had admitted that this may have been an ill-advised um or they may ill-advised Superintendent NS uh on the school closure criteria. After hours of public comment, this decision was made with an unwillingness to pause and do the necessary work to develop a comprehensive plan that's really needed. Now, less than a week later in the quarterly update, the state revised this forecast. really to the surprise of everyone, myself included, the deficit dropped by 83%. Went from 373 million to 63 million for our district. That means that our projected budget shortfall is
037less than a million dollars. This is far less than the $4 million gap that we were looking to close with the closure of two schools and it's less than the outstanding deficit that was going to remain. This is really good news. It really is. And it gives us time and it gives us resources to pause, to work with the city, to work with staff and with this community to come up with a comprehensive plan for future school consolidations. We know it doesn't stop here. This is an unexpected gift and it provides an opportunity to do the right thing right now. Emily Nischek of the Oregon School Boards Association. She said that with this improved forecast, there is now time to develop thoughtful plans for how to navigate increasingly tight budgets in the coming bienia. The
038choice to make cuts now would be just that, a choice. Yes, challenges are going to remain for future school years and difficult decisions are going to be made. But you don't don't you think that these can be addressed with a better plan that is supported by the community? Closing these schools for the next school year is not a necessity. It is a choice. You have chosen a short-sighted plan that will not help our students or our staff thrive in the long run. A plan that Superintendent Nos commented is not perfect, but it can be made better. There's a Japanese saying that if you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station. The longer you wait, the more expensive the return trip will be. The next station is right here. There may not
039be many stations left, so how will you act? Your commanding message from November 13th is that you care more about staff than buildings. This is your opportunity to show it. Do you stick with your current decision knowing the flaws and that it now needlessly cuts 18 staff positions? >> Michael, your time's up. I'm so sorry. >> Oh, you're good. Thank you. >> Any questions, Shauna? >> I'll just ask Michael, did you have a final point that you hope to make? >> Yeah. No, thank you. I I think that there is an opportunity here to really develop a comprehensive plan that's going to carry and prepare our district for the years to come. This is just a reaction plan. We need a longer plan. That's I'll just close on that. And and please, this is your
040time to lead and act. Be wise. Be courageous. That's what we're asking you to do. So, thank you. >> Thanks. Any other questions? >> Thank you so much for your time, Michael. >> Thank you. Good evening. My name is Heather Ladderback. With this new consolidation plan, my family that lives east of downtown will be forced to drive past four closer schools. Two DLI programs, one school of choice, and now one school closed just to reach our new assigned school. I remain deeply concerned about both the process and the outcome of this decision. The narrative and questions posed by the board keeping a building or keeping of programs was misleading and irresponsible. This false dichotomy leads people to believe that there are no other alternatives. The community stated many times that if the process was done
041correctly, they would support it even if the outcome ended the same. Yet, this was disregarded multiple times. It is still unclear to me what these programs are that we have saved. Making such a consequential decision after midnight under a immense pressure from fellow board members was inappropriate. In May, during the budget meeting, the board recognized the importance and suspended a vote after 10 p.m. until the following week. Why was the same consideration not given here, especially with new state funding forecasts arriving just 6 days later? Our district deserves decisions rooted in long-term vision, not short-term fixes. The board stated goal of equitable equitable systems must be revisited. Equitable systems don't overcrowd some schools and leave others underutilized. They don't disproportionately burden low-income families with longer commutes and fewer resources. This consolidation widens inequities instead of
042closing them. Respectfully, I ask each of you to update your goals to reflect your actions. There are still major gaps in this approved plan. Unsafe traffic plans, dangerous intersections, overcrowded schools, cafeteria, pickup zones. These new problems created by solving in another do not justify the means. I respect the trust you placed in your superintendent, but giving him only one month for the first proposal and three weeks for the revision set him up for failure. True respect would mean allowing him and the district time to meet with city partners, transportation planners, and community before finalizing these sweeping changes. The questions and concerns from the community are valid, and many can't be addressed before next fall. The urgency the board felt to act is no longer a factor. With the new state for forecasted funding available, we
043have time to pause, reassess, and create a thoughtful communitydriven plan. One that addresses a larger deficit and avoids repeating this reactionary process again in a few years. Why rush into a band-aid fix when we can take time to do this right? Um, leadership must reflect community values and hold accountable for promises made. >> I'm sorry, your time's up. >> That's great. Thank you. >> Any questions? Chris, >> do you have a final comment that you >> Oh, I just as one of the promises that was made was the support of Leticia Carson and Sheldin. Um, but yet in the board reports, I didn't hear any of those school names and post decision the morning after, I didn't hear of anyone at the schools. So, just following through with those promises. >> Any other questions? But
044Sammy >> uh thank you chair uh Heather thank you for the comment. I I I'm trying to understand uh the statement around uh when there is a false dichotomy uh that you characterize the programs versus buildings. I usually see there is a third factor not being considered and the way I I want to ask you when there is a finite resource budget and you spend it on programs buildings both and you need to balance between both how do you see what's the third element that we don't see that creates a false dichotomy >> um the budget was never revisited so the last budget committing was in May of the previous year before consolidation was on the table. Um so saying a building or teachers versus programs makes it appear that no other considerations or format
045reboundering um were on the table. >> Thank you for your answer. Appreciate it. >> Shauna, >> thank you Heather. I appreciate the um reminders. And I I was just going to ask, were you aware that there was a request that came to the board um to wait and give time before visiting each of the school communities? >> I wasn't. Thank you for notifying me. >> Of course, I did forget to put that in my I'll do that after. Sorry. Okay. Any other questions? >> Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Heather, for your time. Jesse. >> I had a feeling it would be me next. Um, is this on? >> Okay. Um, I'm Jesse Beasley. Um, I live in the district. Um, I know, um, members of this board brought up that if the district were
046not going to be in such a deficit for the coming year, they would not have approved the revised proposal. I suggest that the board motion to reconsider the proposal based on the most current financial information. Please use this year properly to properly realign boundaries so that consolidation can happen at the same time as boundary changes for the following year. I appreciate those board members who recognized the need for boundary changes to rebalance the school's capacities during the last board meeting, especially concerning the discrepancies between the two new schools with Bess Bessie Coleman at well over 500 students and Lincoln at around 360 based on the current projections. It is not satisfactory to avoid boundary realignment due to the open transfer policy option. There are too many buildings at or beyond capacity for the transfer system
047to work effectively anymore. Families want to attend schools that are not overcrowded and that are close to where they live. The boundaries should aim to fix these issues. The school district's solution has created logistical issues for students, families, and community members around traffic flow, which the school district has not cared to consider, taken responsibility for, or tried to solve. Instead, it is pushing the problem it has created onto the city of Corvalis. It should not be the city's responsibility to fix problems that the that the district creates and can solve itself, but is unwilling. As a school board, you have the ability to fix some of these issues by calling for boundary changes. Now, >> any questions from the board? >> Thank you, Jesse, for your time. I'm red. Is that okay? >> Yep. >>
048Okay. >> Good evening, board. My name is Julie Alexander. I reside in the district. I'm sure it's not going to surprise any of you that my comment tonight centers around capacity. Um, I don't think there has been enough discussion and consideration regarding the impacts on programming and student experience when operations will be over target capacity. The revised proposal will push several schools well over the target capacities. And it's clear that exceeding target is not ideal. And in fact, when the original proposal was presented, um, district leadership specifically highlighted or championed actually that no school would exceed 90% utilization following consolidation. And that was a that was a positive selling point, right? Um, and this this really hasn't been similarly balanced for the revised revised proposal, but we have this great opportunity to mitigate that now.
049Um, and I would encourage you to do that. The main rationale behind the yes votes last month centered on the need for fiscal responsibility. We heard that. We believe you. But things have changed given the recent state revenue indicating that we may have some breathing room. I would just really urge you to consider whether this is still the right plan. I would love to see a more long-term plan considered now that we have this breathing room. consider all of the closures that we're looking at down the barrel and hit the district once with that. Thank you. >> Any questions from the board? Sammy >> Julie, thank you for the comments. I'm going to ask a data wonky uh question because I know uh you >> I love data. >> You want to take that? So
050um the target is uh the best practice target is 90% of the full capacity of the building and uh accommodates elementary middle high school variances based on programming needs. My question to you uh we saw in the proposal one of them was forecasting about 101 and 102 of the 90%. Is there a variance that you're comfortable with that you think operationally is practical to say are you thinking about don't go above 1% don't go above 10%. >> I mean I always go back to disease transmission right when I think about elementary school age kids and I know I beat this dead horse before but they are incredible vectors and I think the biggest buffer that you can have and still stay within your budget is a really smart move. Distance is important. Kids are I
051mean, ask teachers. They have incredible immune systems. There's all kinds of other reasons though to not go up to the maximum absolute capacity that you can cram kids into if you have the breathing room. I understand when when budgets say otherwise, but I feel like we have that breathing room now. And I we don't need to move forward yet. We can move forward with a better plan. Rebalance first. And if if that still means Leticia Carson closes at the end, I will accept that. But I would love to see you reboundry first. It's it's the equitable solution. >> Thank you. So I may ask you, so one of the elements is transmissibility and students being close to each other. So what I'm hearing from you, is it fair to speculate that you care also about
052class size as much as the entire enrollment in the school uh both needs to be considered in our oversight. Is that what you're Maybe I can extrapolate is correct. >> I'm in favor of class size caps. Yes. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Any other questions? We've reset the clock because it was a little Yeah, just making sure people were clear what happened there with the thing. All right. Thank you so much, Julie, for your time. Okay. Okay, that's the last comment, Kim. Um, hearing no further comments, the public comment period is now closed. Um, I did want to just take a really quick because we are ahead of schedule and um mentioned and also apologize to Leticia Carson Communities for not highlighting that I did attend a Leticia Carson um event last month. They
053invited me earlier in the fall to be a speaker for Native American Heritage Month and um I talked to some of the staff and folk and I know there was the ask and and making sure they still that was still on what they wanted to do and they said yeah and so it was really great to be able to talk to all the kids in the whole school and taught them a little bit of Chinukawa which is the local language and showed a film um with uh one of the col my colleagues from the Grand Ron tribes on Mary's peak and the history of language language and they had read the land acknowledgement. So, it was really helping connect some of those pieces of what and it was just fell into place really perfectly and
054beautifully and I didn't even collaborate with the students who read the land acknowledgement. So, [laughter] and so I just wanted to share that um I was I was really happy to be able to go do that and um they were very welcoming too. So, just wanted to add that to my report and apologize for not including it. It's hard to keep track of all of our things. So, yeah. Thank you. Okay, next item on the agenda is the Oh, is that right? The school investment. >> Oh, I was writing notes in the wrong spot. Oh my gosh. Uh the bias reporting update. And that's Melissa and Byron. I thought I did. >> I said I am screen sharing. Hi everybody. Um, thanks for uh, inviting us up. You know me and this is Byron and
055you've met him quite a bit this year so far. Byron and I are um working really closely together on both aspects of bias incident response. Um I'm focusing I'm still continuing to focus as assistant superintendent on the bias incident um reporting and follow-up investigation, those kinds of things. Byron's going to talk to you a little bit later about some um proactive work that we're doing as a school district with our leaders. So um tonight I would like to point you back to the board report that I submitted. It has some data on it. Well, we've done this before. I like to use the slideshow to kind of highlight some data and talk a little bit more about it. So, that's what I'm about to do. The goals that you see here on the slideshow are
056um goals that we have uh for the beh um bias incident response team. Our bias incident response team includes myself and Byron, also Marcenne um and Brenda Gregory who is our civil rights coordinator, title N coordinator. So together we meet quarterly to talk about how we're um doing, what um things we have coming up for um presentations or data collection and um any kind of special requests we get from schools. We're about to do a special request at one particular school to take a look at their historical data with regard to bias incidents. So the goals you see here on the presentation include um for us interrupting bias um while it's occurring and also supporting the student who's been harmed by bias. These are goals that um we're going to address again in our mid-year
057staff training on bias incident response. Goal three is um providing educational opportunities for all students. That's not only the preventative equity lessons and advisor lessons, but also what we do when students cause harm and how we um do some reteing and education. And then the last goal number four is about showing all students that their school takes um incident seriously. This um again came from CHS a couple of years ago as kind of a um a rallying cry for us to do more um so that they know that things are happening that should be happening in response to bias incidents and um we have been uh doing a lot with that and pushing our administrators a little bit more there too. Um I gave you some data in the board report that last year we
058had 293 founded bias incidents and of those um bias incidents 86 of those were reported anonymously. We've talked a lot about how important anonymous reporting is. It continues to remain important for our students and for our staff um if to support our students in filing bias reports. students or anyone who files a bias incident who does so anonymously is aware that they won't be followed up with but that they just want to let us know what is happening and that's really important for for us to be aware of. I thought this um in the blue box was really important too when we talk about reporters who is reporting bias incidents you'll see that there was a huge jump with uh staff reporting incidents this last year and um that is like by 14% of our
059reporters. I thought it was interesting to note that our staff not only are the largest group of reporters and but more than half of those staff reported on the behalf of another of a student. So a lot of students are coming to staff and saying can you support me in in um filing this report and the majority of those reports um where they were supporting a student happened in elementary school. So, we're also seeing an increase in elementary school. Well, not we're not Well, let's see where Oh, no, it's not in there. We're going to look at another slide for that. But we saw a little bit of an increase with students in elementary school and reports there. Sorry, wrong button. Types of bias were also outlined in the board report. So, you'll see here
060um that uh 52% of our bias incident reports were um had to do with race. And then you see the continuing percentages for LGBTQ plus disability and religion. Um if you look at the board report, you get a three-year view. So you can kind of see what the trends are there. Um interesting information to take a look at. I know um that a lot of times the questions are so what is the most common um bias report? And so I have those up here. Um again, for the third year in a row, the um the use of the nword or the nslur is the most common racial submission. Um, the use of gay as a slur is the most common LGBTQ submission. The most common religious submission has to do with drawing swastikas on things,
061finding swastikas written on things. And um, the uh, most common disability submission this last year was mocking a disability. So, making fun of a student with a disability. I wanted to talk a little bit about the n-word. We've talked about this before and um my assistant Kristen did some um digging into the data and she wanted to take a look at um we had questions like who who is doing what is the racial profile of a person who was doing this and who is the person who is being harmed. So she took a look at those incidents from last year. Um we had 62 total incidents of students of one student saying the n-word to another student. of those 62 total incidents, four of the people causing harm, their race was not clear in the
062reporting or uh that was just that that part wasn't clear. Six of those students who were causing harm by saying the n-word were black and the the rest of those students who used the n-word and caused harm with it were not black. So that can gives you an idea of numbers when she looked at students who were harmed. So the flip side of those um incidents of the 62 total incidents 28 of the students who were harmed were black. Eight of those stu eight students among that 62 it wasn't clear um what their racial makeup was but the remaining were definitely not black. So um just some information to kind of look a little bit deeper at um our concern with students using the n-word, how they're using the nword, who's saying it, who are
063they saying it to. When we look at impact by level, we're um we're looking at um pretty similar findings. This is what I the slide I was talking about a second ago. Um our elementary students increased from 30 to 38% for reporters. And I think that has a lot to do with how they're able to use adults in their um system to to uh to file those bias incident reports. Um our numbers in middle school dropped a little bit and our numbers last year in high school are still um pretty low. 12 12% of um of all of our reports came from the high school. I'm gonna pass it on to Byron now to talk about um next steps. >> All right. [clears throat] So we just jump right in with data and all those
064failures totally and um in there and I also we look at this often and have these discussions often um and it's still for lots of groups and lots of people lots of different communities like that's hard to see and hear and know about those about those reporting things that are going on. So I just wanted to acknowledge that. Um so we have a grant-f funded partnership through OD that is helping us provide um professional development opportunities uh to our leaders and it's with West Ed is a a group and we've worked with them to really look at our school district data. Um they've looked at our our academic data, our bias reporting data. they we kind of packaged everything together and then spent about a month and a half together working to create what would
065be the most beneficial type of professional learning for our staff to receive um from them. And so we have come up with a plan and we have a four-part series that we've been delivering to our leaders this year. And so we have the principles from every school along with the members of their equity team joining in on our sessions with um a model of learning and um together and then like a take and make type of a model. So um teams come together learn on a certain topic and then learn how to deliver that same content and facilitate that same type of learning to their entire staff. And so we've had the expectation this year that every school each month comes with their team, learn through the topic and then make a plan to deliver
066that same professional learning to their staff. Um yeah. So [sighs] um our first session was November 4th and what we started to look at was disproportion disproportionality um equity and cultural responsive and sustaining education. And the big piece from there um is really looking at school systems and developing some common terminology and definitions and language. I think that's CHS's poster. Um and this is to look on like what's working, where are there gaps, and where do we need to focus? And from this meeting, uh, the thing that happened is that people were given, every team was given and trained on how to do a culturally responsive sustaining education self assessment. Um, that's developed by the New York University uh, research on equity and transformation of schools and it's a comprehensive like self- assessment for a
067school system. And so every team was talked through and trained kind of how to do that. And so every school team will be doing that has been working on that comprehensive self- assessment for their school to bring that data back to work on with our facilitators. We're also doing that same self- assessment for our entire district at large through the student growth and experience department. And we've been working on that. Um in that assessment um there are several areas that we look at through a rubric and score and set goals on. And so we're looking at things like student centered welcoming and affirming environments, high expectations and rigorous instruction, inclusive curriculum and assessment, ongoing and learning, ongoing learning and support to build staff capacity, a family and community ties, and district and school leadership. And
068so those are the types of things that we're looking at we're assessing right now to develop our future plans and pieces that way. Okay. [sighs] Um so our next three sessions are focused on these topics. So the foundations of culturally responsive data literacy. Um and that's a gap that we've noticed um in our scorecard work is looking at disproportionality and disagregated data. And so we're learning tools as leaders and school teams to better look at that data. Culturally responsive action planning. So that's that's using the data from the self- assessments to start to do root cause analysis and develop areas of focus through our equity teams at every school. and then looking at our culture responsive action planning and developing just action steps to implement next year into our school communities. >> Can can I
069add one thing before you take questions? Um the support from West Ed came through a grant from the Department of Education. So we made an application to the department who then supported this work through West Ed. Um and so that it was something that we were fortunate to be able to receive. Um and that um I think is important context >> questions >> Sammy. >> So thank you. Appreciate the work. I have two. Uh first one uh we may have discussed it before. Any collaboration beyond Corvalis school district uh within the community, county, city. Uh shall I pause and uh and then ask the second one as your answer? >> Um what kind of collaborate I mean the west ed collaboration is a it's a national it's regional and national so that's a good collaboration
070for us. Um I think that we always take away really um good information from our district equity team meetings. So that's another collaboration that's um just within our community within our school communities within our community of Corvalis and then and regionally. >> Wonderful. And then also Marcian leads the regional racial equity group um which is right regional racial equity group which is multiple districts from around um in our area who come together every uh quarter or so to have conversations um and do some work around this. They're also working with Westad from what I understand too. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Uh then the second one is we need to address bias for the sake of addressing bias itself. and we have our own goals uh that will address that will help us we will
071progress when we address bias. So I don't want to get my question misconstrued that we need to be focused for it for its own sake making sure our students uh live in environments free of bias and is there any connection that we could see or track longitudally or every year to what the state is going to hold us accountable to. Um, and they have their own metrics for accountability that they're going to mandate on us and give us an a menu of options locally to choose from and I can slide them quickly if you would like me to. >> Are you talking about the new state the new accountability factors? Okay. So, are you talking about like local um local measures or Okay. Well, >> you you might want to list them out. I don't
072think everybody knows. >> Yeah. So the measures that uh they're considering uh third grade reading proficiency, eighth grade meaning mathematics proficiency, nth grade on track status, fourth grade, fouryear graduation rates, five-year completion rates, regular attendance uh rates, early grade uh K12 attendance. So those are considered for mandatory and then they're going to give us a menu of uh local options to choose from and they're not available to me at this moment. >> Yes. So, so the local options are going to be identified and there going to be a menu for us to choose from. Um, and I've seen um sort of a proposal and there many of the measures that we have spent time talking about in the past like participants and completers and CTE programming and some of those pieces, but that's not um
073been then there will be a formative assessment piece or three times a year and that we don't have yet that list from the department. It was supposed to go to the state board this week, but they've postponed it till January for us to then make decisions on what those local performance indicators are going to be by the by the menu and then also what assessments we're using three times a year that I'm preparing and presenting to the board. >> Great. Thank you. So maybe uh where we are right now uh and with this topic at least for the ones that they're going to be statewide, do you see connection in terms of students being able to academically do better, continue to show up, not being absent, and finish school on time? >> Yeah, I think
074the self assessment and the rubrics when you get through the rub like when you look through the rubrics on setting goals of focus areas to improve help improve all of those areas in a school system. um because it looks for areas of inequities to shift and change and set goals around. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Other questions, Chris? >> Thank you for that report. Um, I was really impressed when CHS uh administrators uh just shared with us at our um at the SIP's presentation last two weeks ago about how the um uh co well I guess it was the administration team shared with all the athletes and did I don't know if they used a specific curriculum or a presentation what they did. Can you talk about that? And then will this add to that
075or is it part of this work that's being >> that is an ad that they did on their own that I think is is really good and it's just that idea of they know that there's bias with uh between students that happens within sports. Are either did either of you go to that presentation? No. Okay. Um and so they know that that happens and and their intentional conversation was that that's not how we do business as um as CHS and as athletes. That's not how you do business on a team as well. So the question is about will that add to >> Well, I just wondered if there was a connection with what's >> I think they saw a connection and they wanted to do something about it. So that was action on their part.
076Yeah. >> Great. Thanks. >> That's awesome. >> Any other questions? Judah and then Shauna or Shauna then Judah, you all pick. >> Thank you so much. to really appreciate the update and just the thoughtfulness around process and continually improving process based on feedback. I know a couple of years ago as the system was launching, one of the things we heard from high schoolers really openly was that there was no ability to report anonymously and now there is and ongoing feedback with just seeing low percentages which you know you hope would relate to really low incidence happening and at the same time knowing that that's not always the reality. I'm curious about one of the things I know we've heard from high schoolers is it's hard to file a report whether it's anonymous or not and
077then feel like you don't know what happened afterward, >> right? >> And a lot of that has to be held confidential in terms of what was the follow-up with other students. And so then that distrust in the system or just not knowing what's working and what's not if they're not seeing it. I'm curious if you've had any conversations, connections with high schoolers, or other interviews just to continue to get feedback on that process, how that's going, how that's feeling, continual ways to improve that they're noting. >> Last year was our first year doing the 30-day um check-in with the student who was harmed. And that was our um way of being able to to um speak to that that student who was harmed and let them know, ask those qu the questions of um how
078are you doing now? Is it continuing? Is there anything that we should have done differently? Is there anything that we can do to help? You know, continue to help. And typically those check-ins are pretty, yeah, it's fine. You know, we're good. Um, there have been a couple of students who have said, "No, it still happens, you know, when I'm here or when I'm over there, and I would need help with that." Um, and we've and and our teachers or our principles are also trying to find um better adults to do those check-ins. they could check in, but if they weren't the one that worked with the student or if they're not that close with the student and aren't that trusted adult, then um using a trusted adult in the building to ask those questions usually
079get some more honest answer. So, we're tracking that data, too. That data is um is a lot of, you know, hand entered. So, we're doing a lot of work with um with Kristen in uh my office making sure that that information is getting tallied and taken care of. >> Thanks. >> Ask one more. Should we wait for Judah? Um, do you all mind extending our time >> for five more minutes? >> Can you put five more minutes on Kim? Go ahead, Shauna, for your other question. >> Thank you. So, I know that the numbers are different year after year, so we can't exactly compare the percentages from one year to the next because it may be a percentage off a different number. Um, but I noted that the percentages of racial bias, LGBTQ plus bias,
080religious bias, those percentages have dropped, whereas disability has increased. And again, that's not necessarily a decrease in the incidences, but just a decrease in the percentages across the total. >> You mentioned culturally responsive and responsive approaches in in seeing the data and really looking at how to respond as the data are coming in. Are there ways that you're addressing abbleism in terms of seeing those percentages rise? >> Yeah, that um so some of that has been happening through some of our special ed like department trainings and pieces that we've been working on. One of the things that we just started to work on um starting from a kindergarten level is actually an inclusive model around training that helps to address abbleism um and what like what does an inclusive kindergarten setting look like? Um, and
081we're partnering with LBL on that. And so, like that's like a small way that we're looking to build up and scale those pieces up that way. >> Yeah, Judah, >> it's really good, too. >> Yes. Um, so nerd data question. Uh uh when I was interested so when we're seeing the reports of swastika because I'm assuming that's being categorized as anti-semitism um when we're talking about things that could have multiple implications like um anti-LGBT BTQ bias um like um discrimination towards the Romani people who are also um is there a way to categorize like a single incident across like multiple areas? does. >> So, when Kristen does do the data, she she's had to figure out how to take the data from the um the system we're using and do some deeper dives into it
082and she has been taking a look at when multiple things are are occurring in one incident. So, she does track that. Um but that's again something that she'll do by hand, but she will do that. Um and and you see that um you see that a lot in the types of bias reported like a lot of times you'll see some that are higher but it it it could have been across multiple there could have been an incident that crosses multiple areas of bias. >> Thank you. >> And um second question we had done some changes to our bullying definitions earlier this year last year. time is fake. Um that we really specifically included um like seeking into preventing and intervening in bullying based on body shape and size. >> Is there any way to collect
083that data? Are we only collecting like state protected? >> No, we can collect that data and that's that's something that is is something that we can pull. Um it's just not part of like I was trying to be consistent as a data person trying to be consistent with the categories and the numbers. Um like if you notice in the locations of incidents we've changed one of the categories to online. Um and we don't have data for that in the past two years but we have data for last year. Um, so that is one that we can take a look at when it comes to um a lot of times that will fall into multiple categories like um like uh um like being sexist in a way but also with body shaming. So there's two that
084will come together. So we'll take a look at that and I'll have Kristen pull some of that. >> I would appreciate seeing that data. Thank you. >> Absolutely. >> Thanks. Um, so many possible questions, but here's one that I don't think we've touched on that I'm curious about. Um, in the, uh, investigations and consequences section of the summary here. Um, you've broken down the actions that were taken and I'm curious if you are tracking the response or the action taken to resolve um, as it relates to the category or um, type of incident bias incident. So is there is there a pattern of like you know is as an example for folks who can't see this in front of me reteing or lessons is one of the actions right >> and you used that 185
085times out of 293 was it um founded right yeah so that's >> obviously the largest category are there specific types of bias incidents that tended to get resolved by a particular action or and are you tracking that for. >> Yeah, that one that's a hard I don't know if I track if we can pull that. That's a that's an interesting one to take a look at. This tracking this was also done by hand as Kristen wanted to see what it is that they bring to our our um bias incident response team. Sorry, I've been out for four weeks. I'm I'm barely walking around. Um [laughter] but um she pulls that that data and these are asks. We're writing them down because it would be interesting to see that she um she pulled this data on
086investigation and consequences. And just to be clear again with the data overlap, um you know, it says 185 reting lessons, but that retaching lesson could have also included a parent meeting and um a repair with a person harmed. So those numbers aren't going to add up to 293. They're just going to um be overall, but that's a question that we're going to take back. >> Okay. And then kind of along um similar lines to what you're um the potential of a single event being tracked in multiple categories is um you have 293 founded incidents of bias. Do you have 293 individuals who caused harm? >> No. >> Do you have 293 individuals who were harmed? >> Yes, probably. I mean, I I what I I think when we look at the the reason I said
087no at first is because I was thinking about students who are involved in multiple incidents, which we can track and we can see and we can search for. So, we can see the person causing harm if they've been involved in multiple incidents through our system. So, we can also see if we needed to, we could also add as a party involved the person who was harmed. So, we can see if there's someone who's also being harmed in multiple different ways. >> Okay. I know. I would be curious to see um if we're talking about um a situation of say a >> I don't know a context or a setting that's become >> um I don't know a little bit more incendiary and it's causing more um if that can sometimes help clarify uh why the
088numbers move the way that they do. And then my last question is just about in terms of >> I love that I think that this is a really helpful summary. I'm curious about crossgrades incidents. >> Okay. um if we're having if there's some incidents related to and then I'm also curious about um when it is identified or when it is known um are we seeing patterns of um um in terms of who is who is um who is behaving in a biased way towards so the person doing the harm and the person who's being harmed are these um are there patterns or are you tracking around gender um I think that's I think I I also apparently have been I I'm not I I think you understand my question. So, I'm just going to stop
089because I can't find the words to get it more clear. >> And that's that's what we did with the N-word is we were looking at the incident itself. Who you know what was the racial um makeup of the person causing harm? Harmed. So, we that's something Yeah. >> Okay. And then my last thing that I'm curious about for if we can track it or if we can know it is do we have situations where um and and if you do do you track this where one individual is causing harm and multiple people are harmed in the same incident. So or where one individual is um can you say that way where one individual is being harmed and multiple people are participating. Are you track would you track that as individual incidents of bias? So I'm
090talking about group interaction. >> So that's a good like nuance. We would track that as one incident. But when it comes to our student information system and synergy and behavior reporting, there would if there were a group of students who were being who were harming one student, every one of those students would have um a behavior incident recorded in their student information system. >> And likewise, if multiple students were harmed, you would have Okay. All right. Thank you. Are you okay if that we're going over on this topic? >> Okay, go ahead. >> Yeah, just uh one quick question. Um are the outcomes documented in in the system like uh do we have data on like whether an incident uh resolved uh you know people apologized and so on. Uh I I would be interested
091in seeing that data as well. the outcomes. Uh >> so what happens in the outcomes is um in our system our principles are um they get the behavior incident report. They do the investigation and then they have note sections and typically in that note sections we're asking them for a framework of you know is this founded did this happen and then you know what did you do with the person who was harmed? How did you take care of them? How did you what happened with and and it's mostly a narrative. So it's not something where we can go into a system and like click boxes of what we want to see. So, if that's a piece of data you'd like to look at, that would be something that we'd have to pull just like we
092were talking about with Charice. Okay. Anybody else? >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Sorry, just a quick question. >> So, on the uh bias in file on the public meeting agenda, it shows that CST students have um had decreasing amount of reports and I was curious if there was a reason for why there's been less district students reporting. Do you mean on this this one here? Yeah. Yeah. Um so that number is just a straight a straight number of if they are the reporter and if um remember from the presentation the the staff number went up and what we're what we saw was with that increase of staff reporting that um half of that number are reporting for students. So if you were so if a student is report so a student can report for themsel
093for a friend they saw a thing. So, um, it's that that part kind of gets all mixed into the data, but in in multiple incidents, a an adult is reporting for a student instead of a student reporting for themselves. So, that might be where you see that data kind of dropping in a funny way. >> I had a question, too, but I also had a um I just wanted to say that you must have read my mind about asking about trainings about anti-black racism because that's great to see that it's in there for professional learning. Thank you. >> Um, so I'm glad I didn't have to ask about it this year. >> Um, the question I had was, uh what kind of changes have you all seen since we're a few years into this yet?
094Or have you seen any changes in district experiences or behavior with students and or staff? I think the thing that I've seen um and maybe it's just I think that our administrators I'm I'm not getting a phone call for every single incident to say I don't know what to do about this incident. Instead, I think administrators are feeling more and more confident in the tools that they have in front of them, remembering that we have a district behavior guidelines document that lists um racial harassment and has um I had it written down somewhere, but I can take it from memory that it um it it um puts it gives out consequences based on severity levels. We have a racial language scale that they can open up and take a look at um comparing what they
095uh are investigating with what our racial language scale says so they know kind of what direction to go. Um and then within that they have lots of tools. Marcianne isn't here because she does a lot of other things, but one of the great things that she did for our team was she made sure that our administrators have access to a huge file of um teaching reteing lessons on um topics like abbleism and anti-semitism and um and racism and how can um how can they work with students to do that reteing so they're feeling more confident in that. I used to get tons of questions on is this the direction I should be going and what do I do with this kid now and I'm not experiencing that as much and are um and I feel
096like it's because they're becoming more confident in the work that they're doing with their students on campus. >> The thing I would just add that is important I think in this is um the work that Melissa has done around this over the years is is it's systemized and so it actually doesn't matter if you're a new administrator in our district. um like we have like first year principles right now. It's like a system in place and so it doesn't rely on if you're really good at communication or following up on certain things. There's actually a system to do that anytime someone is harmed in this process. Parents are called, there's a conversation that happens. The system of guardian dings you reminds you of the things you need to be doing. Um it reminds you to
097do your 30-day check-in to go back and check in on the student who was harmed. And so because of that, as we have change and and our systems always changing with our staff, the systems built where this will continue to happen. And I think that's really important to note that it's systemized now. And I see that as a difference. >> Cool. Thank you. Um I know I know that this model is based loosely on the model OSU and being on that team, we've seen the numbers of reports go down quite a bit over the last couple years. And so I wasn't surprised to see report numbers go down here um as well. But um I'm glad they haven't gone down as much there because just because stuff isn't getting reported does not mean bias is
098gone. >> Exactly. >> And so I hope that we continue to document it um really well as a district to see where we need to work on things. That was the whole point of it. Right. So knowing like the antilack racism was an area that really needed to be addressed and there's a training that came is coming out of it. So I I think that it's doing what was envisioned when um the students asked for it a few years ago. So thankful to see some steps being taken and I know that change is slow too. Um some and within systems and some students may never see the >> the students who were here that called for this change or have already graduated. And so I just wanted to name that too that that happens sometimes
099too. and it's like but um I'm thankful for their advocacy for sure. Um okay well thank you all. >> I was just going to ask you all we have quite a few more items on the agenda. Do you all need um want to take a break now or after the next agenda item? >> Right. We're going to take a break right now and then we'll go on to the Okay, if we can put the break thing up on the Thanks. I don't know if Okay, we're back you all. Um, the next item on the agenda is a student investment account and we have Lauren for this one. There's nothing much to say about it other than it's a a logistical requirement from um the N OS that we present the grant agreement. We don't always
100get them in the right time of when we actually do the presentation um which was done last month. Um, and so we didn't have the grant agreement from the state yet. So that's why you have it now, but I don't really have anything additional to share about it. >> Sammy has a question. >> Go ahead, Sammy. >> How do you know >> um how many reports we have to submit for the several different grants that we receive? >> Um, like a little less than 200, I think. So approximately how many hours a year we might save if we get an integrated one? >> That's sort of a loaded question. Um hours, yes, but when we also it also takes the collaboration of many different people um on different teams. So and we also have to
101use like specific software platforms that are not super user friendly as well. So I I mean many >> Yeah. >> It would be great if we could just submit that information once. >> Yeah. So modernizing uh the way we submit our application and integrating the application might help. Uh so thank you and just want to highlight uh a comment to highlight my gratitude for our business community uh because uh the funds that we get through the corporate excise tax comes into the student success act and it's been helpful for us to do the work. >> Thanks. Any other discussion? Does anyone wish to make a motion? >> Chris, go Chris. >> I move to approve the district's 202527 student investment account GR grant agreement. This motion. Nope, never mind. I know. >> [laughter] >> Do
102I hear a second? >> Second. >> It's been moved by Chris and seconded by Shauna. Is there any further discussion? >> Okay. It has been moved by Chris and seconded by Shauna to approve the district's 2025 to 27 student investment account SIA grant agreement. Judah >> I >> Sammy >> I >> Chris >> I >> Shauna >> I >> Theres I >> Bernie >> I vote I motion passes >> and the next item on the agenda is the budget parameters back to you Lauren. Um I'm bringing these back to you just as we do every year um as we head into the budget season. Um this is first read. We typically do a first read and a second read just like we do with other policies, although this isn't a policy. Um, and what I
103have included in the first read is is where we left off last year. So, if you remember, we made several revisions um to the budget parameters last year. And so, that's your first read for this year. Um, and we hope to um make whatever changes that you you might see fit and have that ready for um the second read next month. >> What what Lauren Lauren is mentioning is that we brought it back twice last time. >> We did two second reads last time. >> I remember. >> Okay. >> That was You're looking at me, too. >> Well, I'm just [laughter] >> I was like I know. I'm just saying if you would like to make um revisions, I would love for you to tell me. Today >> I have a comment, but I I
104usually go last, so I was seeing if other folks had any comments, questions. >> Go ahead, Sammy. >> So, uh Lauren, thank you. Uh in light of uh the the uh shift in decision the decision- making we're making that will make a huge shift in how we're going to budget this year. Uh could you speak a little bit about uh how the budget parameters are going to inform our decisions and uh in budgeting and how is going to support uh this process especially in a unique year where there is school consolidation and closure of buildings. >> So as I mentioned we use this we do like the the two reads on it but it isn't a policy. Um these are just generally accepted guidelines um that we are committing to honor throughout the budget process.
105Um I think this also helps a little bit as the um board sets the budget parameters and then as we join that larger group of the budget committee which um then includes seven other community members. Um it just sort of I think helps with that through line a little bit. um these budget parameters as we revised them last year, we tried to really tie them to the board goals because that's what should be leading our spending um the goals without aligned spending um is is not going to help us reach those goals, right? And so we've tried to include that in each one of these um different categories here. This is originally um something that was put in place as part of our budget process. It's not required prior to um me being in this
106role, but it's based off of um best practices and I think I put a little more of that information in the cover. Um so does that help answer your question? >> Yes. Thank you. >> Okay. I think it's sort of like when we use um our different evaluative tools like the equity lens questions or when we're going through different processes to help us like when we make a decision we go through these kind of categories and and then talk through each one. >> Thanks. I had a suggestion for um something to potentially add in probably under the long-term perspective section. Um because of the really unstable financial situation that public education actually still is in. Um I was wondering if we should put something in there about keeping those um things in mind. I know
107that that the information that went out um that at least that the OSBA board folk and LPC people um said that the revenue may have not been as looked as bad, but there's still a big hole from other areas that are impacting um public education. So, I don't know if we wanted to put something in there that gives I don't think the funding area has been like this for a long time and it just seems like it might be somewhere in there possibly there to put around funding instability with the state and federal funds. I don't know how to word it though. That's why I was looking to you for help with if that makes sense. >> Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Um I also think that's tricky because we that's not something we
108can control. Um and so I guess my question to be to you would be how would we um actually implement um any change related to that because the thing that comes up to me would be increasing the reserve policy um to account for that. And so if that's something you're saying that wouldn't necessarily be a budget parameter. That would be more like we need to look at that policy. Um so I'm just I I don't disagree with what you're saying. like that's a real impact and how we recognize that impact through um the budget parameters. I'm not really sure >> about like how in the past we've had to make tough decisions on programs which theoretically we are not doing that this year. >> Um but things like that where there's >> priorities of community
109and of the district and prioritizing I think that's more where I was coming from [music] with keeping those in mind. Yeah. Yeah, if there are unexpected impacts that continue to happen, um, that's kind of what I was thinking of. But if it doesn't fit in the parameters, that's okay, too. I just wanted to ask about it if that was somewhere that it should go or if that should go somewhere else. I don't, and this is just my one feeling. I'm not sure that it fits necessarily in the budget parameters, but I'm not opposed to it either. Um I think what so I'm just trying to think of like what would that example be? So if we lost funding like for the 21st century program for example that's federal funding that we received to run the
110afterchool program that supports um many of our our students that need the the academic support. So in that scenario, if we choose to do that still, that would then bump something in general fund um and we would have to shift priorities. And I do feel like our board goals and that the rest of the parameters are written around um already give us the tools to evaluate like which things would stay and which things would go. But maybe if we explicitly say um that we that we will use those as an evaluation tool when we have to assess um what programs to continue or discontinue due to changes in state or federal funding. Does that feel like it's like that is that is my example of what I'm thinking what kind of what you're thinking about
111like those programs and if we decide how we would continue or not? >> Yeah. or even like um stuff with the lunch programs, things like that, >> support for students with disabilities, which were required by law anyways to do. And th those are the kind of things um that I was thinking and I don't know if other board members um have thoughts on that or if it's just me thinking about that. >> Go ahead, Sammy. >> Um help me out if I'm not hearing what I'm hearing. What I'm hearing is the word adaptability. uh maybe not resilience, adaptability, which is given the the the the instability of funding streams and some funding streams are whether stable or or not as stable fund uh our programs at different levels of priorities. What I'm hearing is this
112adaptability that we may need to make decisions in an adaptable way to to continue prioritizing what we care most about with minimal influence of which funding streams are gone and which funding streams are here and not only through the budget parameters informing our budget cycle but also within the same budget year as well. Am I hearing that or is that totally different? >> I'm not sure. >> Okay. >> If it's the same. Um maybe it's I think adaptability is a little bit different than prioritizing. And so that's kind of where I was getting at because there's um I over the last few years it felt like the budget committee was kind of just stuck on things because there was no like how do we prioritize and you're prioritizing and and giving us based on all
113the things and um having those guidelines for the budget committee to understand what's happening I think is really important. But if it doesn't I mean if it fits it fits if it doesn't and it needs to go somewhere else that's fine too. I think we just need to have that conversation as a budget committee when we have that meeting that um training would be good to even talk about how that works. Go ahead, Bernie. >> Yeah, I think uh what would be helpful and I think maybe this is what you're talking about too is that we have a list of assumptions that we would give to the budget committee about the economic uh uh uh situation. What programs you are likely to be funded? but uh what programs we assume would continue funding and and
114uh and then basically I think that could help guide some of the decisions if we're looking at the assumptions uh behind it too. Yeah, I think um in general I I do provide assumptions, but I think they're probably more rolled up. Um and I know that that's just something that is interest to you too. And so I think that we can um expand upon that and go into further detail. when I look at um who like what the composition of our budget committee will be for this year, they think there's um a bit more capacity to dig in a little deeper into things based on the um you know, everybody on the board has been through that process at least once um and having a um at least a a group of the members from
115the community side still um participating. And so there's opportunity for that. I'm happy to provide any things specific um to the committee and if that would be helpful. That's >> yeah and and some of that data may also be existing out there already. I'm I'm pretty sure >> it is. It's just I can bring it to the to the top and um like present that. >> Yeah. U I just want to be in favor when you said unrolling the assumptions, you know, just to be a little bit more explicit, like here's the assumptions that we're operating under because um just last month we were being told you can expect an additional 5 to 10% cut and now it's not. So it's like it does feel a lot like being yo-yoed. Um I'm sure you're familiar
116with that. So, just to say this is the assumptions that we're operating under like explicitly where this money is coming from for this budget cycle. Um, just to say like here's the basis for which we're we're making the decisions because right now we're getting thrown all over the place with >> Yeah. >> different types of funding. >> Yeah. Um, most of that is in the document already as it stands, but I'm happy to highlight that more as I know that people aren't going to read every like 200 pages of of the document. So, if those are um things that you're interested, I'm happy to bring that forward. >> Thanks, Lauren. And it uh doesn't have to go in the budget parameters. I just seen if it needed to go in there at all. And if
117it doesn't, it doesn't. and we can have that conversation later. Again, it was more thinking about the whole budget committee. >> Um, the community members don't have as many conversations about the budget as the board and then we have access to things like the state guidance and things like that that are coming down. So, I think it would be just helpful and um by the time we have the budget committee um meeting, it'll be after this short session, too. So, we'll have a more clear on that >> theoretically. All right. Go ahead, Ryan. Um it makes me wonder if we should at some point bring back policy DA for the conversation around um reserves. Um again thinking mostly about the federal situation. Um last year Congress appropriated dollars and then they were put on hold.
118Um and we had concerns whether or not they were going coming through. Um, so I just wonder if it wouldn't be healthy for us to have that conversation at some point um before we um reach the fall when those concerns may arise again. >> Sounds good. I think I had that in my brain and didn't say it at some point about bringing that policy up. So, okay. >> Yeah, >> there's also another one specific to budget committee that is I mean I can see it on the list. It's under DA, but um it's in there that maybe that one would be relevant as well. I don't I don't believe that we have reviewed those um at least since I've been in this role. >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Other than DA, which we
119review, >> correct? But >> annually. Yes. >> Yeah. >> Any other last minute questions? We have like a minute left. You >> Oh, I thought you were raising your hand. >> Okay. Thanks, Lauren, for your work. And um next we have review of resolution rights of undocumented students. And I guess um there it is. Um I actually asked for this one to get pulled up at one of our past meetings and um do you all mind if I just share some thoughts since I asked about it? I don't think that um I think this was a is a great resolution and I think we need to update it. I'll just say it flat out like that. Um because it was written for what's going to be 10 years ago and things have changed um with
120things around um immigration enforcement and this one is very specific to one single branch of immigration enforcement. And I feel like um in thinking about where we lie on the coastline and think about where we're at nationally with um things and as a state um I think it was a good time to perhaps do an updated version. So does that sound okay with you all? >> I I would like to work on that. Judah, you're raising your hand. Uh chair, I have a similar thought and in reviewing that wondering if I mean in addition to updating to make sure that the um protections provided are the most current if it's possible to be um looking at expanding that to the children of undocumented immigrants >> um >> as well like have have a section. I
121think that I don't remember if that that was not in here specifically, but I mean, yes, that would be good. I think we need to talk about many things, including not just ICE, but like border patrol, >> federal agencies, um, private individuals hired on behalf of the federal government. >> There's many reasons that many ways it can be worded in here that can be a little more encompassing that could potentially >> Could I ask you to repeat yourself, Jude? The first part I was paying attention to the clock. I'm sorry. >> To see about adding a section for if we can what if any protections we can provide for the children of undocumented um immigrants who might themselves be US citizens. >> Did you have your hand? >> So yeah, I I agree. I support
122that. And uh just to make sure we're clear in our intention is to really to strengthen update and broaden the scope to make sure our students feel safe and their families feel safe. Um and I've been thinking first of all for context uh this was voted on first time before I joined the board. Uh they voted on it like just before and they asked me would you vote would you have voted for it uh during the interview process? Um maybe we reaffirmed it once if I'm not mistaken somewhere in 21 and I believe it's not only reviewing it's revising it and and strengthening it. I believe also I would like us to consider re re as long as we navigate some challenging times continue to put it on the board as anformational reminder for all
123of us. Um and when anybody wants to say when did the board consider it uh it should be continuous uh uhformational commitments that we have made the decision. Um I I just want to add that's elements whether we enshrine that in the the uh resolution itself or we do the practice of the leadership uh putting it on the consent agenda uh orformational agenda. uh because I think there's two utilities of this affirming to the community and uh to our children and also operationalizing the work that we do. >> Okay. Any other questions, thoughts about this? >> And then sorry then you Ryan >> I'm in support as well and just my question back to you is what would be next steps in terms of process? >> Um we need to basically just um look at
124this one and what it says and the framework it offers and um draft a new one for we like we do with any other resolution. >> So just in clarifying thinking about maybe a small group of board members >> doing that outside and then coming back to bring it back to the board >> just like we do with other ones. >> Okay. I volunteer. >> Okay. Okay. Hence. Okay. Um did you have something? >> I volunteer. I I was in a conversation with a staff member um recently and um a fair a newer staff member to the district and they had questions about the sort of the district stance with regards to this and I let um let them know that this would be coming back to the board. Um, so I think that while
125it is being um, modified, it's important that that's still that we maintain that that's the stance of the district um, in that interim period of time. And so I just think that that's an important statement as well. >> Yeah, I agree. And it's not like it's not in place while we draft an updated one. I'm happy to reread it too if you want. My phone is little, but I can use your paper. I think it would be helpful. >> Yeah, why don't you? >> Okay. Okay. So, before I do, I just wanted to clarify. Me, Judah, Sammy. Yes. Are you all okay with that? >> Yes. >> Okay. And then we'll >> Sorry, I'm just getting this reminder. Uh we're not staffing this with this is within the prerogative of the board, but maybe a
126reminder chair that in the newsletter we provide a channel for the community to reach out to you and or the group. So, we can incorporate any feedback from staff or community as well. Yeah, they can just email us the board members that are working on it. Um, feel free to email us if you have thoughts on it. Um, so, okay, I will go ahead and read resolution 16-1201, rights of undocumented students and protocols for immigration and customs enforcement, also known as ICE, access to schools. Um, and it says recital A. Since 1982, Supreme Court preceded Plier versus D457US 202 has required equal access to public education for all children, including those who are undocumented or come from families with members who are undocumented. B. The board of directors of the Corvalis 509J school district is
127committed to the success and safety of every student who attends our district schools. Our goal is for every student to grow and ultimately to graduate and it is the responsibility of our school district to give each student the opportunity and support to meet this goal. C. The board believes that physical safety and emotional well-being are paramount to foster student success. Therefore, our schools must be safe and inviting places for all students and their families. Policies already in place prohibit any form of discrimination, harassment, or bullying. The district's anti-discrimination policies have both federal civil rights law and Oregon law at their foundation. D. The board knows that our children's safe and inviting educational environment would be disrupted by the presence of ICE officials who might come into school district into district schools for the purposes of
128removing students or their family members or obtaining information about students or their families. E the board further believes that our students ability to succeed will be negatively impacted by the removal of their families family members by ICE which could leave students without supervising adults to care for them. Therefore, the district will develop policies and procedures to protect and care for such students until a guardian or other designated adult is contacted and that all teachers, administrators, and staff should be trained on such procedures. Resolution one. Any ICE official intending to enter any Corvalis 509J school must first notify the superintendent or designate in person um in person of this intention with adequate notice for the superintendent to consult with legal counsel and take steps to provide for the emotional and physical safety of sta staff or
129students and staff. Two, the superintendent is authorized to ask for any ICE officials credentials. Ask why he or she is requesting access to a school and review the legal authority for the request. Three, any ICE official must provide written legal authority for entry into a 509J school. Such authority must document the purpose for such entry. Four, Corvalis 509J staff shall not ask about or document any students immigration status or that of the students family members and pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Furpa, and relevant law shall not disclose without parental consent the immigration status or other personal information about any student or his or her family. Five. Within the next 90 days, the superintendent shall develop a plan for training teachers, administrators, and other staff on how to respond to ICE personnel
130who may attempt to enter 509J property and or request information about 509J students and families. Subject to applicable laws, the plan shall include procedures for notifying families about generalized ICE efforts to gain information about students and families and how to protect and support students who family members have been displaced because of ICE. This plan shall be communicated to all 509J families in all supported languages. adopted by the board of directors of school district number 509J Corvalis of Benton and Lynn counties, Oregon at its meeting this fifth day of December uh 2000 uh six or 2016. Signed by uh former board chair Alexis Mcquinland. Thank you for letting me borrow that. That was much easier to read than on my phone. >> Thank you for reading it. >> Yeah, for I think it's really important that
131we do reaffirm that in the context of this time there's students in the state who have been um had family members taken right outside of their schools including in Albany um which was right across the river and that is very traumatizing for kids and families and everybody involved um and creates a level of fear that should not be around public education at all. So, I appreciate the district's commitments to that and also know the reality is that this um issue has impacted families very directly in our school district and in the state. Okay. So, we will come up with a plan to bring something to the board. Do we have a deadline? >> Let's do it soon. Let's give ourselves no more than a month. >> That sounds great. Okay. Next month we shall have
132something to you all. Does that sound good? Okay. Great. Okay. It's hard to move just moving right along, but I was like now I need a break. Um yeah. So, um the next item on the agenda is OSBA conference takeaways. Anybody want to go? Judah. >> So, there were four of us at the conference. Yes, I'm looking at you. Uh, I always appreciate the opportunity to receive ongoing education. um to better my work on the board. I um well my favorite presentation was the Wilsonville uh mariachi and dance uh >> Woodburn Woodburn um that wasn't really educational. It was just an absolute delight. uh and I myself attended um a presentation from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and I had mentioned last meeting and then forgot to follow up that we need to draft a
133policy uh around a reimbursement because right now um we we have almost nothing that we're eligible to be reimbursed for. But the very limited things um under the current law you you should not be using a credit card or debit card for which you get any kind of points or rewards um to be paying for things to be reimbured for and to go around that we need a specific policy. Um, and so just it's not going to be one of our more exciting policies, but [laughter] I I do think that we need it. That was my one takeaway. When I checked up on our other policies mentioned to look at in that um presentation, they looked great. >> Who wants to go next? Any other OSBA takeaways from the conference? >> I do want to
134go back to Oh, go ahead, Sammy. You're unmuted. Sorry. >> Yes. Uh I attended the presentation of consolidation uh that the chair and staff have shared and we were in the midst of uh the decision- making. I just want to say thank you for staff uh who came all the way to Portland to not only share about the experience but also listen for feedback from other uh colleagues, board members and and see what experiences that they go through. Um I know like we we kept them awake until after uh midnights and that following week and they're still invested their weekend to come and share with other uh districts and it's not unknown that other boards are navigating similar situations. So the professional development that we have gone through is helping us uh understand and learn
135and also share our lessons learned with others and I'm just very grateful for this commitment that we have uh with each other. One thing I'm going to share and I'm going to share it uh courageously knowing it's uh the optics of it are not good but I have to share it which is the legislature said uh it's not fair for schoolboard members to serve without uh getting a stipen that helps them uh really fulfill some uh basic needs while they're volunteering their time. I think it's very beneficial for board members to say I volunteer my time. I'm not getting paid uh labor of love and at the same time I know for future generations future board members uh there will be a barrier of someone who say uh I can't take time off or I
136can't uh uh afford serving without really fulfilling some basic needs uh including child care for example uh or security cameras for the household and uh these are real examples that board members across Oregon have invested from their private fans to do So the question is of course the ethics commission made it very clear how you do go about it. We we can't pay ourselves but we can make a resolution where other board members may uh benefit from a stipen uh or future board members after an election will benefit from a stipen and I think it is worthy of a future discussion uh whether a stipen uh is warranted or not. Uh I know we're going through a very difficult budgetary uh circumstances. So I want to be acknowledging that and I'm sharing it in a
137public meeting uh where I want to hear from the community if they think yeah sure go for it or no uh that's really not a good thing. U I want to elevate that so we can hear from the community because at the end of the day uh I think a well functioning board that takes care of uh uh the district is is important and that would be one element of it. Uh so I just want to elevate that and uh entertain a conversation with community members who are interested in it before we consider whether that's an action we want to consider or not in an ethical manner because there's means to do this ethically. >> Okay. Thanks Sammy. Go ahead Bernie. >> Yeah. Um the conference uh was uh very enlightening to me first by
138talking with other board members and seeing our challenges are not unique and and this is a a big thing for the whole state. Uh but one of the sessions uh really struck a chord with me and that was the session with all the legislators the people in the education committee. Um I I I know we need to do more advocacy uh with them, but one thing I took away from that uh there were Republicans and Democrats there. It's bipartisan and uh they they see the issues. they understand the issues and I think uh they're relatively unified in their positions and I think we really do need to spend more time reaching out to our legislators and uh especially when when it comes to resources and policies. >> Thanks Bernie. I should have mentioned that during
139the OSBA report. Hello. The um just a reminder that the our regional legislative gathering is next week in um at the uh ESD building. And so that's uh is it next week? Yes, it is um the 17th. And so y'all should have got information about that and uh through email. And I wanted to go back to um I'll come back to that one actually. I went to a lot of things too. I always get a lot out of OSBA. This conference this time I was extremely into many of the sessions as in I was presiding one presented twice leading meetings. It was a lot but u I still got a lot out of it too. And um I helped with the facilitate not the facilitation, the presider, like the person who starts it and ends
140it for the rural caucus session. Um I really appreciate going to the rural caucus um theirformational stuff, especially at OSBA because there's districts from all over. We're a barely urban um school district and we're in the middle of mostly rural. Alban is the other bariest um well they're bigger than ours but so they're much bigger than us but everybody else around us is pretty rural and there's districts that um have multiple schools within them making up their um district to multiple cities. Um so I always get a a lot out of that one. the legislative policy committee meeting. Um again, just hearing what's going on, seeing the funding forecasts there, um our regional roundt, hearing from people around us, the caucus of color meeting um as president, putting that together. There was some huge bylaws
141changes on that and um that caucus work has um remains committed to the same. However, the structure is very different now. Um, if you're interested in hearing about it, let me know. Um, there's a lot of great speakers, um, including that panel that Bernie was talking about. The thing that stood out the most to me out of everything they said besides their commitment to education is there's no more money coming from the state. So, I was like I was like, "Oh, there it was. McIntyre keeps it real." [laughter] And so, um, just that really stood out to me a lot that she was just like, just so you all know. And the last thing I wanted to say is it relates back to our last um topic on the agenda too. I agree with Judah
142the Maria they mean the performers, the student performers. Just so folk who don't go to the conference know they have um schools put in for to bring students and they do a performance. There's two um so two schools get selected um and they're always super awesome and touching and the mariachi one um from Woodburn their community was just impacted by ice heavily and they still came and those students still performed their hearts out and it was like they um the kids that were all around the side of the whole room. It was like they were just hugging everybody in the whole room like holding that space and then the older students were on top singing and um just knowing what had just happened in their school district um was really moving to see that. So
143I really appreciated going to the conference and the professional development, the connections and everything that comes with it. So yeah, >> you have something Ryan. >> Yeah. So just thinking again about um advocacy work um hearing the legislators um speaking about schools but um one of the four that was up there is Sue Ricky Smith who just recently retired from being the superintendent in Tiger to Walatin. Um so we are fortunate to have Sue um h having just spent time in the school district as a superintendent. Before that she was in um Salem Kaiser and she's a good colleague. Um, so thinking about um, how we also advocate more regionally. Sue would be a great person to reach out to locally. We know that both Sarah have been on this board in the past. So,
144in terms of um, folks thinking about the importance of public ed, I think we have some good allies and I think we need to make sure that we're continuing to think about that in ways we can um, ask for their support. Cool. Okay, the next item. Wait, where are we? Is that right? >> Conference takeaways. Consolidated action. Um, the next item on the agenda is consolidated action. Is there more on consolidated action? Is there an item anybody would like to pull from Sammy? >> Uh budget appointments, the budget, uh a financial summary, and very quick notes about the minutes. Okay. So, a >> a >> that's a different >> Oh, sorry. Fin summary, I apologize. Is the under consolidate information. So, only uh the appointments and uh quick notes about the minutes. >> Which minutes?
145>> Uh the November was it? Yes. So item A and B2. >> Yes. >> Any other items? >> Okay. Go ahead, Sammy. What do you want? Which one do you want to start with? >> Um quick the quick notes about the minutes. I just want to say it's 18 pages. Uh thank you uh uh Kim Nelson for uh taking very thorough notes and I I did review them. you captured really the essence of the discussion and it really makes it help helpful for community members, the board, future boards uh and the public to to really understand uh the discussion and just want to recognize how uh thorough the documentation is and reflects how staff really are doing hard work for everything we do. So, uh, for the sake of brevity, not doing the same thing
146we've done last time, I just want to say really thank you for all staff, uh, and Kim especially, uh, for for supporting this district and the board, uh, operations, including taking those minutes. No suggestions of any changes. And on the budget uh sorry on the budget committee appointments uh I would like to offer an alternative motion and happy for the sake of discussion to offer the motion and then discuss uh the merits of it if the chair if that would please the chair. >> Um hold on one second. I don't know what is going on with my my agenda is being weird. Thank you. I think this is why I was getting confused that it's in consolidate action because there's motion language in the cover sheet and so Huh. >> usually is. >> Yeah. Okay.
147Okay. Okay. That's why I got confused for a second. Sorry. Yes. Go ahead, Sammy. >> Thank you. Uh, I move Cassandra Enman and Nancy J. Larson to be appointed to the budget committee for three-year terms ending June 30th, 2028. In addition, I move to appoint Carla El Wah to a two-year term ending June 30th, 2027. Is there a second? >> I second. >> Then moved by Sammy and seconded by Chris. I'm going to need you to read it back because it's not prepared for me to read. So, yes. >> Is there any um is there discussion? >> Well, I wonder if Sammy could take a moment to um offer his thoughts on offering an alternative motion. >> Yes. Thank you. So first of all uh I want to acknowledge the uh continued work of our
148finance uh to really go through the pro process of soliciting inputs and uh usually some years we don't have enough applicants uh uh and some other years we have an a really great uh u number of applicants uh this year is the one where we have really great number of applicants and uh the criteria I'm offering for the three names I believe uh they provide a diversity of thought, experience uh engagement in different aspects whether uh in education, education funding, uh really deep understanding in budgets and the experience that requires uh the budget committee to have uh uh a diversity of voices. Uh, I did offer uh Nancy Jay Larson as an alternative uh based on a former superintendent from Idaho who's in the community mentoring uh students here at the at OSU and have
149a uh kids in uh grandkids in in the system. Uh I believe that's a really and in addition to Cassandra Enman, uh she's a colleague on the budget committee currently. Um and Carl Hua is uh I think the CFO of OSU. So really great slate uh that I support u and just want to be very candid uh uh appreciate everybody who applied to the budget committee and encourage them to continue to apply and especially we have one more opportunity for a person who belongs to the committee uh diversity equity committee. Um so the rationale I provide is really people with track record uh engaging with the community and also making sure that the budget uh relies on people with a track record on experience that uh is consistent and and understands budgets. >> Sammy, um
150what ex what involvement does she have with the community, the alternative person you're putting in there and with the board? >> Yeah. Uh the uh u uh Miss Nancy Jay Larson have uh been involved in the community mentoring students uh I believe teacher students um moved in recently I think uh into the community about a couple years if not mistaken um and uh I really relied heavily on a really good reputation as a former superintendent 30 years in education uh and frankly I'm not married to this motion if uh my colleagues want to choose another uh alternative person I'm happy to supports whatever the board uh sees fit. >> Chris, >> thanks Sammy. I also um was going to recommend Nancy Larson as well. Um Nancy has been doing incredible amount of volunteer work in
151the community. Um and as Sammy mentioned has had a lot of experience in school budgets. Um, I also was going to recommend her because um, thank you Lauren for putting out the parameters around um, best practices for school uh, for budget committee members. And a couple of the things that were mentioned in there was fostering collaboration between academic and finance staff as well as as schoolboard members and effectively communicate process um and corresponding decisions to stakeholders. And I just think that um Nancy um has um someone that I think would be very um positive in those kind of best practices. I also have concerns and I'm this is going to be a tough conversation and courageous as well, but um I had concerns about Chris being on our um budget committee um just because I
152think that his conversations have been pretty negative towards board members and staff personally um and that I've noticed um information I we've We've talked about it in meetings. Um him sharing in public meetings um some of his facts don't really compare with what matches with Corvalis our numbers and data and that also um I think that we're looking for people that are really concerned about are really aimed at problem solving and not blaming. And so I think that Nancy would be a better fit for working on trying to help us, you know, with difficult decisions and problem solving the situation that needs to be done. >> Bernie, >> can I ask a question? Um, this slate of names is recommended by Lauren or or who who came up with this original list? >> Do you
153want to answer, Lauren? So, since I've been in this role, the um process has been for uh district finance staff to solicit for for applications and then review those internally on our team um and then make those recommendations uh to the board. But they are just that they're recommendations. That's just how our policy reads. >> Okay. So um just follow up on that then if you make a recommendation then you assume they uh you're certifying that they have at least the competency to serve in that capacity. Correct. >> Yeah. I think all the applicants that applied do. Okay. >> I mean we received more applicants than what we have spots for. Um, and based on I don't have the specific legislation, it's in that um is that we um are to include a member of
154the district equity team on the board and we don't have any applicants yet. I'm still hopeful. So, there's a position open um for someone who also serves on that committee. Um but that's why we had eight applicants and only are appointing three because we need someone that is also a participant on that committee. >> Okay. Yeah, >> and that was a change to the law uh two years ago. >> Thanks for clarifying that's part of state law. That's important for people to understand that, Shauna. And I have one too eventually. >> Thank you, Lauren, for putting together this information. And thank you to the community for putting names forward to come and join in these conversations in really meaningful ways. Really appreciate everyone who has put their names forward to to do this and to
155join us in these conversations. Um, a question for you. I know you've put forward three names for recommendation after reviewing and then there are some additional names on the spreadsheet below a darken um, a line that you have there. Are those names in any order in terms of or are they >> just kind of random order? They're not necessarily in an order of next recommendation. >> No. >> Okay. Thank you. That's that's helpful to hear. >> Anybody else? Go ahead, Trace. >> Uh, well, I would like to um first um really just extend appreciation to Chris for um just bringing up what I think is a an obvious point that um there are probably a lot of feelings behind and I appreciate that that your approach is to say, well, let's talk about this because
156it's not going to do us any good to not talk about it. um I don't necessarily h haven't landed in the same place regarding um what um [laughter] u the best strategy for engaging the community and involving community members. But I can appreciate the the comments. Um also want to acknowledge that it's a privilege to live in a community where we have eight people all of whom would probably do a really fantastic job. And so we're this is not a situation of are we going to get people on the committee that are going to do the hard work. We obviously are going to get that. We have a lot of folks on there. There are a lot of pieces and dynamics um that we are that we're talking about. With that in mind, I I
157would struggle to support an alternative proposal. Um, if the primary driver behind that is this could be hard because I think that the part of it that could be hard could also be the part that's really great. This is a person who's been very present um has been very involved has very clearly demonstrated that they they want to see a thriving strong school district. And the one thing that continues to be I get reminded of every year is that the budget process is not even a tiny bit clear. Even as a board member, I have to remind myself year over year why how do we do this? Why are we talking about this now? Why can't we talk about it until then? Why are we passing a budget before we actually have money and then
158having to come back? It's very confus It's a confusing process. So I I guess I want to extend the possibility that if you aren't doing the work of the budget committee, understanding the budget process might be an unreasonable lift. And so I would like to think and I would like to and I believe that when a person has participated in sharing information that is not accurate, the opportunity is to bring them closer to the data and have a conversation and I think we have an opportunity to do that. So that's those are my thoughts. um also appreciate that um in a community where at times people have said well you guys all just really seem to agree with each other um how we get to the place of agreeing with each other is not necessarily
159well understood the amount of work that it takes to decide that we're going to pro we're going to work toward a unified support of our superintendent unified support of our district I feel like one of the ways that we make it very clear that we are not uncomfortable with viewpoints that differ from our own is to say, I'm pretty sure this person had different ideas about what to do about this particular budget situation. And I'm okay with engaging in conversation about that. I'm okay with doing that in a public meeting. And I trust myself, I trust my colleagues, and I trust this person that we're going to do that with the best interest of our district in mind until that doesn't until that's not what happens. Um, so those are my thoughts. Um that said,
160I have tremendous um trust in each of you and if more people don't land where I have landed, this I'm okay with that too. But I do want to share what my perspective is. Um knowing that whoever are the three right now and eventually the fourth person that takes a seat, they'll sit here as my colleague. Whoever they are, they're going to be invited to that role whether it's these three individuals or three other people. um because that's the work that's before us and I know this board can do that. >> I I still haven't got to talk yet. Have you talked yet? Okay, Judah, then I'm gonna go. >> I mean, I had a a different analysis. First of all, thrilled that people were applying um based on just kind of qualifications and um
161like that were listed. I I had some concerns with who was put forward and I really like Heather Rankin and I've seen a lot of advocacy and presence and activism and um I mean we have un unbelievable qualifications from people volunteering for a budget committee. Um so like when we're comparing it's like people are great but um really she has a lot of great qualifications and has been extremely present and um helped and and informative. Uh so I just I I don't know any of these individuals personally. just looking at the qualifications and comparing them. Um what was presented really appreciate where Heather was coming from or is coming from. >> Um I was just going to say that um I appreciate the process that we've been using and it feels uncomfortable to say like
162I don't agree with it because of dynamics perhaps. Um, and I have no idea who Nancy Larson is. Like I don't I don't know if I've met her maybe, but um that's why I asked what how she's been involved with the board because I think that's one of the things that's or with the district and I don't see in here that there's anything that says that. And to me to pull somebody from the list that isn't involved with things seemed a little bit problematic in my opinion and I don't mind saying that because we don't always agree. But um and having had um my own experiences as board chair um with Chris, I still felt comfortable with supporting the process that we have had in place and know that he's been very involved with our
163schools, not just with coming to board meetings when things are tough. And so I thought that was worth thinking about too. Um and so that's kind of um where that's at. And quite honestly, I did encourage him to apply as well um just so other board members know [laughter] um because he seems quite passionate about the budget. And so I thought that seemed like a good place to put that energy is towards looking for a solution with us. And um so when I seen that how big the list was, I was like, "Oh, he's made it on there. Cool." Um and I also wanted to point out too that I think Carla is an incredible person. And so I'm glad that that wasn't somebody that got requested to get not on there because she has
164the view of public education from the higher ed side which is in the same bucket with us and I think that would be an incredible addition to so I just want to say that too on the list of folk um and that Cassandra's already been involved. So I just wanted to share my thoughts. Um, I don't personally as a board individual board member feel comfortable replacing somebody on the list with somebody that has not been involved. And so that's just where I'm coming from with it, even if they have past experience in um another state, not our state. Bernie. >> Yeah. Just u since I only asked a question and didn't give my thoughts on this, I also um want to speak on behalf of uh Chris just because from what I have known of
165him and from engaging with him, he brings different perspectives and I think it's important for us to take in all points of views especially when we're looking at a budget because a budget is it's a it's a document that basically will guide how we do things. And I think Chris has also a lot of uh community engagement and he talks to a lot of the families around here. And so I think it's it's important to not um exclude those views. So that's my two cents. >> Thank you. So, I'm I'm also in agreement that I would be comfortable with the three recommendations that you've made here moving forward, Lauren. And I think that having folks who are really thoughtful, critical thinkers who want to engage in respectful dialogue around this together is where some of
166the question comes up and so I think a question I have is around board norms that we hold as a board and how do those apply to the budget committee as well. Um so if the board in majority were comfortable moving forward and ultimately did move forward, I would support that. If we were looking at folks or replacing um one or more folks on the list, I'd also just like to name that Stephanie Haynes is someone who brings a really thoughtful view to these conversations. Um Stephanie started asking questions about the budget probably two years ago and then started coming to board meetings and has come to almost every single board meeting in the last 18 months as well as each of the budget committee meetings, the community forum for budget when we had various
167board member meet and greets at different times and was showing up in every one of those spaces over the last probably year to 18 months at least. So, somebody that I've seen as a community member um who is on this list who has really actively shown up in those spaces and I know that this is a time and and we can say the same for others who um Chris I know Cassie as well and and Carla I know has been involved in different ways. Um, but this is a really critical and unique time in our district's history in terms of having folks who really are and have been deeply engaged can ask critical questions and help with transparency for the community in terms of that communication and really questioning things so that we are making
168sure we are clear each of us as individuals as well as a board and that decisions that are being made are clear for the community too. So, I'm supportive of a couple of different iterations of folks who are on this list. >> Okay. Um, so everybody can have two comments before I call for a vote. I'm just going to draw the line there because I know this board. [laughter] I was actually just going to ask if we could resolve the motion because we're now in the territory of talking about other people on the list as well, but we have a motion that that lists a specific individual and I feel a little awkward about talking about all the other great people when we have a motion >> that we probably should vote on so that
169we can >> Yeah. >> So, that's my thought. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Do Chris and Sammy, you can have your second comment. Obviously, this is a difficult conversation and I um I don't bring up things often that I know are going to be controversial and I've also put a lot of thought into this um because I don't like to bring up things that are controversial if I think it's just a me thing. Um and so I want that said and also that I agree especially um Shauna you worded it so well that I too welcome different perspectives and I think good conversations and messy conversations are great when we're trying to really center in on what is best for kids. Um and um you're right, Stephanie has been here quite a bit and I do
170appreciate that. I just the the other thing that Shauna said that I want to reemphasize is respectful conversations. And that's that's my biggest concern. And that's what I want to make sure because I think when we're having messy conversations that once it becomes a conversation with lack of respect, then we don't get the job done. And I want us to make sure that we're focusing on um on on getting our goals reached and getting uh good outcomes for a very difficult task. >> Before you go, really quick, Sammy Lauren, we have um guidelines on our meetings for the budget committee, right? on >> we have the legal guidelines of what the budget committee can do. We also have the budget parameters. Um I have not seen where we have used the board norms and applied
171them explicitly to the budget committee. I that is something that I would be interested in exploring. Maybe that's something we can do at the orientation meeting. Um I and I don't want that to be like the full focus of the orientation meeting either. But I think establishing those um would be great because it's actually not um the board. It is a committee and so I'm not sure that those directly tie without us um specifically like doing that work um to bring it into that space. So we do have guidelines. We don't like it's not operating agreements I guess. >> Okay. >> One consistent practice we've utilized has been um when folks have asked for additional information that there's agreement amongst the the budget committee because of the scope of work and staff time. That has
172been one thing that we've done consistently. But we do use Robert's rules of order on the budget committee meetings as well as our meetings and those do have conduct requirements and stuff too. I just wanted to remind folk about that part. Okay guys, Sammy. >> Yeah, thank you. I have few remarks and I'll try to be as focused as possible to the motion. Uh but quick comments, I really appreciate the suggestions of alternative names. I will also support any alternative name uh that my colleagues want to push forward pull put forward and uh for the virtue of any elected office uh we don't choose our colleagues I'm grateful for the colleagues I work with and we bring different ideas and on the budget committee we have those really hard conversations yet they are productive and
173they move us forward with respect decorum and of course we can have rules around decorum uh uh definitely it is crucial for any public body. We choose people who think differently and bring different ideas, elevate voices that are not heard. I and my intention of uh the alternative motion is exactly that. Uh and my motivation behind uh supporting any alternative name is exactly that. Uh I'll be very candid. I I I will do my best to support whoever this board will decide to appoint. And I think we will do the work uh for our community. I'm reminded uh don't talk about individuals but their act not even the actions the ideas uh or something like that like really try to go high level but when we debate candidates I need to state few uh few
174brief things. I really appreciate Mr. Chris Blacker's uh service in the community. Great great uh attributes uh serving the school and going above and beyond. Uh, I learned about really going above and beyond supporting the kids' education and and and uh um helping with equipment and other things that's really made the school better. And I think uh he's a great man uh helping his community in that regard. And when we navigated over the last 12 months the process of uh closing schools, uh there was a sentiment of uh a board member can unilaterally choose which school to close and I did not think that was a productive conversation earlier this uh this year when a school was named by uh Mr. Blacker and that school was Leticia Carson and I believe Katherine Jones Harrison if
175I'm not mistaken. And when Sheldan was proposed during the original proposal, he advocated for the closure of Leticia Carson and Kathern Jones Harrison or at least that's what I heard from community members hearing from him. And then it was reported to me back after we had a revised option and the that proposal around advocating for Leticia Carson Katherine Jones Harrison to be closed no longer was there. And so I did not see consistency. I saw dispersing remarks about one of the trade unions as well. And I think that's not respectful or productive. It is hard, but also I expect the hard conversation to come hand inand with these things. For those reasons, I really intend after this meeting to reach out to Mr. Black or thank him regardless of what we decide, ask him to
176continue to get involved. Uh I think for the budget committee, it's a it's a privilege and a right. Uh and I want to give him the grace as much as I have been given the grace. I had no involvement with the school district when I was appointed. I was nobody graduate students and uh with zero education experience in the public education in the United States because after kindergarten we we left out of the country. Uh so I think everybody is eligible and qualified. My understanding of the statements on social media during the past u few months have made me feel we will have probably not productive conversations and I really wish I'm mistaken but I just want to be very candid uh about why I'm prioritizing someone who may give us hard conversation bring experience
177but also respectful and productive >> Judah >> just >> that's his last comment Judah and it's quick. I I I don't have I'm not on social media. I don't have personal experience. Um I just know that >> the one that I'm holding the flag for is Heather's been really involved. And why I just prefer her is because she's got experience with academic budgets which are really different. So it's for me it's purely a like oh like that's just so very very convenient that you're really involved and you have experience with academic budgets. I'm going to um go ahead and call for the vote and just want to remind everybody that we're talking about the budget committee and the qualifications to do those meetings um not everything around everything in somebody's um experience levels. And so
178I just wanted to remind everybody of that that um so it has I'm going to say it has been moved by and seconded by and Sammy I need you to reread what you what you your motion was because I don't have it in front of me. So it's been moved by Sammy and seconded by Chris >> to move Cassandra Enman and Nancy Jay Larson to be appointed to the budget committee for three-year terms ending June 30, 2028. In addition, move to appoint Carla Lwa to a two-year term ending June 30th, 2027. >> Judah, >> I. >> Sammy, >> I. >> Chris, >> I. >> Shauna, >> nay. >> Theres, >> nay. >> Bernie, >> Nay, vote nay. Motion does not carry. Um, is there an alternative motion? Uh, go ahead. [laughter] >> Okay. I I
179I appoint um I move u that we appoint Cassandra Inman and Chris Blacker to be appointed to the budget committee for three-year terms ending June 30th uh 2028. In addition, I move to appoint Carla L. >> H uh uh to a two-year term ending June 30th, 2027. >> Second. It's been moved by Bernie, seconded by Theres. Is there any discussion? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, so, uh, well, not every part of being on the board is fun or comfortable and we are in one of those moments right now. Um, we have a motion in front of us. I would like to first encourage us to stick with the motion that's in front of us and um to make a decision about that motion before we decide to advocate for alternate names. Let's have this discussion
180about the folks that have are part of this particular motion. I also would like to during our meeting uh during the consolidation meeting um a lot of things occurred that were challenging. Some comments were challenging and I think I would be remiss if I held the public to greater um standard of their their conduct and their comments than I even ask our board to be held to. We cannot make this decision on information that we maybe heard from someplace but we didn't read ourselves or we didn't hear ourselves. I could say I'm not aware of a anybody's well in this case Mr. Blacker's opinion about whether to close or not to close Leticia Carson. What I know is this. I don't have anything in front of me that says that and I'm not going to
181evaluate that possible thing that might have happened that I wasn't there for. and maybe have heard from somebody who may or may not have been there for it. I'm not going to weigh that in deciding whether or not we have all every board member has been the subject of a public conversation in which what we've said was taken out of context. So, I don't want anybody to assume that what they heard by proxy through somebody else is exactly what I said or what I meant. And I'm not going to do that uh to those comments. I would like to have conversation about the three applicants if people have things to say. I personally do not want to participate in discussion about alternates until we have done something about the motion that's in front of us.
182>> Um theres I will let you know that he did say that about Leticia Carson, but I don't think it has anything to do with serving on the budget committee quite honestly. So just >> agreed, but also that's not documentation in front of us. And so I think we need to be careful about what we draw on and what we site because we don't have that available to us. And so I'm not saying it did or didn't happen. I'm just saying that >> it's not part of the application process. >> It's not information that we've been provided to make this particular decision. And so I I want to caution us from um weighing those factors when we don't they weren't they're not provided as part of the the application and we don't have it in
183front of us. That's all it whether it happened or not is not gerine to what we do right now. Judah >> about the applicants in front of us just to return this to the more boring conversation. I think they are all qualified. I think that each and every one of them uh has demonstrated a capacity and willingness to wade through the it is a great budget report but it is long. >> It's a lot of numbers. >> It's all the numbers. I um I don't have experience with Miss Wah, but she's the CFO, so I think she can handle it. And that the um Miss Inman, you know, has been on this budget committee and already demonstrated to us her commitment and ability. And I've the little that I know about Mr. Blacker is he's
184waited through lots of information. And we're going to hand him a giant binder of stuff. And I think he will do his due diligence and wade through the giant binder of stuff and talk to us about it. other comments. Go ahead, Sha. >> Something that's that's that I'm just sitting with in terms of I appreciate you're bringing us back to the the boring conversation, Judah, but I think that I'm just sitting with in terms of not necessarily a discomfort, but something that we ask when when folks come for public comment is that you can come and share, but not speak about individual people. and we're here today deciding on the merit of individual people which is part of the role of this decision and yet you know Lauren you've made recommendations for us based on
185folks having met the criteria and the requirements and I know that there are um different comments that have come up and different concerns and worries and that we're sitting here in education where one of the core tenants of what we are here for is that people can learn and grow >> and so looking at how do we give people the opportunity to do that and how do we give ourselves that modeling and opportunity to learn and grow along with them too is an opportunity for us. And I think to the concerns that have come up around will conversations be respectful, will conversations be productive, can they be that just making sure we have really strong guard rails around that in terms of what what are the norms for our conversations together, how we listen to
186one another if things go to or feel like they're going to a harmful and non-productive place. what are the steps that we take with any board member, any budget committee member that comes into the space to make sure that we're doing that in a way that is um kind, clear, and can return us to productive conversations. So, >> I think it would just be good like whoever's on the budget committee if we just like had a Robert's rules 101 kind of handout that way they understood those pieces. That just might be good in general practice that we have that in the binder. um they have some quick guides on it and everything because that could help alleviate some of the concerns that have been raised by colleagues and I understand and respect your concerns as
187well. I just wanted to make sure that was clear. Um any other comments? >> So I just want to conclude thank you for this conversation. It's hard. It's really hard. um like when when we're talking in front of the public about choosing our colleagues on a budget committee and plus million dollars uh are in the hands of uh the individuals who are choosing to uh decided with us on on how to do this work. Um, I will be supporting the outcome uh of this decision. Just knowing and thank you Theres knowing the things that I have seen firsthand. I still have I can't in good faith uh move forward uh having other alternative uh options that I believe are going to be hard and productive. Uh that being said, I have my commitment to work
188collaboratively with uh whoever we choose uh given the outcome of this motion or a later motion. >> Any other comments? You all ready to Can I look at yours because yours is bigger. It has been Wait, who seconded it? Theresa. Okay. Um, it has been moved by Bernie to appoint Cassandra Inman and Chris Blacker to a three-year term ending June 28. Oh, wait. That's the wrong one. I'm so sorry. I was reading the action. has been moved by Bernie um that Cassandra Inman and Chris Blacker be appointed to the budget committee for three-year terms ending June 30th, 2028. In addition, moved to appoint Carla Ela to a two-year term ending June 30th, 2027. And it was sec seconded by Theres um Judah >> I. >> Sammy, >> nay. >> Chris, >> nay. Shauna >> I.
189>> Theres >> I. >> Bernie >> I vote I. Motion passes. Thank you for your work on that. Lauren, I just wanted to say you have not let us down with your appointments so far and um trusting the process. Um and then that was all from the um things that were pulled out of consolidated action. Is there any does anybody would like to make a motion on consolidated action? >> Well, because we did that, do we have to take that out of consolidated action? >> No, we took it out. We already took it out. We took it out. >> Yeah, you have to. >> Sorry. Technically, you have to take it out, but because the consolid consolidate action is consistent with the motion itself, it doesn't matter. We will be basically reaffirming the last motion.
190If we say I move to approve consolidate action but usually we if we vote on something after we take it out we exclude it in the consolidation. >> So instead of saying items as submitted you would say all items except for budget committee appointments because it's it was came out of a so that's basically >> say line A. Um, >> no, you need to say the thing. Please say the thing. >> I move to adopt consolidated actions as proposed excluding budget committee appointments which have already been voted upon. >> Second. >> It's been moved by um by Judah and seconded by Sammy. Any discussion? Okay. has been moved by Judah and seconded by Sammy to adopt consolidated action items. What was the rest of it? >> Excluding budget committee appointments which have already been voted
191on. >> Thank you there. I knew there was more words at the end. So, thank you very much. >> Um Judah >> I >> Sammy >> I >> Chris >> I >> Shauna >> I >> Theres I >> Bernie >> I vote I motion passes. Okay. Consolidated information. As a reminder, the items under this portion of the agenda are for discussion. Would anyone like to discuss an item in consolidated information which is the October financial summary and audited >> Sammy? >> Very quick so we can uh adjourn soon. Uh one question uh regarding the uh 2026 financial summary. 202526 financial summary. I think I know the answer, but I want to make sure I understand it correctly and also we can share it with the community. The beginning fund balance of every year or the
192ending fund balance of every year uh range between 16 and $19 million. We're anticipating or forecasting an ending uh ending an ending fund balance around $13 million this year. Could you explain uh if that that decline is huge number one number or is substantial number two what does it mean to have $13 million ending fund balance? >> Sure. Um so the 13 uh this is obviously an anjection since we are only in December. Um but we are projected to end with $13.1 million ending fund balance or about 13.4%. Um as you know uh policy DA dictates that we end the year with at least 12.5% of operating revenue. So we are within that target. Um yes and if you look at the actual like the financial report um we have been higher in previous years
193that fund balance was continually raised during COVID when we had um all these influx of u additional dollars related to that and really minimal operational expenses as our building stayed empty for uh quite some time. And so we did move our our fund balance up closer to that 19% range. Um and we have been operating in a deficit every single year since we came back um to in-person learning from the COVID pandemic. So while yes, we are still over the 12.5% that's all been projected as part of the plan um for the next year, multiple years. That fund balance then becomes the beginning fund balance that we start our year with. Um we would never want to spend down every penny of our of our um general fund in a year. Um and that's just
194that's where our jumping off point for the next year. So we're within policy limits. Yes, we've bought it down. That was intentional. Um I think that answers all your questions. >> It does. Thank you so much, Lauren. Any other questions? Oh, Judah. >> Well, since we're talking about this, just to reiterate what you said probably two dozen times, the second year of the bianium is always more expensive than the first, right? Because you have to pass things through. >> The next year is always more expensive than the previous year regardless of where we're at in the bienium. But yes, I mean uh more so to balance out the revenues and expenditures is more tricky in the second year because our costs increase um more than what our revenue increases in a bianium. >> Thank you.
195Um any other questions on the financials? >> Okay, thanks Lauren. Um next item on the agenda is board member comments. Do any board members have any comments they would like to make? Shauna, I see you shaking your head. Yes. >> Go first. >> Does Oh, did you need to go? >> Anybody over here? >> But I don't I can go last. >> Okay. >> No, I get to go last. >> I'm the board chair. [laughter] >> Go ahead, >> Sammy. Then Shauna, then Teresa, then me and Oh, and Chris. Okay, let's go like this. >> All right. I I just want to say thank you to staff who are working handinhand with our community and families navigating uh challenges around immigration. Um we talked about this briefly, but I just want to recognize that children
196um regardless of their family status, regardless of their own status, have endured uh challenges and they're thriving in our schools because of the care that we provide. Those are not hypothetical or political statements. Those are real uh children who have been impacted by the care of uh our staff and by [clears throat] the decisions that this board has made and frankly that the Supreme Court has made way back then in the 70s that no matter what's your family situation, if you're a child, you deserve education and you deserve the safety to get the education. And and I I just want to recognize that this is personal. This is families that we know uh our neighbors and um I'm I'm just grateful that uh uh the community cares and I want us to keep talking about
197what we're doing. We can't really be silent about it uh or normalize uh the uncertaintity that uh we're dealing with. uh certinity for children to go back home and and see their families uh and go back to school and be be safe is is something that we should not take for granted and unfortunately uh some some of the kids in our community have lost that certaintity uh sometimes forever or at least for the foreseeable future. So I just want to sit with that and recognize it and and uh center no matter how things can be tough. Uh this is one of the core things that I really hope we stick to ensuring that our children are going to be taken care of uh no matter what happens in terms of uh immigration challenges that we
198face or uh enforcement that we may uh endure uh from the federal government uh that may actually impact us negatively. And I know it's going to cost us more money, more resources, but that's the right thing to do is to stand by the children no matter what. >> I have a couple things. Um, first of all, I wanted to uh thank our district's crisis team. I know they've been very busy. Unfortunately, there's been a lot of crisis situations going on and um they've been on top of things supporting our kids and our families. Um they I know they've been at multiple schools after a death. Um also they've been supporting Leticia Carson and Sheldon and I just I know Byron you're here and your mental health manager and your team as well and um I've
199h heard because I've checked on staff members and just asked if they're feeling supported and they are. Um, I also want to um talk to Ryan a little bit about um I I'm hearing a lot of concerns of staff about just that waiting game of where when am I going to know where am I going? I was at Bessie Coleman when it was announced there that their principal is moving and um and a lot of what I saw and heard were were it was like kind of a wave hit them of sadness and then also another wave of okay that means I might be moving too and just that uncertainty of it all and um hoping that we can get them some answers soon so that they're not doing this waiting game and what that
200process will be. So, I don't know if you can answer that since we're doing board comments, but >> no. >> First, um, so again, that information preference sheet will go out to staff tomorrow. Um, and there's going to be open for a period of time in into early February actually because that gives folks a lot of time to think about decisions that they need to make. It also gives us time to work on um giving out more information about the um junior high and the K8 model and some of those pieces. Um so that will take some time. In the meantime, our HR team has been doing presentations to staff talking about things like seniority and those processes and also being present in the schools as a dropin so individual staff members can come and
201talk to them. Um, we've focused primarily on Leticia Carson, Sheldon, and Linus Polling. Thus far, we've since had requests from Katherine Jones Harrison and from Mountain View for that that presentation to happen there. Um, I'm hearing the concern coming from Bessie Coleman. Um, they are trying to get it out in front of staffs as um as quickly as possible to share that information to try to fill that gap um in the interim. >> Thank you. Appreciate that. I know it's not easy for everyone. Um I also wanted to just show appreciation to Lou. Um especially at our last meeting um our very long meeting where we made some very difficult decisions. I thought you held their your role as leader um with such calmness and yet you kept things in order and really did this
202with such a sense of integrity even though I know it was really difficult and I just really want to appreciate that. Um I've heard from several people in the community that said, "Wow, like you did that so well." Um so I just want to thank you for doing that. Um, I also want to make a comment. We've heard this several times through emails and things that some people felt pressure to make that decision. And I just like I I'm speaking for myself. I did not feel any pressure. And I hope, you know, I don't I didn't get the sense that anybody was feeling pressure to make a decision, but I think that may be something that we need to talk about because I wouldn't want that to be happening on our board. And um and
203then also I was going to say I just hope like I appreciated Ryan in your report today that you're giving us updates and that can that just keep happening about all the things going on because there's been lots of concerns about transportation and are we having conversations with the city and how are we dealing with all those things? Can can you keep reporting that and letting us know because I I'm cur, you know, I want to know. I know our community members want to know as well. >> Yes. Um just to alert the community to concerns about um so as everyone here is aware we have a a community health center in Lincoln and that community health center provides multiple locations and um due to changes in federal legislation they're going to be limiting what
204types of services that they can provide and they um are also suffer suffering from a change to the drug reimbursement laws. So, just to be mindful that with the projection of approximately 200,000 Oregonians set to lose their insurance next year and community health centers being the only place to access non-emergency care. Um, if you cannot financially afford care to be keeping an eye out for our community health centers and supporting them to the best of your ability. Shauna, >> thanks. I just have a couple of things. One, I was just going to build on what what you shared, Chris, around um staff and and concerns and worries. And something that I've heard from from staff as well as from families too with so much uncertainty in the year ahead. So many questions that are coming
205up, so many unanswered questions that folks are are waiting on, hoping for and and looking to that how challenging it is to focus on some of the really amazing things that are happening right now in schools while also looking ahead. And I really heard that come through in the some of the conversations that we were able to have with the middle school and high school principles of just that appreciation of being able to also focus on some of the really wonderful things happening now. And I think staff I know are carrying a lot of the weight of holding back their own feelings and worries and uncertainties or anxieties while trying to make the very best school experiences every single day for students. So I just want to give a shout out to them as well
206as for to families who are doing the same. >> And tonight we heard from several community members. I just wanted to also express thanks to the community for continuing to come forward, for continuing to ask questions, for continuing to send in emails or requests to meet to talk through what is happening, what are we learning, what are the unanswered questions, because even if there is a separation of of boards saying, well, we do this part, but we don't do operations. Understanding and knowing what's being asked, what's being done across all of these different levels is so important. and having the community come forward and continue to ask those questions helps make sure those things are being addressed and happening and being communicated as well and quickly and thoughtfully as possible. So, I just wanted to
207express that gratitude. Um, there was also something that came up in several community comments tonight that I think it's important to to name and just to clarify. Um, several community members mentioned that the state's projected budget shortfall was not as dire as what had what one of the worries was and that there was a perception that that might have changed our $4 million budget deficit and I'd like to clarify that. Um, is that something that I can ask in board com right now with district staff just in terms of because my understanding is that it does not change our budget deficit. What it changes is that the expectation that we're going to have an additional cut that's unexpected in February, it may impact that that's not as bad as the unexpected number we're waiting on.
208So, I I just wanted to clarify that because it seemed like there was a hope that if we didn't actually have a $4 million budget deficit, we could do something different right now. And my understanding is that that actually isn't our reality. >> We still have that deficit. um it just means that we may not see as additional reductions. The next um economic forecast, it will be in February during the short session and I think that will be the benchmark for what the legislature decides to do and at the same time it was good news. Um but it does not um change that for us locally. It just again means that there are um cuts that the department would are planned to make at 2.5 and 5% across departments actually and that um may not
209happen now. Thank you. And I can see how having that thought that maybe something had changed with this immediate budget deficit could lead to another outcome at this moment in time. And just wanted to um acknowledge for the community too how [snorts] those waves of hope that come with that information and just making sure that we're clarifying anything we can whenever we can. So, thank you. And thank you. And ju just to add on to what you're and then I'll go over to you. Um is that if you all have any questions about some of that stuff that comes out, feel free to ask us because that's something we can answer. That's not operational. That's actually and we all get the same OSBA updates and some of us get the legislative policy updates as well
210on top of that. So we might have we can explain that to you all if you want. We just want to make sure you all know that. um and that we we're not trying to like fact check people or anything like that. We just want to provide you with the information you need to. Um so just please know that. I think glad [clears throat] that people took a moment to clarify that because the the state agencies that I come in contact with in my work are um just grateful that it means that the cut isn't going to be as big um uh for their that that the the expected cut, not their current budget. Their current budget is not necessarily adequate for the work, but the concern was that with $373 million deficit, there'd be
211another round of cuts. And now they're like, maybe there won't be as big of a round of cuts. But DHS um and and OD, they are still planning contingency uh budgets for um if February doesn't look any better. And so or doesn't or takes even a turn for the worse. And so, um, we we expect that, um, at least some of our state agencies will still see cuts, um, in addition to what we don't have in our coffers right now to cover the known expenses that there could there could be further reductions. So, it is a very, um, precarious um, no, that's not even there, but it is a very scary time trying to figure out how to plan programming for um, for families in our communities um, in this particular um, setting. To that
212end, I wanted to um give um a thank you to the uh crisis team. The SNAP crisis in November was significant. It was very disruptive to community um to many community members. I appreciated the responsiveness of our district, our foundation. Um and uh we are about to do this again because in 22 days uh we will have um a whole slew of people who are now not insured. And um that the the not having health insurance will find its way into our classrooms in about 10 minutes. That's how long it's going to take uh from when families aren't insured until our teachers are dealing with the lack of insurance as a reality in that child's family inside that classroom. And so we want to prepare ourselves um and think about what are we going to
213do uh when the services that our families have relied on are gone. Medicaid reimbursements will change for families that can't qualify um for Medicaid as secondary insurance. And so this the ripple effect of this will be significant. And I just want to encourage our community to be mindful that um there are some around us who cannot presume that important medications like blood pressure medication or insulin is going to be available to them on January 1st. And I'm not I think this community is full of compassion and creativity. And I hope that we come at that concern with the same um uh energy that we came to the food um the SNAP crisis. Um, I wanted to share something positive. It happened a little bit ago, but there hasn't been a meeting where it felt right
214to share it. And I wanted to share this is this is something that warms my heart. So, about three three weeks ago, maybe four weeks ago now, it was a Sunday afternoon, and I got a text message from a youth in our community who knows my family. and he he texted me and he sent me a picture and he said, "Hey, I was out taking a walk and I saw this on a bench uh at at Crescent Valley High School and it was something really really inappropriate and very hurtful written about another person." And he texted me and he said, "Miss Trice, what can we do about this?" And I said, "Oh, I'm so glad that you reached out to me." Um he said, "I'm really worried about this person because they've put this person's
215name out there. They've put this phone number out there and they've said these really terrible things about this person and he and I said, "Well, I'm what I'm going to do. I'm going to email the photo to the to the principal at at CV and I'm going to ask them and because it's they're busy and they might not have time, I'll I will go out there tomorrow with my own sander and I'll sand it off if the school doesn't have the time to do something." So, I sent it off on a Sunday afternoon. About 15 minutes after I sent the email, I got a reply back from um from Principal McGee. He said, "Thank you so much for um sharing this with me. We're going to get this taken care of tomorrow morning. It will
216be gone before the kids come back to school." So, I texted the student back and I said, "Hey, just good news. It's going to be taken care of. Thank you for letting me know." And he said, "Well, I'm so glad you were able to do that." And I called the person. I called the number and I said, "I saw this written on a bench and so if this is if this is you, I'm sorry that people said this about you and I've reported this and it's going to be taken care of and if you need anything, you can call this board member." I [laughter] I love that so much. Um, one, the responsiveness of the district, the quickness with which they replied that we are in our community, we are raising some kids who can
217see the things that are not okay and they are able to respond and they they'll bring the leadership if we give them the space to do it. This kid was like, we're going to solve this one way or the other, and I'm not going to wait for an adult to solve it. I'm going to I'm going to get out there. I love that. Um, we talked about, you know, the the pros and cons of calling a number that you don't know and what could go wrong with that and how that, you know, we it was a good teaching moment. But more than anything, that's what's happening in our schools and that warms my heart because I have a kid in our schools and someday that could be him who sees something or it could be
218him whose name is on something. And it when I think about the bias incident reporting that's happening, I think that only that only gets better when our kids are checking each other for their conduct. That's how it will happen. And it is happening and it did happen. And so I'm not going to name this student because I didn't ask his permission to do that. But I can say that he's a pretty fantastic kid and I'm grateful that he's an example in my child's life and that he was an example in my life. And so I wanted to share that because there's so many things that are hard right now, but [snorts] this one thing that was not that was hard but also ended really well has carried me through the last five weeks knowing that
219that is happening in our district. And I wanted you all to get to be part of that, too. So, thank you for letting me share that. I don't have any other reports or anything else to to report out on. Thanks. Um, thank you. [laughter] Um, I was just going to say what I had already said, which is like please feel free community members to reach out to us with questions and reiterate what Shauna said about it may seem like we can't answer questions because some of them we literally cannot. Um, but it does help us know what's not clear to the community and that's really important for us to be able to see things that need to be worked on. um and try to connect people with folk and everything. Um I did want to
220also in um after our our uh decision that was made on the 13th, it's finals week, y'all. Sorry, at my work and so I'm like really tired. Um at the and we're way over on our meeting so I'm going to keep this short. At our um last meeting, we didn't have the most current report cards on the schools. And I did want to point out that the Leticia Carson number did go up and I just wanted to say like that this the f the families in the community had been saying that and then it was backed by that data. So I just wanted to acknowledge that piece. Um and some of the other numbers also went up. So, I still stand by like we have a problem in our district with students navigating poverty across
221the district and that number did bump up a little bit more than it was. So, I just wanted to in the spirit of like holding ourselves to what our data says to point that out. Um, and I strongly believe that the students will when they're in the other schools will still be supported with the services. Um, I did have a question about our policy that we already looked at last year, the bullying policy, but I think that's something that we should talk about again as a board. Um, and I had had a short conversation with Ryan about, but at a later time. Um, we have a lot going on right now. And I think that's pretty much it. I hope everybody has a good rest of your evening. We also, um, this is probably I'm
222going to be more on it with the time just to pre-warn the board. I'm going back to the normal Lou as in the red lights on time to move on. Um because we can't just go over every single time. Um unless I mean that was important what we're talking about though. Uh so at 9:47 the meeting is adjourned.