Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2017)
schools june15 2017 17 School Board Report At the June 8, 2017 Vernonia School Board Meeting: Board Discusses Bond Expenditure Priorities, Schedules Public Meet- ings – The Board discussed a list of 13 bond expenditure project priorities pro- vided by Superintendent Aaron Miller. The Board scheduled two public meet- ings for June 22 and 24 where they will take input from District patrons and also look for community expertise on aspects of the bond projects. (See full story on front page.) ceiving 207 write-in votes; Del Allen re- ceived 129 write-in votes for Position 4 under several different names. District Honors School Board Mem- bers at Final Meeting – The District honored two long time members of the School Board who both chose to not run for re-election and were participating in their final meeting. Cari Levenseller has served on the Board for 17 years and Er- nie Smith has served for ten years. Both Levenseller and Smith had family mem- bers in the audience and were presented with a plaque and a gift by District Su- perintendent Aaron Miller. New Hires Announced – Su- perintendent Aaron Miller an- nounced to the Board several new hires for the District for open positions for next school year. Kendra Berryman has been hired as the new 2 nd grade teacher. Berryman has two years teaching experi- ence in a private, early educa- tion program. Justin Benassi has been hired as the new 3 rd Ernie Smith (left) and Cari Levenseller (right) grade teacher and has eight were joined by Superintendent Aaron Miller at years experience working at their final School Board meeting. a charter school in Woodburn, Board Approves Sale of Bonds – The OR. Kelli Corey has been hired as the Board voted to approve Resolution new High School science teacher and has 1617-07, authorizing the issuance, sale been teaching in a middle school in Vir- and delivery of $6.8 million in bonds, ginia for four years. Debbie Stahlnecker, approved by voters in the May 2017 who has worked in the District for ten election. Sale of the bonds is scheduled years as the Title I specialist, has been to take place on July 12. hired as the Middle School special edu- cation instructor. Miller also announced Board Adopts 2017-18 Budget – Following a Public hearing, during which there was no public comment or testimony, the Board voted to ap- prove Resolution 1617-09 , adopting the 2017-18 budget. Vernonia Veterinary Clinic Small and Large Animals Board Approves Superintendent Contract – The Board approved a new three year contract for Super- intendent Aaron Miller, who will also continue to serve as Elementary School Principal as part of his duties. Board Accepts Election Results – The Board voted to accept the Co- lumbia County Election Abstract which showed Susan Wagner elected to Position 1, Melissa Zavales elect- ed to Position 5, and Brett Costley elected to Position 6. Stacey Pelster won election to Position 4 after re- that Stacy Adams, who is already an em- ployee in the District, has been hired to fill the open Elementary School secre- tary position. Board Approves Calendar Adjust- ment – Based on a recommendation by Superintendent Aaron Miller, the Board approved an adjustment to the school calendar. The District has added Febru- ary 16 and April 27, 2018 as student con- tact days and August 28, 2017 as a staff professional development day. Miller noted that the passage of the school bond allows the District to use money that was earmarked for debt payment, and that adding instructional days is a priority for him. Board Approves New Auditing Con- tract – The Board approved a three year contract with Pauly, Rogers, and Co., P.C. to provide auditing services for the District. The District had been notified that the previous firm was no longer available to provide these services. Superintendent Report – Superinten- dent Aaron Miller reported that the Dis- trict received its annual monitoring visit for The Old Mill Marsh, the wetlands the District is currently required to maintain as part of mitigation for the new campus site construction. Miller said the District is in their last year of a five year obli- gation with the Corps of Engineers, and reported that the area that holds water is meeting criteria, but the area surround- ing the low areas needs more snowberry planted and cultivation of natural lupine plants, which will take place this fall and allow the District to meet final project requirements. Building Report – Middle School/ High School Principal Nate Underwood reported that Project Based Learning Class will have two classes next year, one for freshmen and sophomores and one for juniors and seniors. Underwood also reported that the AVID interviews have been completed with 8th grade stu- dents for selection for the program for next year. He told the Board the school received a two year grant to continue funding the Youth Transition Program, under the direction of Beth Kintz. Elementary School Principal Aaron Miller reported that 180 parents and students took part in the first VES Family STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Night, which included tower building, geometric pat- tern work, boat making, catapulting, and basic robotics. Miller also reported that Edna Vasquez performed Mexican folk songs as part of the Artist in Resi- dence program, which is funded by the Run for the Arts fundraiser events. Board Declines Support for No Smok- ing in Parks – The Board took no action on a request from fellow Board member Brittanie Roberts to offer official support for a smoking ban in city parks that Rob- erts intends to propose to the Vernonia City Council. The Board had differing views on the issues and declined to take a position. Vernonia Students of the Month May 2017 Blake Rutledge Open Mon, Wed & Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call for Appointments (503) 429-1612 Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470 700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR TOO BUSY? Call your LOCAL bookkeeper R Y OLL A P PLUS LLC Edi Sheldon 503-429-1819 edisheldon@gmail.com Licensed tax consultant • Full service payroll Personal & small business bookkeeping • QuickBooks assistance CORPS, S-CORPS, LLC, Partnerships • Personal one-on-one service LTC #29629 - Oregon licensed tax consultant RTRP #P00448199 - designated as a registered tax return preparer by the Internal Revenue Service The IRS does not endorse any particular individual tax return preparer. For more information on tax return preparers, go to www.IRS.gov. Grade 4 Blake was selected for his academic achievement after vastly improving his reading scores this year. He is known as a great friend who is kind, patient, and a good listener. Blake says his favorite subject is science and he participated in the after school robotics club. He hopes to play soccer this fall and he enjoys making videos for You Tube with his friends. Emily Mendelsohn Grade 8 Emily is known for trying her best, participating in class and encouraging other students to do their best. She is also respectful to her teach- ers. Emily played alto sax in the band and sings in the school choir. She enjoys drawing, writing, and role playing in her spare time. Haley Linsay Grade 11 Haley is a very active and involved student. She says her favorite class is Leadership and she sings in the choir. She is a member of the National Honor Society and was the Junior Class President. She will be part of the cheer squad next year. In her spare time she plays piano and guitar. Sponsored by Senator Betsy Johnson