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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2016)
schools 2016 Schools Update By Aaron Miller Here are some of the happenings in the Vernonia School District (VSD): Bond Information Update The VSD is continuing its work to provide sav- ings to local tax payers through an Advanced Refund on the General Obligation Bonds that have financed a portion of the new school building. An Advanced Refund is somewhat similar to refinancing a house. Because interest rates are current- ly lower than those in place when the Bond was ap- proved by voters in 2010, the Bond can be refinanced, or “refunded in advance” to take advantage of today’s lower rates. If realized, the savings are passed on to taxpay- ers with a lower tax rate. Actual savings are not deter- mined until the actual day the Advanced Refund of the Bond is sold. It is possible that rates will not be favor- able at the time of the sale, in which case the Advanced Refund will be canceled and the savings will not be realized. The VSD will hold an informational meeting School Board Report At the School Board Meeting on May 12, 2016: Budget Committee Meeting – Upon convening the meeting, the School Board immediately recessed to a Budget Com- mittee Meeting. The Budget Committee discussed changes in the 2016-17 budget but declined to recommend an approved budget to the School Board and sched- uled another meeting for Thursday, May 19. (See full story on page 3) Board Hears Proposal to Sponsor Or- egon Virtual Education – The Board heard a presentation by Paul Peterson from the Northwest Regional Education Service District about a proposal to be- come the statewide sponsor for Oregon Virtual Education Charter School, a state online learning program. The Board scheduled a Public Hearing for Thurs- day, May 19 to consider the proposal. (See full story starting on page 3) may19 on Thursday, June 2 at 6:00 pm in the Vernonia Schools Library regarding the Advanced Refund, as well as a potential new Bond to raise funds to eliminate the school’s long term debt. The format of the meeting will begin with in- formation from the District regarding potential bond options, and why a bond is being considered at this time. The second portion of the meeting will provide patrons an opportunity to ask questions of, or provide direct input and opinions to, the District. Strategic Planning Update Preliminary data from the District’s Strategic Planning process has been compiled, and is now be- ing reviewed by the School Board and Teachers. The information that was provided by parents, community members, school staff and the School Board will be used to develop 3-4 overriding goals for the District to accomplish in the next 3-5 years. Following this internal review a draft plan will be developed and shared with parents, staff and the community for further input, prior to the plan being of- ficially adopted by the Board. Board Rejects Appeal for Inclusion in Graduation - The Board recessed into Executive Session to hear an appeal by Hyrum Schirmeister of decisions made by school administrators. According to the complaint form filed by Schirmeis- ter, both High School Principal Nate Underwood and Superintendent Aaron Miller had denied a request to allow Me- gan Schirmeister, Hyrum’s daughter, to participate in the Vernonia High School Class of 2016 graduation ceremony, based on District Policy IKFB. The Schirmeister family was appealing that decision to the School Board. In separate emails the Schir- meister family told Vernonia’s Voice that Megan withdrew from Vernonia High School (VHS) starting in her junior year to stay at home and take care of Hyrum who has health issues; Megan has not re- turned to VHS. Megan will be receiving a diploma from Oregon Virtual Academy but has continued to participate in VHS 13 Developing strong curriculum, effective in- structional practices and good working relationships between parents and the school are some of the over- riding themes coming out of this initial review. Lock Out Follow Up On Friday, May 6 the Vernonia School Dis- trict held school in “Lock Out” due to a potential threat of harm, as depicted in a picture that was turned in to school staff. In addition local police were on campus throughout the school day. The threat of harm did not occur, the situa- tion has been addressed both internally and with law enforcement, and there appears to be no further threat at this time. All aspects of this incident have been ad- dressed as per district policy and state law. During a Lock Out students and staff follow their regular school day routines, but ALL exit doors are locked, with no students, staff, parents or other pa- trons leaving or entering the building. If you have any questions about the informa- tion in this article, or other questions regarding the Ver- nonia School District, please contact Superintendent Aaron Miller at 503-429-5891. student body activities; she was part of the Cheer Squad and has supported the community and wanted to walk in the graduation ceremony with the kids she has grown up with. After considering the appeal and upon returning to Open Session, a motion was made to uphold the adminis- tration’s decision to deny the request to allow Meagan to participate in gradua- tion. The vote was tied 3-3, with Board members Susan Wagner, Greg Kintz, and Brett Costley voting to uphold the administration decision and Cari Lev- enseller, Brittanie Roberts, and Katie Cook voting against the motion; Board member Ernie Smith abstained from voting. With the tie, the decision by the administration stands. Board Approves Loan Forbearance Agreements - The Board approved two Forbearance Agreements that would de- lay for two years the payments on two “Cool School Loans.” Loan #L00864 was entered into on June 15, 2012 and is for $2 million. Loan #L00881 was entered into on June 21, 2013 and is for $1,237,342. By delaying the payments the District will not have to make annual payments of over $190,000 for the next continued on page 16 Vernonia Students of the Month April 2016 Hayden Rau Grade 2 Hayden is known as a bright and exceptional student who takes a leadership role in the class- room and is willing to help other students and her teachers. Hayden says she enjoys writing in school. She plays softball and does junior cheer- leading. Dakota Willard Grade 8 Dakota is a hardworking student who goes the extra mile. Her teachers describe her as humorous, pleasant, kind and respectful. Dakota says art is her favorite subject. She plays clarinet in the band, runs track, is part of the leadership class for middle school, and hopes to do cheerleading next year. She helps with Vacation Bible School in the summer. In her free time she says she likes to read. Mike Timm Grade 11 Mike has given up his break each day to work in the student store this school year and his supervi- sor says he has shown tremendous growth. He is extremely reliable and a hard worker. Mike says his favorite subject is art and he especially enjoys sculpture. In his spare time Mike says he enjoys playing video games. Sponsored by Vernonia’s Voice
