Benny Westcott
The Sweet Home School District’s July 19 board meeting at the district office featured some new faces.
Recently elected school board members Janice Albert and Sara Hoffman took their oath of office at the meeting.
They and other board members also elected officers for the upcoming year, and the slate remained the same as it was the previous year, with Jason Redick elected as board chair, Mike Reynolds named vice chair, and Debra Brown chosen as Secretary.
In other board action, Supt. Tom Yahraes outlined the district’s COVID protocol plans for the upcoming school year in response to the Oregon Department of Education’s “Ready Schools, Safe Learners” guidance for the 2021-22 school year that was issued in late June. The new guidance allows local control over nearly all practices related to preventing COVID-19 in schools.
The district’s plan gives students and staff the option to wear face coverings, but the district will not require their use. However, face coverings will continue to be required on school buses, a federally mandated safety practice from the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC requires the use of face-coverings on public transit, an order that cannot be waived by state or local authorities.
In addition, the district plans on continuing to practice 3-foot social distancing to the maximum extent possible and practice enhanced handwashing and cleaning in all school facilities, as well as continue to maintain contact logs.
“I have confidence that in working together, we can continue to take additional steps on the road back to normalcy for our students, staff, and community,” Yahraes said. “Sweet Home is a resilient and supportive community. Together, we will make the 2021-22 school year great.”
“I think it’s a good thing to get back to having people make their own choices,” Redick said of the plan. “Instead of being told we have to do whatever.”
In other action, District Business Manager Kevin Strong gave the district’s budget report.
At the close of the 2020-21 fiscal year, the district’s revenues were $26,286,770, 98.3% of the $26,753,000 that was projected in the original budget.
Expenditures ended up being less than predicted, with the year-end total of $23,204,752 being 89.8% of the predicted $25,848,296, Strong noted.
The district’s ending fund balance grew during the 2020-21 school year from 4.5 percent to almost 12 percent due primarily to spending less than was budgeted, he said.
He continued by noting that the district realized labor savings by not filling some open positions and by spending less on substitutes.
In addition, some costs that would have been charged to the general fund were paid with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds instead.
In his facilities report, Strong said that facilities staffers are working to remove asbestos floor tile in “quite a few classrooms” at Foster Elementary. Once the tiles are taken out they will be replaced with new non-asbestos floor coverings. New projectors are also being installed at Foster and the Junior High.
Of the projectors, Strong said “Our plan is eventually to be able to do that districtwide, which will be nice because if a teacher has a question about them, they can ask another teacher, and they can share ideas. It can really be a good tool that can be used in the classroom.”
In other action, the board:
– Approved hire of Christie Chapman, special ed teacher at the Sweet Home Jr. High School effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Approved hire of Tynan Cardwell, PE teacher at the Sweet Home Jr. High School, effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Approved hire of Chris Wolf, special ed (learning resource center) teacher at the Sweet Home High School effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Approved hire of Jennifer Gilbert, special ed teacher (life skills) at the Sweet Home High School effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Approved hire of Deborah Phillips, principal at Hawthorne Elementary School, effective Jul. 19, 2021.
– Approved transfer of Brittany Kauffman, 3/4 teacher to Hawthorne Elementary effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Approved hire of Lori Tuter, language arts teacher at the Sweet Home High School effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Approved hire of Pam Hayes, primary teacher at Foster Elementary School, effective Aug. 30, 2021.
– Accepted resignation from Elizabeth Monroe, 2nd grade teacher at Foster Elementary effective June 30, 2021.
– Accepted resignation from Josh O’Gorman, PE grade teacher at Foster Elementary effective June 30, 2021.
– Accepted resignation from Emma Brock, 4th grade teacher at Hawthorne Elementary effective June 30, 2021
– Accepted resignation from Stefani Brown, counselor at Hawthorne Elementary effective June 30, 2021.
– Accepted retirement and then work back on a Post Retirement Agreement from Ralph Brown, Principal at Sweet Home High School, effective July 31, 2021.
– Accepted donation of a laser printer from Ivan Wolthuis.