05/05/2025 Regular Meeting of the TTSD School Board

001Good evening everyone. Lots and lots of guests and I'll we'll have doors open and people can keep coming in, but we're going to get started. Um so I'll go ahead and call this Tiger Titleton School Board meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. All right. And Superintendent, are there any changes to the agenda? Would you like to make uh an amendment to the agenda regarding public comment? We can do that now if you want to do that. Um so um in sort of preparation of all of the public comment so what you'll typically hear when I start talking about the sort of process around public comment is it's um held to 30 minutes and then the board chair can extend that at the end of the meeting. And so we already know that likely um the

002student portion will take about the the first 30 minutes. And so what we would ask to do to amend the agenda is add an additional public comment to the end of the meeting which is sort of the process by which we've done this in the past. Um so that all of the rest of the staff, the parents and community members can be heard. Um so again, we'll have the regular com public comment session for the first 30 minutes. We'll do our public the regular part of our meeting and then we'll have the second part of the public comment at the end. So I would entertain a motion to approve the agenda as amended. I move that we approve the agenda as amended. I second. Motion was made by vice chair and seconded by director Zers.

003Is there any discussion on the motion hearing? None. I'll move to a coral vote. All those in favor please say I. I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. All right. And with that, we will start with our recognition and good news with Lisa Burton. Okay. Hey, good evening um board chair Irvin, vice chair Himez, uh board members Dr. Uda Seneta and and Moss has joined us this evening with our student reps. So, thank you for being here. Um so this week um we make an extra effort to celebrate our teachers across our district and to show um our teachers you know that show up for their students in extraordinary ways and our community is grateful. Next slide. So, uh, this week being teacher apprec appreciation week, um, I just want to read that the Tiger Twitton

004teachers bring their heart, spirit, and expertise into the classroom each day, connecting with students and meeting every student where they are. Uh, thank you for having high expectations and care for all of TTST students. Next slide, please. So every year, Pamplin Media reaches out to the community um for nominations for their amazing educators edition. It is a wonderful way to highlight uh the amazing dedication of TTSD educators and an educator is chosen from both Twitin and Tiger schools. Next slide, please. So this year's Pampllin Media amazing ed educators are Mary Woodward second grade teacher Rebecca Van Vleet Van Vanveite sorry sorry um with us here this [Applause] evening in uh Telton High School alternative ed teacher Karina Samuelson um who was unable to join us this [Applause] evening. So although Karina could not be here,

005I wanted to share some information about her from the article. Karina, who goes by Carrie, helped build the Twin High School Lift program, leadership integrity for today and tomorrow. Car's creative dedication to student success has helped at risk students find a way to put their best selves forward and a path to graduation. In the Pamplland Media article, Carrie shares, "Beautiful humanity inside each of these students is phenomenal. We thank you, Carrie, for showing up and being a positive role model for students in our community. So, this in uh the third year in a row that Mary Woodward has had a teacher selected as an amazing educator. That's pretty phenomenal. I think that says a lot about Mary Woodward and about their community. Uh they love their staff and you can read more about Rebecca and

006her thoughts on teaching in the article linked in the slides. But I would like to share that Rebecca has been an educator for 14 years and comes from a family of educators. We appreciate the care you give to your students and thank you for having high expectations for all students in your community. Thank you. [Applause] Is there anything you would like to say? Uh, I don't have much to say. There's a lot more people here than when I originally accepted this invitation. Um, but I love my job and I love the students I work with. Um, and I hope we can all work together to continue to support our families and our schools. Awesome. Thank you so much. [Applause] Yeah, let's do it. Picture time. You don't mind? No. Should we come up front or

007what? Okay. [Applause] Director Zers has one quick thing to say. Oh, where did Rebecca go? I don't Rebecca, hang on. Before you leave, I just wanted to say congratulations on being chosen for this honor. And also, I love the fact that you brought so many of your friends with you because so often when we do um teacher appreciation week, we don't have anybody in the room to say we appreciate and you got everybody here. So, thank you. Thank you all for coming this evening. And just know we appreciate you. [Music] All right. So, next we have student representative reports. And if um the other students come in later because I know there were some parking challenges, we'll let them say their bits at the end, but you guys can have at it. Awesome. Hi. Hi

008everyone. Hi. Hello to the board, to the cabinet, as well as everyone else who is here. Um, so prom for Target High was this past Saturday and we just sold about over 600 tickets. Um, and then for theater, Alice and Wonderland will be showing the first show is this Thursday at 7:00. There will also be one on Friday night as at 7:00 and then as well as one on Saturday um, evening or afternoon at 2. Um, and it's the same days and same times for the following week. And then theater is also having a pancake breakfast from 9 to 11:30 in the auditorium this Saturday as well. Um, and then the last student community roundtable of the school year for Tiger High is this Friday and we will be meeting with Representative Neon there. Um,

009who if I remember correctly was a former target high teacher and that is a lot happening at Tiger. All right. Over at Tiger Tolitin Virtual Academy, we have Spring Forward with TTBA, which is an event that will be here around 5:30 to 7 PM, which will be dinner provided to talk about our connections, our experiences so far with this year, what can we improve on, and what can what are we doing well? So, that's all that's going on for our school, too. Thank you. And I saw a sneak peek at the the t-shirt design, right? Didn't you just have the TTVA t-shirt design? That's very cool. Was that a student that had the winning? Yes, that was um one of our juniors. Um Sid, I believe. Yes, she won. Very cool. And awesome. Yeah. And

010students that um that order now for a t-shirt can get it for free. Awesome. I put my order in. All right. And with that, we will move to Let me just make sure. No. Okay. Um to superintendent and board of communication. So, I just want to start off by saying good evening to everybody and thank you for being here today. Um, this is the hallmark being here and you being here and your voice and your advocacy is the hallmark of public discourse. So, again, welcome and thank you for being here. I do want to um take a moment to talk about teacher appreciation week. So, one thing that I've always latched on to over the course of the years is that um it takes a trusted for every uh success story, there's a trusted adult.

011And I would actually argue that for every success story, there's several trusted adults and teachers each step of the way that guide our students to success. And so I know that our teachers go far beyond the call of direct instruction. I know that they also um they rise to the challenge every single day to ensure that our students needs are met. And so I just want to be say thank you to you all and I also want to give a personal thank you to teachers that have helped me in my journey along the way. I want to thank Miss Palmer, Mr. Bass, Coach Steppp, Miss Johnson or Mr. Johnson and Miss Flick. And those were teachers that had a significant impact on me. And I also want to say a happy teacher appreciation week to

012all. And I want to talk about budget reductions a little bit. So it isn't lost on me that we're celebrating teacher appreciation week on the heels of significant budget reductions. And when I became a teacher back in 2004, I did so knowing that while I wasn't receiving a salary that can compete with p the private sector, the unspoken agreement was that I was exchanging a more lucrative salary for other important benefits and one of which was job security. And so it pains me to know that the former is something that we cannot deliver on this year for many of our dedicated staff. The financial challenges that we're experiencing aren't unique to DTSD. Every week in the news, we see similar stories in the public sector. Washington counties facing 26 million in budget cuts and eliminating

013jobs, citing rising costs and stagnant growth as contributing factors. Reynolds School District facing 25 million in reductions, 10 furlow days, 160 district employees. Eugene school district 25 million. PPS 40 million. Lake Westland Wilsonville 15 million. Lake Asiggo 10 million. The list goes on and on. So how did we get here? And I want to share a graph that's similar to the ones that I've shared in community engagement sessions this fall and in budget meetings in the winter and in this boardroom. So the key themes are that our revenues are not keeping up with our expenses. And if you look at the uh this graph right here, you see that yes, there was a significant amount of money in the ending fund balance in the 2122 school year that was on the heels of ESSER funding

014and not operating schools at full capacity because of the pandemic. And we hired a lot of people during that time for very good reasons. And since then, we've been borrowing against that or or spending down that ending fund balance at a rate that if we were to continue spending without intervening and making any reductions, then our funds would be depleted. And that's an example right there on the graph. And if you go to the next slide, here's a graph of our dwindling reserves. I know there's a narrative out there that says we have 12%. We don't have 12%. This year, our approved budget after the waiver was for 8.1%. And next year, if we get a waiver, and when the budget reductions are done for this year, we will be sitting at 7%. That's far

015below 12%. And we still need to get a waiver to do that later on this spring. Next graph, please. An example of how we got there. This is our staffing. Over the course of the last five to six years, our staffing has gone up by 14 a.5%. And our enrollment's gone down by 9%. One of the key ways we're able to get funding is through our students. And if we don't have students, then we can't generate the income that we need. Next slide, please. Or that's the last slide. And so we have to change our spending habits. And there's nothing in it for me to mislead this room, our board, or the public. I've um done my best and our team has done our best to be as transparent as possible in every step of

016the way. So, I want to thank um a lot of staff members out there and this staff for handling this very difficult situation in a way where we're able to keep dialogue open and we have an HR team who I think has unfairly been targeted. Yeah. Who's hand who's handled this? who's handled this situation with nothing but professionalism and nothing but compassion for staff members. And I want to um quote our HR director who's been a leader in this and say that we will be on the other side of this. Um we will be on the other side of this soon. And um so that's all I want to say about that for this moment. And then I want to talk about a couple of other things related to district business. One of them is

017the bond. Um we do have a bond we do have a bond coming and it's important because when um our bond impacts our students significantly and it impacts our teachers significantly and our community. Many may have received their ballots and I want to encourage people to get out and vote and when you do, we want you to make the most informed decision when you get out and vote. Um, election day is two weeks from tomorrow. We really hope you get out to vote and please ask somebody or visit our district website to see more information on the bond if you have any questions. And then finally, I want to end by giving a shout out to the Tiger Chamber of Commerce for recognizing some of our amazing TTSD students and our community members at our

018shining stars event on Friday. Um, I had the privilege of being able to present um Tommy Leaper for Tagert High School with a um with the scholarship and then um we got a and then also you see up here Molly Hugard is with our um Tiger First Citizens. I want to say congratulations to Margie Green and Ralph Green who are named Tiger First Citizens. um they do so much for our community and so much for our students in our district and uh it's really fitting that they're are recognized and um I want to thank them for all that they've done for our school community. And that's it for my comments. Thank you. All right. And we will move into board communications. Anyone would like to start us off? Vice Chair. Yes. Um thank you so

019much for recognizing me. Uh, first want to start off by apologizing to Dr. Udo for the blatant disrespect that just happened in this [Applause] room. You know what? If our students behave the way that you just behave, we would not be here. [Music] I know. I know that in my classroom that would not happen. That would not happen in my classroom. That's That's okay. I This is being disrespectful and I have been here for I've only been here for four years and that never happened to Dr. Sue. No matter how much you hated her, that never happened to Dr. Sue. That's that's we can disagree and we can agree to disagree and that's fine. But that has that has never happened before. And I want to also say that I appreciate our HR team that

020is doing their dandies to be able to do everything and pull off some of the uh most contentious bargaining session that we've had and I appreciate what she is doing. Thank you so much. All right, Director Weston. Looking around today, I see the heart of our district. Thank you for showing up for our kids. While state resources fall short and some cuts must happen, as always, I support maintaining as many classroom facing resources as possible. Following our policies and agreements consistently and completely, and if we ever make a mistake anywhere in our operations, making sure our kids don't pay the price. I also want to thank our our community for supporting public education. Director. Yeah. Um, so I've been on this school board for damn near 18 years. Time to go. Thank you so much

021for your kind words. Uh we have had really hard times before and always when we've had to riff it has been awful for everybody. But we have pulled through together and we have not demonized the people who have to actually make the cuts at the top. And it frustrates me that we cannot act in unison and do the best we can. Of course, there's not enough money. Of course, laying people off is horrible. We've said that so many times I've lost count. But [Music] excuse me. This is a board meeting where board members speak until it's public comment time. So if you cannot follow the rules of the meeting then we have processes in place to remove people who are disrupting the meeting. I would like to go on with my comments to say that

022I visited schools this last week, which is one of my greatest pleasures. And I was heartened to hear from staff members that while nobody likes riffs, they appreciated the thoughtful and careful way it was being handled this year with transparent and supportive communication. So, I'd like to offer my thanks as well to Len Reed and Brian Bailey, our HR team. I understand some folks have been critical of them for their work on the rift process, but I'd like to remind folks this was the same team that followed the same process exactly the same way as last year when we also had to riff. This is the same way the district has done it for years. [Music] If anything, I think this experienced HR team has been more compassionate, more open to collaboration, and more communicative

023this year than last. Moving to the legislative front, since we have so many people here tonight, I'd like to encourage you all to take some of your energy this evening and direct it to Salem lobbying for more funding for education. 20 years ago, education was 42% of the state budget. This year, it's about 28%. You don't have to have a math degree to know that this is part of the reason why public education is in trouble right now. I also want to mention House Bill 3365, which is currently in committee. It requires that there be a sufficient amount of time teaching about climate change in K12 education. There are several problems with this bill. Starting with vague language and definitions, it would require teaching of climate change in every grade level and in every core

024subject which is not defined. So even though we currently have curriculum in science that teaches climate change, we would have to find curriculum so that it could be taught in ELA, in social science, in math, and possibly also PE and every elective. There is no mention in the the current bill about what sufficient means. This one bill could cost the districts even more in curriculum, in professional development time, and lost time for other topics that need teaching. It is yet another example of an unfunded mandate. This bill is up for hearing on Wednesday, and I encourage people to reach out to their reps to let them know that it's simply not good policy. Board members, you should have in your email a call to action that was sent out by OSBA this afternoon for advocacy

025at the federal level to combat the assault on public education that we're seeing there. Right now, we're facing the possibility of vouchers using public dollars for private school and also cuts to Medicaid, which we all know would be devastating to the Oregon budget as well as our school district budget. So, look for that. call to action and please do your work. Thank you. Director Miles, we bottled the way for our students and I know there are students in the audience tonight. So, I'm going to speak to them. I'm going to speak to the kids. I know that you are here in support of the arts and it's very important for the board to see your faces and hear um your voices. Um, it's been really important for us to to hear your advocacy. Um, we

026all agree that the arts are really important and thank you for showing up and thank you for letting us hear your voices. Um, I want to explain a little bit to you about the the situation that we face and we talk about this a lot at board meetings. We talk about education being underfunded and I just want to talk to you a little bit from the board perspective to the students. Education is chronically underfunded at the state level, federal level, we are chronically underfunded. And just as director Zme said, when the allocation by the state decreases every year, costs continue to rise, but funding does not increase accordingly. We can only spend so much money. So, the choices before us are always bad. They're always bad. And we keep having to make cuts to core

027programs and classes over the years. And unfortunately, there are choices that have to continue to be made. And I believe that Tiger had to make a similar recommendation. I'm going to have folks in the audience chances talk. Stop talking when our board members are sharing. Sign up for public comment if you want to talk. We model the way for our kids. So, I want to note I believe that there's no change to the production budget, stipens associated with plays and musicals, and the technical director position will stay. So, I want to note that I I've been hearing a lot of talk about that the that the Twolitin High School program will go away. And we heard that last year um in in budget talks that things were going to go away. And that's not the

028intent. That's not the intent. But recommendations do have to be made because there's just not enough funding. And but it's important for us to hear your voices. And so, thank you for being here for letting us see your faces and letting us hear your voices. And I also want to express some thanks and gratitude for our HR director, Len Reed, tonight. Um, she's the cabinet member that I have worked most closely with over the past two years in my board tenure. Um, she leads the policy committee. Um, I find her to be an exceptional guide and resource to me in navigating the history of TTSD's practices and procedures as we work on policies and I find her an asset to the district. All right, I will finish this off. Um, so it is horribly irony

029is not the right word, right? But it's teacher appreciation month. Um, and we are in the midst of incredibly painful decisions and budget cuts that weigh heavily um, on our community. Um, and I actually really appreciate um, you showing up. It is important to see that and we appreciate that. Um, you're not just teaching content, you're holding space for students, you're creating opportunities and I recognize that. Um, I do want to echo the the piece around the funding at a at a bigger level, right, at the state level. And one of the things that we've often heard tossed around is adequately funded. And that's really actually not good enough. We really need appropriately funded. And so when I was I think someone said this earlier, what our job is to advocate. So, when I was

030in Salem um two weeks ago doing just that, what I did here, and I've talked to a lot of community members when they've written letters, I've we've been having some conversations about it, is they um they've talked a lot about how meaningful the personal stories are. They're like letters that we all get saying, "Send this letter, form letter to your senator. Not as great." But here's a whole room full of really incredible, important, poignant stories. Um, and so I have created um, I mean it's all public information, but I have a spreadsheet of all of our um, local legislators that I have talked to firsthand that said they really want to hear because these actually do make a difference. And when I'm there talking about um special education and um raising the cap or eliminating

031the cap or the student the state school fund and the quality education model and all of the current service level all these things this really does have an impact and so that is not helpful to you I know right now in this moment um and I recognize that but I do think it is really important as we continue the advocacy and talking at the bigger level because cuts keep happening I was a musician in high school and I remember thinking a thousand years ago when I was in high school that like why are the arts not important and feeling that and so none of this is new and that's horrible to sit here and say um and so I acknowledge all of that and I know that's you're not wanting to hear our voices talk

032about this but I do think it's really important um that if you have a minute um and I don't know where I'll post the thing but I have a spreadsheet of all the the information and we'll put it somewhere so it's easy. Um, but I I have talked to truly about 17 different folks and they all said they want to hear and so I would encourage anybody that would like to um to reach out to them as well as what you're um you're letting us know about. I did want to um also congratulate the Crimson um because we got word that they competed at the state chamber ensemble contest on Friday and placed fifth in the state um and that Yep. Okay, that makes me shake a little less. Um, and it was just two

033points behind third place. And then Haley, um, Carmel and Gabe Enriquez both competed in the state solo competition on Saturday. And Haley Carmal is the Mezzo Voice state champion. So, big applause there. [Applause] Um, I should have ended with that because I'm probably going to get booed in a minute. But, um, so finally, I would also like to take a moment to publicly recognize the exceptional leadership of, um, our HR director, Len Reed, Brian Bailey, and the rest of the HR team. In a time when clarity, compassion, and ethical decision-making matter more than ever, um, she and the team continue to lead with all three. her deep knowledge of policy, her commitment to fairness, and her care for every staff member in our district do not go unnoticed. That does not mean she doesn't have

034to make awful hard decisions. Um, but she leaves with compassion, upholds the highest ethical standards, and brings both professionalism and humanity to every decision. We are incredibly fortunate to have someone with her integrity and dedication in such a critical role. And I want to express my full support and appreciation for the work she does every day on behalf of the district. So, thank you. Okay, I got the boo. Um, all right. And with that, um, we will move into our first portion of public comment. So, and I have a feeling this will be mainly just the students. It'll get us through that first 30 minutes. I mentioned this earlier. I'm going to go through sort of the protocol and the expectations for it and then we'll start calling names. Okay? So, just give me a

035quick second to read through that. All right. So, this is sort of what to expect. So, after being recognized by the board chair, you will identify yourself with your full name and zip code of residence. Public comments are shared with the board during the public comment portions of the meeting and are limited to three minutes. So, I'm going to pause here. Um, we have a lot of public comments and the three minute thing is something that we have done with fidelity since we have had public comment. And so my very very least favorite thing to do is have to gavvel someone down because they're taking more time. But that's the way that we get everybody to to be able to be heard. Um and we just ask that everybody really respect that three minutes. You're

036going to have a timer. Um and so I just I would ask that we all just pay really good attention to that so we can get through everybody. Um your comment should be brief and concise. Please be aware that the time will start once you have provided your name and zip code. Um, a group of visitors with a common purpose should designate a spokesperson for the group. You may also submit written public comment which will be read by the board and become part of the public record, including the meeting minutes. They will not be read aloud at the meeting. Speakers may offer objective criticism of school operations and programs. The board will not hear comments regarding any individual district staff member nor any person connected with the school system. If the current public comment agenda

037exceed item exceeds 30 minutes, the period may be extended at the discretion of the chair to ensure all PTSD students, parents, and staff are heard, which we will be doing at the conclusion of the rest of the board business board. So, and this is another thing especially for students. Board members don't respond to public comment. So, we look very stoic and serious and we don't say a lot up here. That's just again part of the process and it makes it go quickly because this time is really just for us to hear and not to come into dialogue at this point. We oftentimes will touch base with people after the meeting to follow up on things that were said. So just when we don't say anything, that's just part of this process. This is a time

038for members of the public to express their views. Finally, PTSD is no place for bias or hate. There will not be profanity or language that minimizes or causes harm to anyone else's identity. per policy ACC. If such language is used, the speaker will forfeit the remainder of their time and be removed from the meeting. So, that's sort of the lay of the land. We're going to start with students. Um, and it is 7:06. So, we're going to run this piece until 7:36 and then we're going to finish our last couple of items and then take everybody else that's left at the end. Okay. All right. So, first up, we have Mary Grace. And if you want to bring a friend to come up with you. Yeah. And then if you push the button on the

039microphone, um, this little button here will turn green and then you'll be good to go. Hello. Perfect. All right. How about it? Hello. My name is Grace Simpson. I am a senior enrolled at four advanced arts classes at Talton. all all of which I have taken leadership roles in. Without four years of our wonderful arts program at Talton, I wouldn't even know who I am. First, please know that who we are and the importance of what we do. Towelton High School has a highly respected and competitive theater program that is known for our high quality performances. Year after year, we are placing first and finalizing an Oregon Thespian state competitions. Our fall play last year won state and was performed in front of thousands at the state festival. and our numbers are growing in extracurriculars.

040In what system do you cut from a thriving successful program and why isn't this cut distributed fairly across all activities? I understand cuts have been m had to made to other departments over the years and the argument argument is that we will still have our stipen in classes but other cuts like English, math etc are still held in their academic rigor even though teachers have been put off. Everything will change if you take away our teacher and reduce this position. Such as our abilities to compete, to have quality extracurriculars, comedy sports, student led productions, plays, and especially musicals. These require students in highquality courses with a full-time teacher. Musicals are the most inclusive and exciting events for the entire arts program. Students who are actors, singers, instrumentalists, tech students, visual arts, and not even and

041non-arts look forward all year to this event. As to Alton Choir President, I'm also concerned for us as the music musicals boost recruitment for concert choir. All of this has a domino effect on all the arts. It is a very real chance that the choir will be the next thing we are seeing as Tiger's Cro choir program is being reduced by half and their chamber program is being cut. This theater position being offered is not one any qualified or educated teacher like Miss Hunter would want to take. This decision will lower our educational standards and destroy the large arts community we have been building since the downfall of COVID. And I'm graduating, so it shouldn't matter to me, right? But theater has changed the entire trajectory of my life, and my award-winning peers deserve the

042rigorous e education Miss Hunter offers. This also goes beyond our school. It is the erasure of arts which are vital to humanity. Theater is a record of history and the way society expresses its problems, and it unites us in our division through our shared feelings and experiences. Cutting this program threats them threatens the mental health of students who rely on it as a safe haven and a source of hope. And defunding us so disproportionately sends a clear message to us and the student body that our voices matter less. And I felt it over my last four years. And when you enjoy your favorite show or song, remember those artists only got there because their education system supported them. Because of our arts program, many of my friends study theater in college. These are people's careers.

043These are people's identities. I urge you please do not take the opportunities I had away from future students and thank you so much for this time to speak and I hope I have been respectful and have listened to you guys as well. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Awesome. Perfectly done in your three minutes. Excellent. Next we have Braden Fischer. [Applause] Hello, my name is Braden Fischer from 97224 and I am a student at Tolton High School as well as an inducted member of the Oregon Thespian Society. The theater that you witness is different than the theater you experience over five months requiring a constant output of dedication, effort, and grit from our actors, our technician, and our director. Through that experience, I have learned many valuable skills are going to be very marketable in a professional setting.

044Peter students are able to work with people. They're able to meet deadlines. They have public speaking skills. And for the shows that we put on like Arthur Melissa, the Crucible, we have learned as well as taught our community to realize when life is unjust. It's evident that we have been taught these lessons throughout our education in the arts. Over one week, we were able to cultivate two written petitions, one online petition, a walk out, and a silent protest. Many have sent in letters and emails expressing concern, which includes students, parents, thespians across the West Coast, even Broadway actors telling Tiger Twan School District to keep the theater program in the healthy state we're in. Tobin High School Theater has been recognized at a state level, winning the opportunity to perform in Salem just a year

045ago. Throughout all of Oregon, we have been acknowledged as a beacon of excellence and joy that has only come to fruition because of the bond we have with one another and the direction from our incredibly qualified theater teacher. I wouldn't have realized all the skills I've learned at theater thus far had it not been under her instruction. I would not be at this stand unless I was impossibly passionate about this theater family we have spent so long to developing, only to hear it's being taken away. But it is because I value the importance of the lessons we're taught by her and how important they are to the world after our high school years that I've come to say this. Our program is more than what's on the outside. Our family needs all of its current

046components to work. Twaldton High School can simply not put on the same caliber of lifealtering shows when we lose what these cuts are targeting. I urge you to please reconsider your decision to defund our program in order to keep our student teacher family intact and to keep the arts alive. In a world as divorced as ours is, I would like to graduate with the validation that my voice matters. We need our teacher. We deserve a program. Thank you. [Applause] [Music] All right. Next, we have Gavin Ericson. [Applause] Uh, I am Gavin Ericson and my zip code is 97223 and I am the president of the choir community at Tiger High School. I'm here today to speak out against the reduction of our music program. In the last three years of my life, choir has been

047more to me than just an elective. It has shaped my identity and taught me how to express my emotions better than I knew how to put into words. Music has given students like me a way to be seen, heard, and understood in ways that no other subject does. Choir has also taught me how to collaborate, and problem solve with with others better than any other class I've taken. Learning and rehearsing music together has taught me to develop communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. Things that I know will stay with me long after high school. But none of this would have been possible without a full-time choir teacher. Without one, the 161 students who signed up for choir next year at Tiger won't have the support they need to grow musically or personally. Proper music education is

048not extra. It is not optional. It is essential to a well-rounded education. My peers and I deserve a space where our passion for music is not only accepted but nurtured by someone who is fully dedicated to helping us succeed. Thank you. [Applause] All right. Next. And then you're going to tell me if I'm saying it wrong. Zena. Zena. Zena. Okay. You tell me. [Applause] Hello. Hi. Um, my name is Zana Esie and my zip code is 97224. I'm a junior here at Talton High School and an active member of the TWton theater department. And I would like to share the personal impact of theater so you could all get a sense of what this theater department has provided for someone or what it could provide. All because of the direction that Miss Hunter, my director,

049has given us and give you all a reason why this defunding and transferring should be renegotiated. Before I started theater, I was terrified of everything and everyone. I had very intense social anxiety to the point where I would get heart palpitations and shaky hands from just ordering food at a restaurant or answering a question in class. Yet, ironically, I loved acting. So, the day I decided to finally take my first big risk and join theater, it altered my life for the better. From that day on, I finally started living because I no longer let my anxiety dictate how I lived my life. Because I had finally found a space that challenged me creatively, but also a space that helped me become a better student. I got over my fear of what others thought of me

050and I'm now a better public speaker. And I now know how to work with my peers in a team like sitting. But I wouldn't have learned all those things without this theater department. And all of this wouldn't be possible without my director who works on cultivating this community that we have right now. This theater department has become a second home to me and I look forward to every school rehearsal and every theater class because the people in this community are the most welcoming, kindest, and talented people I've had the pleasure of meeting. I've spoken to friends in other theater departments and I'm shocked when I found out they are nearly not as nearly as close as we all are here. So cutting this astounding community down by 60% I think is counterintuitive because this space

051has become a safe haven for not just me but for everyone involved and cannot be the same without our director Miss Hunter who spends hours upon hours making the shows that we produce exceed the high school level and gives us a theater education that prepares us for the collegiate level. So cutting the department by over half will not just tank our quality of shows but our overall theater education. This community this art form is so much bigger than the all of us because theater is a full body cathartic experience for everyone involved and is an old machine intertwining many talents and skills. Theater is its own moment in time and cannot be recreated exactly. And in time when we're living in a present moment is no longer valid as it once was. Theater is needed

052more than ever. After shows, I've had multiple people tell me how much the show has affected them. Whether I give them a moment to escape from reality or it offered them an insight on their own lives. So, in short, theater cannot be erased. TS theater cannot be erased. And I will make my voice heard to commit you all from erasing my director's career. Thank you for your time and thank you for [Applause] respect. All right, next we have Jose. [Music] [Applause] Hello, my name is Jose Salis. My zip code is 97223 and I am a senior at Tiger High School. I have a brief statement followed by chamber choir filling the rest of my time to represent the impact choir has on students. Tiger the Tig Tiger choir program has 161 students enrolled for next

053year's six classes. This level of enrollment requires a full-time 1.0 FTE position with a highly qualified instructor. The only reason for its reduction is because of the retirement of the current director, keep choir full-time at Tiger High School. [Music] So fastile. [Music] [Applause] [Music] What were you born to be tonight? And so to be good in nature to show to show your [Music] where we [Music] may have shown their light. They [Music] Thank you. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Well, that was a lovely public comment. I would love more of those. All right. Um, next up is Leo Cowie. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Um, I want to start by saying thank you for everyone that is here today. Um, my name is Leo Cowie and I am from 5224. Um, I'm here today to express my strong objection

054to the proposal of 60% reduction in our high school theater department and program, including the transfer of Jennifer Hunter Hunter Tindle and a point4 position for the future director or teacher. Without Miss Hunter, I would not have been the person I am today. I would not be able to be in front of this many people. I would not be here, period. Miss Hunter has made my life worth living beyond ways I would even know. Theater is not only an elective class, but it is also a community, a family, and a safe place for everyone to be themselves. In this program, I have personally learned new ways to be confident, to have a new sense of creativity, and I have strengthened my time management skills. The program has given me a place to grow and feel

055support. Many of my family and friends can concur uh that theater that the theater program has helped my mental and social health. Without theater, I would not have been able to have a life-saving surgery next month. I would not have been able to start HRT without the confidence I've give have gotten from theater. By starting most of the pro by cutting most of the program so drastically it would not only limit students access to art and an and entertainment education but it will also decrease the opportunities for scholarships and personal growth. The students who are part of the productions have always made highquality performances and recently have won multiple state awards including the performance of curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. I also want to say that by the unnecessary cuts of staff

056and other programs across the district, it is ruining people's lives. Without these specific staff and programs, our education is decreasing decreasing significantly and PTSD won't be as good as it was without these awful cuts. Thank you. Thank you. [Music] [Applause] All right, our final student of the evening is Claire Anderson. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Hello, my name is Claire Anderson and my zip code is 97062. I'm a junior at Telton High School and an officer for my school's theft club. Currently, my theater department is facing extreme budget cuts and the loss of our teacher and director who built up the program from the ground. As someone who finds so much solace in our theater community, I find it extremely difficult to stomach the concept. I am here because I find it my responsibility to share with

057you what is being lost because I don't think the effects are fully understood. I don't think this choice was made with any malice, just a misunderstanding of the importance of the community and the arts in general. Because our theater department is so robust, it has given so many opportunities to be competitive with other departments in the area. This would not be possible without our directors and with their experience and connections that they have with the theater community at large. There are many facets that would be impossible to continue on without a full-time teacher. Firstly, we have our incredible state-winning mainstage productions and other state-winning events uh where we collaborate with the choir department to produce full professional musical performances and utilize uh our studentr run live pit orchestra. In addition to our main stage productions,

058we have an improv team, our thespian troop 5124, paid technical internships, and more that I cannot fit into my threeinut presentation. It seems disgraceful to the amount of effort and love from each person in that department to gut it without even speaking to the students beforehand. And the protest process, which has over 1,500 signatures on our petition, I've realized that it is just a common misconception that theater is just a community of kids who are unathletic. As someone who has played club soccer throughout my childhood with my mom probably wishing her investment didn't go to waste, I know the stance is made out of pure ignorance. While the lack of theater funding for the years versus the well funded sports programs has been evident, I think it's important to recognize this is an us versus

059them thing. This is not that because we support the sports community and in our efforts they recognize that students need something else to be passionate about um participating within these activities as well. Uh theater instantly gave me a welcoming space as a scrawny queer kid and the people I've seen on stage immediately I got along with. I went into this department in pursuit of friendship and I've come out with a family. I look and I see love, acceptance, and more. And I just want to add, I find it infuriating how you talk down to us. Um, considering we do know how the budget works and considering we have met with people here even this week and you advocate for student voices but then waste our time when you don't listen. Happy teachers appreciation. [Applause] [Music]

060[Applause] [Music] All right. So, we have about 10 more minutes right now that we're going to keep public comment going. So, we finished the students, but um you guys were very um efficient. And so, we have about 10 more minutes for this half hour. So, I'm going to start into the staff group if that's all right with everyone out there. Um, so first up we have for the staff group two is Jen Hunter Tindle. Check. Check. Claire turned it off. She's a technician. Hello, my name is Jennifer Hunter Tindle 97223. I am a theater and English arts teacher. I've been teaching for 23 years and the most recent nine have been with the Towitan High School and I am your most senior theater teacher in your district. With a short amount of time to speak,

061I weighed out the importance of disputing a narrative about declining numbers in theater. I could tell you how it appears that way because the wheel was taking up elective spots for freshmen in 2018, which prevents them from taking theater. I could tell you that the discontinuation of the wheel uh would have been a logical time to fold me back into 9th grade English, which I have taught in the past. I could show you this document which illustrates how a story slam curriculum from the math education problem program includes common core standards in English language arts and literacy. I could tell you about the technical issue with the course selection software confirmed by your IT department regarding the malfunctions which led to students believing they weren't eligible to take specific theater classes. I could tell you

062about the testimonials of my ninth grade students explaining their struggles speaking to adults and how they would rather just take whatever class was on there rather than speak up due to anxiety. I could ask why the decision of admin was to cancel classes when they knew that there was a glitch and how it was inevitably going to lead to the disastrous events of my rift transfer. I could ask why classes which had met the cap size were cancelled. I could give you the numbers year by year which shows that my program has only grown since 2016. I am sure you will see all of this documentation eventually but my students are standing behind me and so I want to talk about that we make connections. We say yes and towatin theater is a home for

063the expressive, the creative and the talented but it is also a home for the disenfranchised voices. In my years in arts education, I have had hundreds of students tell me that theater was the reason they came to school. And I have also had several dozen tell me in private moments that they wouldn't be alive without my classes providing a safe place free of judgment, bullying, and violence. In theater, we are trained to become expert listeners. I am asking the school board to listen to all of the letters and emails that you have been receiving. Listen when I tell you it takes over 200 hours and in some cases 500 to produce a play or musical. And to Walatin puts on some of the best in the state. We've got the awards to prove it. That

064excellence isn't possible with a director who has a 0.45 contract with no medical benefits because that person is going to have to be working a second job and wouldn't be able to put in the 500 hours it takes to direct, produce, and manage the theater program. The classes are the training grounds to learn their craft. The productions are the equivalent of the game day. No one would expect the athletic team to win games without practicing. The full theater sequence of classes is where they learn. The shows are where they shine. Thank you. [Applause] Next we have Holly Richards. Hello. Hello. Is it on? Yes. Yes. Okay. My name is Holly Richards. Zip code 97062. I am the school school engagement specialist at Hazelbrook and I also direct their afterchool drama program and I've interacted with

065hundreds of youth in this community in either a musical or drama um aspect. According to schedule 18 of last year's TTSD annual report in 2014 the cost per pupil was $8,284. Over the last decade, that number has ballooned to $20,93. One might feel happy that we have more resources going to our kids, right? But all it takes is one glance at the current education outcomes for Oregon, dead last in 50th place, to conclude that what we are doing isn't working. I have investigated where this extra money has been going and sadly it's not to students or teachers. In this era of looking into all things government waste, fraud, and abuse, I am sorry to say that TTSD has work to do. Since 2014, admin positions in PTSD have grown by 47%. Even though student enrollment

066decreased in the last decade by 8.4%. We now have one non-eing staff member for every 14.6 students in the district. In the last 20 years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, district level admin positions have grown by 95%. Since 1950, a whopping 79% compared with only 20% growth in student enrollment across the nation. This means that since 2014, TTSD has paid approximately $797 million in excess expenses even after being adjusted for inflation. Now, I was in the nonprofit business world prior to coming to education as a development director. Any business person knows that there has to be administrative overhead. It just is what it is. that what we don't need is a district level building full of people that barely set foot in a school ever. Who are drowning in a sea of

067acronym initiatives of their own invention, patting themselves on the back while not actually doing anything useful for our students, all while taking home sixdigit salaries. These discoveries have been very hard to take as we hear about cut after cut to arts programs and receive patronizing emails from leaders stating that there simply isn't enough money to go around. This is not a budget problem. It has never been a budget problem. It is a misallocation of funds and misplaced priority problem. And we demand that the money go to our kids and our teachers first. Thank you. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] All right, we're going to squeeze one more in. It'll take us one minute over, but that's okay. We're going to do Robert Hawthorne. [Applause] Check. Check. Can you hear me? Great. Good evening. I'm Robert Hawthorne, retiring

068vocal music director at Tiger High School. There's a fundamental misunderstanding about music teacher lensure. Yes, the state of Oregon licenses music teachers generically as K12 music. However, we train, specialize, and student teach specifically in our areas of expertise. Secondary vocal, secondary instrumental, and elementary general music. These areas of instruction are as different and unique as math is to English. Quality music instruction requires content that is relevant and rigorous, all in the context of fostering relational connection with students. And students know this. Classes that don't meet these expectations don't fill students forecast for classes in which they connect. 161 students did just that for our choir and vocal music offerings for next year. a 20% growth in student interest. That combined with a 93% retention rate. This requires a full-time, highly qualified vocal music instructor who

069has specific training in teaching vocal music and recent teaching experience using those skills. Someone who connects with students. This is a 6A choir program. Perhaps if there were 60 or 70 students enrolled, then making it a part-time position might make sense. But the choir program has bounced back post pandemic from 67 to 161 students. It took four years to rebuild. But in one year's time, that can unravel with an unqualified instructor. Why is there a.5 reduction in music FTE at Tired High School? Why is the choir program not continuing with a full-time well-qualified vocal music teacher? If there is dissatisfaction with teacher performance in our ranks, there is a process for addressing that. But it is not through the riff. Choir is an an inclusive space where all students find community and welcome, even beginners.

070To put this at risk is utterly gut-wrenching. This decision will negatively impact students directly for years and is harmful and completely unnecessary. And shouldn't both high schools have well-qualified vocal music teachers? As only the fourth choir director at Tiger High School since 1964, that is four directors in 61 years, having a well-qualified vocal music teacher to continue its long legacy should be a minimum expectation. Members of the school board, you must insist that the district do better, not for me, but for your choir students, for all students. Thank you. Thank you so much. [Music] [Applause] [Music] All right. So, we are going to start with our regular scheduled portion of the meeting. Um, and then after the reports and discussion and action items, we will come back to the rest of public comment. And Katherine,

071you will be on deck for that, just so you know. Um, all right. So with that, we are going to move to our first reports and discussion item, which is the bond update with Alexi. I wish I'd have thought to bring choir with me. That was pretty amazing. that part of the presentation. Really appreciate that. Uh, board chair Iran, uh, Vice Chair Himemes, members of the board. Always appreciate our student board representatives or in this case, Representative Moss. Thanks for being here. Um, it's always a pleasure to be in front of you to talk about the bond. It's an enormous effort. I've been here a number of times before and uh, as you know, this goes back more than two and a half years now where our long range facilities planning committee looked across the

072district. what are the needs as they relate to our students and our staff and our community. And uh it's been quite a road to get to here, including December 9th when you all voted to put this bond proposal on on the ballot. We're now 15 days out. It's very intense. There's a lot going on. It's been a very big lift to get to this point and I appreciate uh all the things that are going on including uh your work as a board to to advocate for this bond. Uh my report indicates some of the things that we've been doing. Uh I do want to mention uh we're very active in social media. We've had uh two mailers already go out to all of our registered voters. The third and last mailer is going to be

073mailed on uh May 9th. Uh we are we've been presenting to our staffs. Thank you Darren and and Kevin Monte for joining our communications team and prevent and presenting to our staffs about the implications of the bond. Um we have um been at a number of school events over the past several weeks and are again at some events this week including some uh Kinder events. We're out in the community. Uh thank you Chair Irvin who who joined some of us at the farmers market uh yesterday. It seems like a long time ago, but uh we had a really nice uh some very nice responses that I've been able to share with people from our our community about the bond and its implications for our students. Um, and uh, we're again, we're in that social media

074space. You're going to see a lot if you're on social media over the next couple of weeks. Uh, I'm excited about the possibilities. I'm I'm very hopeful in spite of some of the challenge that exists, particularly in the economy. And, uh, and I'm really, uh, pushing, working hard, and hope we're going to get there. Glad to take any questions you have. I think the both the pack side and the district side have done a really wonderful job of communicating sort of what's happening at each school. Um there have been some great questions that have been asked, some really good opportunities to sort of help folks understand um some of the complexities of a bond and really making sure that our staff and our students have good quality facilities and that that's also very separate from

075all of the other I mean the the apples and oranges of all of the cuts that districts are facing and the bond piece and how they they're not sort of the same bucket. so to speak. Same with levies and bonds. Um, so I appreciate sort of you and the rest of the district and other pack folks sort of stepping into some of those conversations. That's all I have. Anything else, Moss? Um, I appreciate all the stuff that the district is putting out. I remember uh Saturday evening I was getting ready with my friends for prom and I saw Dr. Udo show up on like the TV screen and an ad for the bond. So really great. Um yeah. Yep. Thank you, Moss. Anything else? I just wanted to remind folks um voting whichever way you

076vote is really important. May elections tend not to get a whole lot of votes. And this bond in particular is a doozy because you have to flip over the ballot to vote for it on the back side. So don't forget to flip to the backside to vote for the bond. All right. Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right. And we will move to our action item which is the 2526 construction excise tax rates resolution with director C. Good evening board. Calling attention to the items in the packet. Um the district has used the construction excise tax since 2008 to assess taxes on new construction to support facility improvements throughout the district. The department of revenue sets annual limits that the board may elect to increase the tax and that's what the memo that

077was included in the um packet proposes. Specifically, the due rates would be um as called out in the proposed resolution, $167 per square foot on structures or portions of structures intended for residential use, 84 cents per square foot on structures or portions of structures intended for non-residential use with a maximum tax of $41,800 per building permit. upon um if the board chooses to move forward with the resolution, we will inform our six supporting municipalities and those new tax rates will take effect July 1st. All right, any questions? There no questions. I would entertain a motion. I move to adopt resolution 2425-13 as submitted modifying construction excise tax rates effective July 1st, 2025. Second. Motion was made by director Zersmeid and seconded by Vice Chair Hea. Is there any discussion on the motion? Hearing none, we'll

078move to a coral vote. All those in favor, please say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you so much. All right. And now we're back to public comment 2.0. And I am not going to reread all the things. Um, so just remember when you hop up um that the microphone is green, your name and zip code, and then the timer for three minutes will start. Um, and so we have Katherine [Applause] Leapor. Push and hold. Oh, it's already on. My name is Katherine Leapor. I live in the zip code 97212. Thank you for your time. Please raise your hand if you are an elementary school teacher. I have been for 18 years and I'm here to talk to you about how important and impactful the role of a full-time educational instructional coach is to

079an elementary school teacher. When we were told we were gaining this position a few years ago, I had no idea what it might be and how it might benefit me, a veteran teacher. Little did I know how meaningful this role would be to make me a better teacher and prove my students understanding and performance. An icing on the cake, we got Tina Johnson as our instructional coach. By month two of seeing how Tina worked with our staff, I told anyone who listened that Tina is the coach that our hardworking staff at Twolitin Elementary deserved. Teachers are asked to do an enormous amount of things every day as they deal with 25 32 students and their varying needs. Burnout is real. Our roles as an elementary our roles in our elementary school lives are um I'm

080sorry all our roles in our elementary schools are life-changing to our students but the role of an instructional coach is for us teachers. She is there to support us with all of our academic needs as well as our social emotional needs. She comes into my classroom to teach so I can pull students to do one-on-one math running records, poll reads and so much more. She helped me launch Socktober this year where we raised socks throughout our school for shelters in need. She planned and led us through learning walks so I was able to see my teammates and other grades teach and then debrief with us to see how we can strengthen our own instruction. She also set up a partnership where I was able to observe and connect with a third grade teacher at another

081elementary school over this crazy thing called I Ready Math. Speaking of new curriculum, without Tina, I would have never felt as competent as I do now with this new curriculum. I have learned more from her than anyone else because of her collaborative way of coaching through modeling joint problem solving and always having an open door policy because she is in the building. She single-handedly navigated us through this new material to best teach our students because she is an elementary school teacher, too. Now, remember, we have a new reading curriculum coming up next year. As it is proposed now, many coaches will have to share schools and there's no way they can continue to do their job in a meaningful way. For schools who do not get a full-time coach like Twatton Elementary, the coach will

082not be able to meet our needs because they do not know us the way Tina does. They will not be able to have the time to know our strengths and desired areas of improvement as well as who we are as people. Our mantra is we do what's best for kids. and having a full-time instructional coach is not only best for us, but it's best for our students, too. Ultimately, this is an investment in our excellence in education instruction methodology. While one of your task is to cut the budget, please consider the profound ramifications of that cut. In this case, the rippling effect of this position that has on our faculty's performance and our student outcomes. Thank you. Winner. Thank you. Perfectly timed. All right, next we have Adam Harris. Come on [Music] down. Okay. Hello.

083Let's see. Uh, my name's Adam Harris. Uh, 97062. Um, I'm a prek teacher at Twitton Elementary School. Um, my classroom consists of a AM and a PM class. Um, each class serves 18 students for a total of 36 students. Um, our students come from Twitton, Deer Creek, and Alberta Ryder. Um, however, I also have students from Bridgeport, Byum, and Templeton. I am the head teacher and I have two IAS who help support the classroom. Because we are prek, we do not fall under the umbrella of K5. So, our students do not have IEPs. They have what are called IFSPs which include a family component. Um as such our students are not eligible for the same services sorry let me breathe here for the same services that the K5 classrooms receive. That means we get no

084ELLL services no literacy service and most importantly no sped services. Um, so our sped services are provided by ESD, which means I meet with ESD twice a month for 45 minutes to work on strategies and plan for my students that are on IFSPs. This year in my morning class alone, um, I have four students on an IFSP with a medical ASD diagnosis. We also have one more that will join us next week, bringing our number of ASD students in our morning class to five. In addition to that, we have multiple multil- language learners as well as students receiving private speech and communication services. Right now, we run an effective successful program. Our students learn communication skills, fine motor skills, literacy skills, as well as math, music, and of course, social emotional skills. Um, I know

085the district is choosing to cut some employees and the decision to remove an IIA from the prek class is going to have farreaching devastating consequences. It not only affects Twatin Elementary, it also affects all PTSD. With only one IIA in our classroom, we'll have to shift to focusing almost primarily on safety. What will safe suffer is our students communication skills, fine motor skills, literacy skills, not to mention that our social emotional focus will be greatly reduced. Once again, I want to reiterate that we receive no outside services, no ELLL, no literacy, and no sped services. We are a completely self-contained, fully inclinus classroom. So all of this just to cut one I one IA prek position at two different schools just doesn't seem worth it. So I'm asking you to please reconsider your commitment to

086TTSD's youngest students and families. So thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you so much. [Applause] All right. Next we have Dustin O'Donnell. [Applause] [Music] check. Doesn't move. Check. All right. I, Dustin O'Donnell from 97224 grew up a Bridgeport Bulldog, then I was a Hazelbrook Hawk, then finally a Twaltton Timberwolf. I did my student teaching at Twalon High School and was lucky enough to be hired into TTSD the next year. This means I'm this year I'm finishing my 15th year as a teacher, which means I've been in the district 28 years total. And I am not an anomaly. People who grew up here remain here and reinvest in this community. And yet, specifically, the months from March to June, the life of a PTSD employee has become more of the uncertainty of who and

087will who will not have a job. This has led to a growing malaise among staff and us versus them mentality between the buildings and the district office has become embedded. It's been hell. I know you are aware of the broken relationship with the previous superintendent. Whenever cuts were made, staff in buildings were dispensable. Terms like right-sizing classes were used to justify end fund balances. Every year we are expected to do the same level of work but with fewer colleagues and more students. Recently, staff received an email stating that quote, "Over the past four years, we've drawn more than $20 million from reserves, and I genuinely don't know if that's a lot or a little since we only ever hear what was spent. We never hear what's left or where we start." The email also claimed

088that the district drew those funds to maintain current staffing levels. How is this true when High School alone has lost over 20 23 licensed staff? It went on to say, "During the same time, our staffing levels grew." Where? It noted that in December, we reached a collective bargaining agreement that led to a 4% salary increase for all employees. But why is that being framed as a factor for a need of cuts? It's akin to saying, "Dear staff, congratulations. Your modest cost of living increase will come directly at the expense of your colleagues." Lastly, we were told the state school fund has not kept pace with the rising cost of operating our schools. How does that align with the governor allocating 11.395 billion for school in the 252.7 bienium which is an increase from the previous

08910.2? There seems to be money and yet there continues to be cuts. The most egregious cut at Talton High School this year is going to be our dean of students and one of our security guards because even with enrollment down, class sizes are growing, student behaviors have shifted. Eliminating these adults from a building is a bad idea. Whenever incidents happen in a school, security is necessary. Adults in the building are necessary. Two years from now, my child is going to be in PTSD. And I doubt I excuse me, I do not doubt the fiscal responsibility of thinking about reserves and end fund balances, but year after year, prioritizing the highest possible percentage of that against ensuring the most possible employees in a building is a mistake. Please reconsider the percentage of your end fund balance

090and keep adults in the building. And with my last 10 seconds, I'll say I would happily put climate change into my curriculum. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] All right, our final staff group is Tamara Harris or Tamara Harris. Oh, okay. Thank you for letting me know. All right, so we are moving on to our next group. Huh? Okay. Oh, I for some reason it's a next group. So, but you how about since you're in both um you can go first for this next group. So, Megan Leon, come on up. [Applause] It's already on. Okay. Um, my name is Megan Gleason and my zip code is 97223. I have been teaching in English language development for 13 years. This is my fourth year with TTSD as a multilingual learner specialist. That title made me feel encouraged to be

091a part of a program that acknowledges students language learning potential as multiaceted and not just a direct road to English acquisition. I am proud to be a part of me's exemplary collaborative co-eing program working alongside amazing teachers and encouraging students to develop their English and Spanish language skills through immersive languagerich classroom experiences. We have been successful with our full-time multilingual learner specialists at our school. So we are able to serve all 600 plus mess students through collaborative co-eing in the least restrictive environment providing equitable access to grade level material. That being said, I'm extremely frustrated to be part of TTSD's riffs for the second consecutive year. This year, TTSD announced multilingual learners to be its focus and continues to promote collaborative co-eing. Yet, our programming is being cut again. Last spring, we were told that

092TTSD TTSD's multilingual learner enrollment actually increased by 11%. But our department was still forced to reduce FTE transerf staff to other schools and positions and schools had to use other funds to fill gaps. It was very discouraging. TTSD receives extra funds specifically for students enrolled in English language learner programs. However, this year again, TTSD is cutting EL staff and not allowing other funds to fill gaps where needed. I'm not sure how we can be expected to effectively serve our students through collaborative co-eing if inequitable cuts continue to be made. More students will be subjected to pullout services further segregating our multilingual learners. We know this is not what's best for students but without appropriately staffing co-eing. There's no other choice. The local option levy passed in November and TTSD stated that this would retain teachers

093and maintain current programming. So, why are so many teachers being rifted this year, causing some programs to dissolve? Residents voted for this levy under the impression that we were keeping teachers and programs because we know that teachers make the difference. I have worked in places with few resources, but having qualified teachers, that's what matters first. Being part of the cuts this year has been incredibly stressful for me and many other people, and having to endure this a second year is beyond frustrating. The way or the manner in which the RIFF is being handled is not appropriate. We're waiting weeks to find out about if you're part of the cuts, being told in the middle of your workday, and then having to return to your workplace every single day until the end of the school year

094knowing you're not coming back to that job or even being transferred into a position in which you have no experience like myself. As mentioned, I have been teaching in the English or in English language development for 13 years. And I was told that I'm being riff transferred to another school within TTSD into a position that I have never taught before and in a grade level in which I have no experience where there was already a qualified teacher. I'm disappointed in this choice. That's time. [Applause] All right, next we have Rachel Simpson. I'm Rachel Simpson, a mom to a Twolitan High senior. Oh, 97062. Uh, mom to a Twitin High senior. Um, I taught in the California public schools. I've been a teacher for 30 years. Um, I now teach in private school in Portland, so

095hopefully I won't get booed for that. Um, but I'm here to express my support for keeping Miss Hunter as a full-time theater teacher at Toatin High School. As we have only received uh recently received the news of the district's short-sighted decision to eliminate the theater program, I'm also here to preemptively speak in support of the excellent music program run by Mr. Berg and Mr. Stegmire. Miss Hunter has created a performing arts program that produces students whose excellence in their craft merits them statewide recognition every year. Through her students know the work ethic, professionalism, and skill it takes to excel in the performing arts. This sets them up to be competitive in college acceptance and merit scholarships as well as pursue the many careers associated with the performing arts. Without this experience in high school, Twolitin

096students will not be prepared to compete in many fields of work they would have otherwise been able to pursue. My own daughter earned merit scholarships in the arts for college next year due to Miss Hunter's excellent program. The recent letter we received stated that the Towitan High School theater arts program will not be eliminated when in fact it is proposed to be eliminated. Anyone who thinks that Tolitin High can have the quality of productions recognized statewide every year with someone who works less than half time less than halfime with no medical benefits is ignorant as to the time and expertise this program requires. The decision to cut Miss Hunter and her program discriminates against a large group of students at Toolitan High School. And it's unconscionable that a budget cut be so unreasonably applied to

097a large community of students. Twolitan High School has a beautiful performing arts center and parents were just asked to vote for an upcoming bond measure that clearly neglects all the performing arts students. And I really was willing to pay the $50 or more every month in taxes for over $400 million to benefit our school and community. But now I think I need to vote no on this special district election on May 20th because keeping good teachers and attracting highquality teachers is more important than building repairs in my opinion. So the only bond measure I would support now is one that does go to the arts. We were told by administration that it's not possible to keep Miss Hunter full-time when she could teach English classes to maintain her full-time position. Over the past four years,

098I've witnessed Twolitin Theater kids that are not glued to their phones. They're always interacting, preparing for a show, collaborating, developing real world skills, supporting one another, laughing all the time. And in terms of diversity and inclusion, where else would you find literally everyone represented and everyone belonging but in the theater? Theater and music elevate us as humans and help us to seek the true good and beautiful. And we should be actively working for the common good of our students and our community. So, the district's decision has farreaching effects for our students at Twitin High. And I hope you make the right decision. Thank you. [Applause] All right. Next we have Christina Hadock. It's Christina. Okay, [Applause] perfect. Good evening. Uh, my name is Christina Haddock and my zip code is 97224. the beginning of establishing

099who you are, a sense of belonging, and core memories. These are examples of what students should hope to experience in high school when they look back on what school was uh successful for them. But education isn't simply based on English, science, and math as the formal testing would like us to believe. That is how the districts are graded, but that is simply just a failure of No Child Left Behind since it was implemented. Kids can graduate um and be the best of the best at math, but if they can't hold a conversation, they are set up to not be successful or as successful as they would have been. I've had three kids in this district. All three have been involved in the arts, including the Twality musicals when those were still in production. And those

100were not normal caliber productions, if you've seen them. The excellence that that program put forth happened because of consistency. consistency in teachers, dependability and the trust and the relationships that the students had with those teachers and knowing that those teachers were instructing them in the best that they know what to teach and that drove that level of excellence and there's probably many of those students behind me. The down river outcome that those students had was that they wanted to be a part of something because of how good it was and subsequently their friends did too. Whether it be by joining the production and by learning to appreciate through the arts or um or by through watching in the audience. This engagement is what increases enrollment in these programs and many of them are never mind

101um performance arts teaches u many skills including collaboration the importance of community which I've heard over and over tonight creativity communication adaptability perseverance self-confidence and empathy. to uh work as a collaborative unit, you also need to have substantive I'm pronouncing that wrong individuals running these classes. If teachers are shuffled as the district is proposing besides being inconsistent and disruptive to students, this would also make Tiger Twalatin among the very few 6 a districts in the state that would not have full-time directors for band, choir, and orchestra. In essence, making us among the weakest in class offerings for all of Oregon. This in turn would also lower our property values. Empathy. Returning to that again, almost no one is going to argue that empathy is severely lacking in our country right now. And within our schools,

102school shootings and attacks are something that are uniquely ours and ours alone. Something that should be studied actually is how many of these individuals that commit these horrific acts were actually part of the arts. I would be willing to bet that it would be found that almost none of these perpetrators were. Why? Because once you've been a part of creating something so beautiful, it'd be almost impossible to go out and destroy it. I urge all involved in this decision to continue the district music programs at this current status of employment and explore options outside of the arts. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much. [Music] All right, our final person for the parent group is Steve [Music] Cook. My name is Steven Cook, ZIP 97224. I'm a parent of a Toatan High School

103student, which is how I came to be aware of the recently announced cuts to the TUHS theater program and in attendance at tonight's meeting. Thank you members of the board for giving me 180 seconds to address you today. All we are hearing about as parents is that an award-winning theater program is being dismantled because that is the honest term for what is happening when the primary staff member and a prerequisite course for one of the few that is being retained or cut making that course silently cut as well and that there are impacts to the music department that were not mentioned in the administration's public message while the sports programs remain entirely untouched. While I recognize you likely do not have the information ready to hand tonight to answer my following questions, it would put

104to the lie to the administration's claims of transparency to not share this information with the school district community. Which of Twolitan High School's 25 sports programs are being cut to demonstrate equity of burden being shared across programs? Please provide transparency about the cost of each athletics program as well as the number of dollars saved in the school's budget from these cuts to the arts department. I don't believe it is too much to ask for each sports cost to be individually reported. Also, in the interest of supporting diversity and inclusion, it would be beneficial to, as the teachers say, show your work. that justifies continuing to fund every extracurricular athletics program while reducing actual curriculum. Not suggesting theater is more or less important than athletics, but I'm objectively stating there are different skills and capabilities that

105are being shortchanged by this decision. How are we showing our students that we support diversity and inclusion when we overemphasize funding for athletic non-curricular programs compared to other non-curricular programs? I submit that this reduction in staff and course availability for non-athletic department shows TTSD still exists in the good old boys club of the 1980s rather than the more inclusive world we are trying to teach and exemplify for our children in 2025. Thank you for your time. Good night. Thank you. [Music] [Applause] We have one last public comment. And I feel really bad, Director Miles. I've literally been holding this post-it note because your birthday is on May 12th and I've been holding it since the beginning and then there's lots of public comment and things. And so we have one public comment left and while

106they're coming up, we want to wish you a very happy birthday on May 12th and we're going to pass around the little cookies for you. Okay. One minute. That's what I'm saying. Ask. So, the last one we have is Eli [Applause] Abuid. And I apologize if I did not say your last name correctly. Hello. Okay. Hi, I'm Eli Abbizade from 97223. The Tiger High School vocal department is a full-time job. 161 students are enrolled for the 2025 to 2026 school year for the six classes they signed up for. Students appreciate these classes. For many, there are safe spaces, places of community and expression, all of which are so valuable to high schoolers who are becoming young adults. Each of these six classes offers something unique, catering to the different levels of proficiencies in singing. It

107would be nearly impossible to try and fit 161 students of different levels into just three classes. These students deserve a class where they get to learn at the level they're at. A class that truly helps them move forward in their music education. At Tiger High School, there are four coral groups, two of which are competitive and have gone to the state. In addition to the choir classes, there's a class called pop vocal studio. I was a student in it as a junior and have been a teacher assistant for my senior year. Pop Vocal Studio is a space for Tiger High students who want to explore their passion of singing but not have to do coral music. They get to sing the music they listen to on the way to school, to work, and back home

108at the end of the day. Not only is the type of music they sing beneficial, but the way they perform individually in front of their entire class is as well. Students who take this class come out of it so much more confident, myself included. It's a class that gives the youth of Tiger the room to grow freely, not just academically, but as people. Each of the vocal performance classes are specially designed to fit the needs of every type of singer that comes to Tiger High School. We cannot limit these students to fit into just three classes. I'd like to add that the performance you heard earlier from the Tiger High School chamber choir would not have been possible without a full-time dedicated director who can give their full attention to their students without having to

109rely on another job. Give the Tiger High vocal department a 1.0 job. Thank you so much. [Music] So with that, we have come to the end. I do want to remind folks that there were some written comments that were submitted. So those will be part of the public record and the meeting minutes. Um I do want to appreciate especially the students um coming out and talking up here. It is a hard thing to do. Um and I appreciate that and I appreciate hearing all of your perspectives and um your voices tonight. So thank you. and parents and staff, same thing. Thank you. Thank you so much.