The resignation of Oak Heights Elementary Principal Todd Barrett and questions surrounding the district’s personnel investigation process drew some major discussion during the Sweet Home School Board’s June 8 meeting.
The board unanimously approved Barrett’s resignation as part of its consent agenda. Barrett’s resignation became effective June 1.
Before the meeting, Supt.Terry Martin had notified Oak Heights families on June 3 through a ParentSquare platform message that Barrett had resigned and that the school district had officially begun the search for a new principal.
“Finding a candidate who aligns with the values and educational goals of our community is a top priority for us,” Martin wrote. “We value the input of our families and staff in this important selection process.”
At the meeting, Board Member Rachel Maynard said that while she understood personnel matters could not be discussed publicly at open school board meetings, she wanted to better understand the investigation process and whether lessons could be learned from the situation.
Maynard went on to question whether the timeline of the investigation was typical and if several concerns could have been addressed earlier through evaluations, coaching, or professional development, and whether the district incurred additional costs while employees remained on paid leave.
“I am disappointed that we have reached this outcome,” Maynard said. “This staff member served our district for more than 10 years.”
Maynard also expressed concern about the overall personal toll the investigation may have taken and asked what role the board plays in personnel investigations.
Her comments prompted responses from both district and board leadership. Martin cautioned against discussing the matter in open session, saying personnel investigations involve legal and confidential matters.
“As Rachel said, she’s new to the board, this is highly inappropriate to bring up in an open meeting like this, and it involves legal matters,” Martin said.
Board Chairman Mike Adams, who is an attorney, said personnel investigations are a standard administrative process used to determine whether district policies have been violated and noted that such matters fall under the superintendent’s authority rather than the board’s.
“Really, he’s the only employee that works for us,” Adams said, referring to the superintendent’s role overseeing district personnel matters. The remainder of the meeting focused on student success and future planning.
In his superintendent’s report, Martin told the board that 185 seniors graduated from Sweet Home High School this year, exceeding the district’s spring enrollment overall count of 157 seniors. Martin also reported that local scholarships awarded through the Sweet Home Alumni Foundation totaled overall $100,000, while graduating seniors earned nearly $1 million in scholarships through postsecondary opportunities.
“That was a tremendous showing that reflects a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” Martin said.
Martin also shared year-end attendance and enrollment data. District enrollment stood at 2,111 students as of May 31, while Hawthorne Elementary posted the district’s highest attendance rate overall for May at 92.57 percent.
The board also heard a presentation from district elementary counselor Stefanie Brown on Wayfinder, a districtwide program designed to help students build skills related to self-awareness, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, agency, and purpose.
“Wayfinder connects classroom learning to future-ready skills that can help us succeed in the real world,” Brown said.
According to Brown the curriculum, which the district began using this school year, includes lessons on emotional regulation, bullying prevention, digital citizenship, financial literacy, and attendance, with instruction beginning as early as kindergarten.
“We are so excited about this program,” Brown said. “The data that’s pouring in, we just started getting that data from this year, and we’re so excited to see how it moves forward for next year.”
The board later unanimously approved the district’s 2026-27 budget following a public hearing that drew no public comments.
Business Manager Kevin Strong reported that district spending is approximately $927,000 higher than the same point last year due to increased personnel costs, health insurance expenses, charter school payments, and tuition costs. Despite the increase, Strong said the district remains on track to stay within the budget requirements.
Strong also reported that Linn County is expected to provide the official election abstract between June 15 and July 3. Board members agreed to hold a special meeting on June 22, to approve election results and begin discussions related to the district’s bond process.
During board comments, members highlighted community support efforts, including fundraising for a new ADA-accessible playground at Hawthorne Elementary and improvements to Hawthorne Fields through the Sweet Home Youth Baseball Program.
Board Action Recap
The following items were approved unanimously by an 8-0 vote, with Amanda Carter not present and member Mary Speck participating remotely: :
- Approval of Summer School hires: Josh Dargis (administrator); Amber Rosa, Michelle Hatchard, Marci Sullens, Cheryl Jones, Brittany Kauffman, Tori Clark, and Lindsay Janzer (teachers); Ryan Adams, Krista Hart, and Meagan Taylor (substitutes); Katie Adams (summer learning coordinator); and Alyson Ellis (ESY extended school year special education teacher).
- Hire of Kylee Brown as advanced math teacher at Sweet Home High School for the 2026-27 school year.
- Hire of Katlynn Teter as special education teacher at Oak Heights Elementary.
- Hire of Laura Jacobsma-Opdahl as Title I teacher at Foster Elementary.
- Hire of Lillyanna Walker as special education LRC teacher at Sweet Home High School.
- Hire of Shelly Nelson as third grade teacher at Oak Heights.
- Transfer of Joan Tolle from Oak Heights Special Education to Sweet Home Junior High School.
- Hire of Hailey Johnson as grades 1/2 blend classroom teacher at Hawthorne Elementary.
- Hire of Hailey Upton as language arts teacher at Sweet Home High School.
- Acceptance of the resignation of Todd Barrett as principal of Oak Heights Elementary, effective June 1.
- Hire of Tami McWayne as half-time music teacher at the Junior High/High School.
- Adoption of the district’s 2026-27 budget following the public hearing.
As the district moves forward with the search for a new principal at Oak Heights Elementary, board members also looked ahead to the coming school year through investments in student support programs, staffing, and long-term planning. From celebrating the accomplishments of the Class of 2026 to approving a new budget and key personnel decisions, the meeting reflected both the challenges and opportunities facing Sweet Home schools in the year ahead.
If you missed the June 8, Sweet Home school board meeting, you can watch the full livestream on the Sweet Home School District #55 YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3QA3T1Y