JANUARY 29, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
School board adds student advisor, GRASSROOTS
GOVERNMENT
reviews improved graduation rates
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Before going over 2020 dis-
trict graduation rates, which
were released last week, the Sa-
lem-Keizer school board voted
to appoint McKay High School
senior Leanette Mabinton as
the fi rst ever student advisor to
the school board at the meeting
of directors on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
“The caliber of Salem-Keiz-
er students who applied for the
student advisor position to the
board made our decision very
hard,” said school board chair
Satya Chandragiri. “Leanette
will be an excellent represen-
tative for all students and her
election was a historic moment
for our board, adding the im-
portant addition of student
voice. Student input is invalu-
able and Leanette will help our
board to advance the important
equity work we do for the dis-
trict.”
A Salem-Keizer Public
Schools (SKPS) student advi-
sor will be appointed to the
board on an annual basis each
year — although they will
serve as a non-voting member
of the board. A student must
have one year of experience on
the district-led student equity
committee/student advisory
committee in order to be con-
sidered for the role.
“I’ve been in SKPS since
third grade, so I feel like my
own personal experiences and
the clubs that I involve myself
with will help me to reach out
to all students and bring the
knowledge I can gain from
them and bring it to the school
board,” Mabinton said. “I am
so humbled and so honored to
serve.”
Mabinton will serve as a
student advisor for the next six
months, before graduating in
June.
“Leanette has been a long-
time advocate for students in
Salem-Keizer,” said Superin-
tendent Christy Perry. “She
actively participates in numer-
ous advisory committees for
our district and I am confi dent
she will bring a well-rounded
and critical perspective into the
board room.”
Later in the meeting, as-
sistant superintendent Iton
Udosenata provided the board
with graduation data from the
2019-20 school year.
Even with the COVID-19
pandemic, the district increased
their four-year graduation rate
to 81%, a 2% raise from the
previous year. Graduation rates
for Black and African-Ameri-
can students in the district in-
creased over three percentage
points from the previous year,
while rates from Hispanic or
Latinx students increased by
nearly 2%.
Students with disabilities
graduated at a 67.26% rate,
which is an increase of nearly
5% from the previous year.
Each high school in the
district, with the exception of
Roberts High, achieved a grad-
uate rate of over 80% — Mc-
Nary, South Salem, Sprague
and West Salem were all over
90%.
“We really are pleased with
the trajectory of our achieve-
ment and getting kids across
the fi nish line,” Udosenata said.
Tax fi ling start delayed until Feb. 12
The Internal Revenue
Service announced fi ling for
most taxpayers will begin on
Friday, Feb. 12, rather Jan. 31.
IRS personnel need addi-
tional time to time to pro-
gram and test IRS systems
following tax law changes ap-
proved by the U.S. Congress
in December that provided
a second round of Economic
Impact Payments and other
benefi ts.
The changes ensure that el-
igible people will receive any
remaining stimulus money as
a Recovery Rebate Credit
when they fi le their 2020 tax
return.
People can begin fi ling
their tax returns immediately
with tax software companies,
including IRS Free File part-
ners, and the returns will be
transmitted to the IRS starting
Feb. 12. The deadline for fi ling
will remain April 15.
Overall, the IRS anticipates
nine out of 10 taxpayers will
receive their refund within 21
days of when they fi le elec-
tronically with direct deposit.
The IRS urges taxpayers and
tax professionals to fi le elec-
tronically.
Although tax seasons fre-
quently begin in late January,
there have been fi ve instances
since 2007 when fi ling seasons
did not start for some taxpay-
ers until February due to tax
law changes made just before
the start of tax time.
The Keizer Parks Advisory Board had its most recent meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 12. Here’s what was discussed:
• The replacement of a
play structure at Claggett
Creek Park is delayed un-
til at least April. Before in-
stalling the equipment, the
contractor needs to install
a pour-in-place, fall pro-
tection surface. By the time
that portion of the project
was set to proceed there
were no tents available that
would provide adequate
cover from the weather.
Businesses had scooped up
all the tents to offer outside
dining.
• The request for propos-
al for new management at
Keizer Little League Park
is expected to be released
soon. The city is looking for
an entity that can operate
the park for youth leagues
and attract outside tourna-
ments to bolster revenue.
• McNary Youth Base-
ball is seeking to use fi elds
at Keizer Rapids Park and
have the city waive the as-
sociated fees.
• A recent survey of res-
idents on local parks and
what they would like to
see in a recreation program
garnered more than 1,700
responses. The consultant
on the study hoped for 400
to establish an adequate
sample of the Keizer pop-
ulation.
The Keizer Parks Advisory Board had its most recent meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 12. Here’s what was discussed:
• Committee members
are investigating the possi-
bility of conducting a traf-
fi c safety survey, similar to
recent surveys in regard to
city parks. Chair Mike De
Blasi is advocating for a res-
ident survey as a way to get
a clearer picture of where
residents perceive traffi c
safety concerns or risks.
De Blasi hopes it would
give all residents a more
transparent and compre-
hensive look at how the city
prioritizes traffi c concerns.
Some committee mem-
bers voiced concerns about
overlapping with planned
studies, which led to a dis-
cussion of why the commit-
tee was not being included
in a planned update of the
Transportation Safety Plan.
City Councilor Ross
Day, the council liaison
to the committee, said he
would make the topic a pri-
ority at an upcoming city
council meeting.
“We’re planning on tack-
ling the TSP in the next 2-3
years, and I think it would
be wise for the council to
engage this committee on
that issue.”
De Blasi asked the com-
mittee members to return
next month with questions
they would like to see on a
survey.
puzzle answers
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