Sean C. Morgan
The District 55 School Board declared Billie Weber’s position on the board vacant.
“We have somebody who hasn’t attended meetings and has recently been moved out of the community,” said Chairman Jason Redick.
She has missed four meetings, said Supt. Don Schrader. She got sick, and she’s actually moved to Lake Oswego where she is receiving care.
The board voted 5-0 to declare the seat vacant. Voting yes were Michael E. Adams, Chanz Keeney, Dale Keene, Chairman Jason Redick and Mike Reynolds. Absent were Weber, Jenny Daniels, David VanDerlip and Kevin Burger.
The district is accepting applications. It is open to residents across the School District. For more information about serving on the board or for an application, contact the district at (541) 367-7126 or drop by the Central Office, 1900 Long St.
Weber’s term expires June 30, 2013. Anyone appointed to the position will face an election in the spring.
In other business, the board:
n Received a comparison of spending between the now complete 2011-12 school year and the 2001-02 school year. Spending in the General Fund increased from $14.2 million to $17.4 million in that period, an average annual change of 2.3-percent increase.
The largest increases in spending were in Public Employees Retirement System payments, from $1.5 million to $2 million, an average annual change of 3.6 percent.
Insurance benefits increased by 3.8 percent per year, from $1.37 million to $1.9 million.
That is an expense where employees have also faced increasing costs out of their pockets, said Business Manager Kevin Strong.
Classified salaries increased from $2.35 million to $2.8 million, a change of 1.9 percent per year. Licensed salaries increased from $4.5 million to $4.82 million, a change of .7 percent per year.
Administrative salaries decreased from $1.029 million to $1.002 million per year, an annual decrease of .3 percent. Strong said that reflects the absence of an aquatics director salary in 2011-12.
Textbook spending decreased from $126,000 to $22,000, a decrease of 8.3 percent each year. The district has delayed buying textbooks, driving down this expenditure, Strong said.
n Hired former Sweet Home High School Principal Pat Stineff as ACT Coordinator for the 2012-13 school year.
n Hired Steven Brown as a teacher on special assignment serving as athletic director and handling student behavior management duties at SHHS.
n Hired Chelsea Gagner as language arts teacher at Sweet Home Junior High.
n Hired Tomas Rosa as language arts teacher at Sweet Home High School.
n Hired Rex Hoffman as counselor for Hawthorne and Holley.
n Hired Monica Turkish as .5 full-time equivalent kindergarten teacher at Foster.
n Accepted the resignation of Julie Thompson, Hawthorne kindergarten teacher.
n Accepted the resignation of Dawn Dalton resigned from .5 FTE kindergarten teacher at Foster as part of the contract procedure that enables her to share her job.