Benny Westcott
At the Jan. 9 Sweet Home School District Board meeting at the District Office, the board unanimously struck down a proposed policy update that would have amended the district’s code to allow for alcohol use on district property when specifically authorized by the superintendent in writing.
Back on Nov. 14, board members voted 5-2 to direct staff to draft a board policy change that would allow alcohol to be sold and consumed on district property when specifically authorized by the superintendent in writing following the submission of a district Alcohol Use Request Form and a certificate of insurance coverage, and get the potential change reviewed by the district’s legal counsel.
That vote came after Oregon Jamboree representatives asked for permission to host a music and brews festival in the school district-owned parking lot north of the high school on April 15 and 16 of this year.
Two board policies currently prohibit alcohol on district property. Policy KGB reads that “No person on district property will consume, sell, give or deliver alcoholic beverages or controlled chemical substances.” Board Policy KG-AR reads that “alcohol, tobacco and drugs are prohibited on district property.”
In a letter to the board, presented at the Dec. 12 meeting, District Business Manager Kevin Strong wrote that the district’s “insurance agent has advised us that requiring an insurance certificate from an applicant serving alcohol on school grounds that names the district does not eliminate all risk for the district. If a claim occurs, it will impact our claims experience, which will impact our rates going forward.”
The letter continued by noting, “Our insurance agent is also concerned that a policy change could open the door to multiple events where alcohol is served. If so, the statewide insurance pool that we belong to may require us to purchase a separate liquor liability policy.”
It concluded: “According to our agent, who works with 80 different school districts, changing board policy to permit some alcohol use on school grounds is a path that most school districts avoid.”
And with the Jan. 9 vote, Sweet Home avoided going down that path as well.
“We will let that one go to rest,” Board Chair Mike Reynolds concluded after the unanimous decision.
Also at the meeting, District Facilities Director Josh Darwood reported staff plans to upgrade lighting at Hawthorne, Holley, and Foster Elementary Schools from fluorescent to LED, as well as to install new ceiling tiles at the trio of schools.
He said that fluorescent lights pulse very rapidly, which causes problems.
“Your brain can’t think of it pulsing that fast, but your eyes actually send the signals. This pulsing can trigger headaches, eyestrain, migraine attacks and other issues. So in doing these upgrades, we are improving the ability for kids to be learning and teachers to be teaching better.”
He added that light bulbs for much of the lighting at Hawthorne are becoming obsolete as less and less of them are being manufactured.
Darwood noted that in the schools “the old glue-in ceiling tiles are in bad shape, and many have fallen apart and been screwed back into place. The old tile system does not work well with lighting upgrades and does not lend itself to the repairs needed.”
In other meeting action:
— Classified Representative Velma Canfield said there are many positions open in the district right now.
“We have classified staff that have their emergency subbing license. So we’re stepping in as well to sub and help fill some of those gaps.”
High School Principal Ralph Brown seconded that, saying, “Our classified folks getting those emergency sub licenses has saved our bacon a bunch this year. Folks have stepped up and helped and served. I’m very, very thankful.”
Certified Representative Steve Thorpe also had some comments on the state of the district.
“We’ve had a good year, but nothing ever goes as planned perfectly,” he said. “I know we’ve lost some positions at some of our schools at different levels. Things happen, but it’s not what happens, it’s how you respond to what happens.
“What I get to see is how our teachers and administrators have stepped up and taken care of things. We’ve got a pretty good place here. We’ve got a good place to work and a great place to live. I’ve seen teachers who all they are missing is their big red ‘S’ on their chest. But they wear their cape every day.”
— Superintendent Terry Martin reported that the district’s enrollment is at 2,331 students, higher than it has been at the same time period of any of the previous three years. The enrollment is down four students from last month. Holley Elementary had the district’s best attendance in December.
n Strong reported that through December, district year-to-date spending is up by almost $774,000 from the same time period the previous year. He said that the increase in spending is largely driven by higher labor expenses.
— The board accepted a donation from Geraldine Moran for 10,040 board feet of Western Red Cedar to the Sweet Home High School career technology education program.
— Martin presented board members with Certificates of Appreciation as part of the Oregon School Board Association’s School Board Recognition Month.
“I appreciate our school board members, their dedication, and the service they provide for our community,” Martin said.
“Being a school board member means advocating for all children. School board members do not get to just advocate for their district or their electorate. In Sweet Home, ‘all’ means all.”