schools
february5
Schools Update: The Need For Substitutes
By Aaron Miller
Substitute teachers and other substitute em-
ployees are a daily part of life for students and school
staff. Each day there is some position that needs to be
filled due to illness, scheduled appointments or other
life happenings. The issue, however, is usually not
whether or not a substitute employee will be needed in
the building, but whether or not there will be a person
available to fill this need.
Currently there is a real shortage of people
available to fill the need for substitute employees in a
variety of positions within the Vernonia School Dis-
trict. These same issues are being felt in neighboring
school districts as well.
The number of people willing to substitute in
schools is dwindling, whether it be as a teacher, an as-
sistant, a custodian or an employee in the cafeteria. This
problem is even larger for a community like Vernonia,
given the distance from here to other communities of
size where more substitutes may live. Substitutes in
the education field are becoming harder and harder to
come by these days.
The Vernonia School District (VSD) is in need
of dedicated, quality people willing to substitute in
our schools. As the largest employer in town there are
82 regular employees, who at one time or another are
in need of a substitute. We are looking for dedicated
people willing to sub in all departments, at all levels:
teachers, assistants, custodians and food service work-
2015
ers, kindergarten through 12 th grade.
If you are interested in learning more about
subbing, or obtaining a restricted substitute license,
please contact Superintendent Miller at 503-429-5891.
Substitutes in the VSD are hired by the NW
Regional Educational Service District (NWRESD), and
are called through an automated system run through
their offices. Anyone interested in subbing for the Dis-
trict needs to register through the NWRESD Human
Services department, who can be reached at 503-614-
1428. You can also call the District Office at 503-429-
5891, if you have questions you would like answered
about potential sub jobs here in Vernonia prior to ap-
plying through the ESD.
School Board Grants Riley Unpaid Leave
The Vernonia School Board
met in a Special Public Meeting on
Thursday, January 15 and voted unani-
mously to grant popular high school
science teacher Jean Riley unpaid
leave until February 12, 2015
Riley’s teaching license ex-
pired on December 31, 2014. She told
the board she is only weeks away from
completing a Master’s Degree and ap-
plying to have her teaching license re-
newed.
Riley has been a teacher in the
Vernonia School District since 2003.
Superintendent Aaron Miller
placed Riley on unpaid leave, accord-
ing to District policy, when she was
unable to complete the needed work to
renew her license in time to meet the
December 31 deadline imposed by the
State of Oregon. Riley then made a
request for Emergency Leave in order
to complete the renewal of her license.
Miller denied the Emergency Leave
request based on the fact that without
a teaching license Riley was no longer
covered under the rules of the Dis-
trict’s collective bargaining agreement.
Riley appealed Miller’s decision to the
School Board, which led to the Special
Meeting. According to the agenda for
the meeting Miller was prepared to
bring forward to the Board a recom-
mendation to terminate Riley.
Twenty-eight people spoke on
behalf of Riley at the School Board
meeting, including current and former
students, other teachers, parents of stu-
dents and community members. Riley
spoke last and tearfully apologized
to the audience, her students and the
School Board, explaining that she had
numerous personal issues over the last
year which kept her from completing
her license renewal.
The Board discussed Riley’s
appeal and asked several questions of
Riley, her union representative Steve
White, and School Board legal counsel
Rebecca Jacobson.
White told the Board it should
only be a matter of weeks until Riley is
able to complete her work and have her
license renewed.
The School Board then re-
cessed to meet in Executive Session
under ORS 196.660 (2)(f) to consult
with their legal representative.
Upon returning to open ses-
sion, School Board Vice President Jim
Krahn made a statement reminding the
audience that this situation was not
caused by the actions of Superinten-
dent Miller or the School Board, but by
Riley’s inability to meet state require-
ments to renew her license. Krahn not-
ed that Riley had already been given
an emergency extension of her license
by the State of Oregon when it expired
in 2013 and was given until Decem-
ber 31, 2014 to complete her work.
In a dramatic and tense few
moments the Board voted unanimous-
ly to uphold Miller’s decision to deny
Riley’s request for Emergency Leave.
The Board then unanimously approved
a motion to direct Miller to grant Ri-
ley unpaid leave until the next School
Board meeting on February 12, 2015.
The Board followed that by unani-
mously approving another motion to
delay until February 12 any decision
on Miller’s recommendation to termi-
nate Riley.
High school seniors throughout
the West Oregon Electric service area
are eligible to apply for the WOEC
Sam Hearing Scholarship program.
Seniors looking to further their education
by attending any college, university,
community college, or trade school can
apply for one of two $1,000 scholarships.
The West Oregon Electric
Cooperative Sam Hearing Scholarships
are given in the memory of Sam
Hearing. Sam served on the WOEC
board of directors for 35 years, and his
commitment to the co-op and community
are symbolized in the continuing effort
of WOEC to help further the education
of our youth. Sam and his wife, Alvilda,
shared a strong commitment to education
– Alvilda as a school teacher in Vernonia,
and Sam serving as a member of the
Vernonia School Board and Columbia
County Education Service District. This
commitment led the WOEC board of
directors to establish the Sam Hearing
Scholarship fund in August of 2003
when Sam retired from the WOEC board.
Sam passed away in 2004, and so the
scholarships will remain to remind us of
his dedication to our Cooperative and the
community that he lived in and served.
This year the applicants will
be judged on academic performance,
overall essay information, as well as their
commitment to their community through
their community service. Applicants are
asked to complete a brief application
form that will give a personal profile, two
essays, and activities chart.
The applications will be
reviewed by a scholarship committee
of co-op members who donate their
time to evaluate them and award the
scholarships. The WOEC board of
directors memorialized their appreciation
of the excellent and valued work that has
been done by our volunteer Scholarship
Committee by passing a resolution at the
January board meeting acknowledging
them for a job well done. The committee is
another great example of our cooperative
members’ values and commitment to the
community.
To apply, contact your high
school counselor or West Oregon
Electric. The application form as well as
all instructions are now available, please
visit our website at westoregon.org (go to
the news tab and click on scholarships)
to print the forms. The information and
forms will also be available at the front
desk in the WOEC office. The deadline
for receiving completed applications is
April 15th by 5:00 PM.
Parent High
School Survey
Vernonia High School’s last
Accreditation visit was April of 2009. Our
next review is scheduled for April 2015
and the process has changed significantly.
Through AdvancEd, a world leader in
school improvement efforts, all accredited
schools participate in a rigorous evaluation
process that involves internal and external
review. One valuable element is feedback
from stakeholders.
In an effort to improve system
practices, Vernonia High School is
conducting a Parent Survey. We value your
opinion and ask that you take the time to
complete this survey. In order to complete
the survey, please go to: http://www.
advanc-ed.org/survey/public/4205849.
Please be assured that your
responses to this survey will be anonymous.
Your honest opinion is appreciated. Thank
you for your time and attention to this
matter. A paper version of this survey will
be available at your request.
Vernonia Students of the Month
West Oregon Electric
Cooperative 2015 Scholarships
Two $1,000 WOEC Sam
Hearing Scholarships
will be awarded this year
13
January 2015
Jenna Romaine
Grade 5
Jenna is a great example of a Vernonia Elementary
School scholar. She is a focused reader, concen-
trates on her studies, and does her best. She is
known as polite, hardworking, helpful, and friendly.
Jenna is becoming a self manager again after she
moved away for a short time. Her favorite subject
is art.
Sean Coffey
Grade 8
Sean is a good student who says his favorite
subject is math; he is currently taking high school
geometry. He plays clarinet in the school band.
He also plays basketball and baseball. He says he
likes working outdoors in his free time.
Nicole Glass
Grade 12
Nicole is a member of National Honor Society and
is the Student Body secretary. She says she loves
reading and her World Literature Class. She is in
Leadership, Robotics, is on the Forestry team, and
is a big supporter of the Equestrian team. She is
currently serving in the Army National Guard. This
is her ninth year raising a steer for 4H. Following
graduation Nicole is heading to Army basic training,
enrolling at PCC and then going on to Oregon
State University.
Sponsored by State Representative Brad Witt
