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10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015 Grad rates: ‘It’s a myth that education is this linear progression’ Continued from Page 1A Jackson added he has three or four students attending a ¿IWK \HDU VHYHUDO JRLQJ IRU D GED diploma and two transfer students not on track for grad- uation. Most high schools face similar situations, except for Jewell, which graduated all nine of its seniors and released anoth- er to get a GED diploma through the college. Highly transient Seaside High School Princi- pal Sheila Roley said her school can add and drop a quarter of its student population each year. High schools serve an of- ten transient student population, which administrators say makes it GLI¿FXOWWRJHWDQDFFXUDWHSLFWXUH from four-year graduation rates. Of the 103 seniors who started the year at Seaside, 95 got their diplo- mas Monday, one is coming back next year and a few others are pur- suing GED diplomas. “Then there are a few who just leave school and choose not WR¿QLVK´5ROH\VDLG³,W¶VKDUG to keep them here with us.” The challenges students face and the reasons they drop out are as unique as the students them- selves, Roley said. There are often socioeco- nomic challenges, Jackson said, and it is not uncommon to see students rack up transcripts moving between multiple coun- ty high schools. Warrenton High School Principal Rod Heyen said he focuses more on individual stu- dents than on graduation rates, adding he has put kids on the GED route as early as 16 years old after determining they likely would not be able to overcome their challenges to graduate. He and other principals can also send students to Gray Alter- native High School, a program run by Astoria School District DON ANDERSON — for The Daily Astorian Superintendent Alice Hunsaker, left, of Jewell School tells its nine graduates Saturday to move their tassels from right to left during their graduation ceremony. Graduates, from left to right, are Tristin Alderson, Avery Anderson, Victor Berg, Dylan Cavin, Tony DiMaggio, Moira Hammerberg, Chase Kaminski, Rachel Stahly and Robbie Williams. EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian Astoria High School graduated 116 students Saturday. where students with children of their own, jobs and other adult GHPDQGV KDYH PRUH ÀH[LELOLW\ to study online with the help of district staff. Eleven of the 25 students enrolled in the program ¿QLVKHGWKLV\HDUDV$VWRULDJUDG- uates. “As part of our program, we’re discovering the popu- lation (of) students who come really close, and have a little bit more to do” to graduate, Alexa Knutsen, the program’s director, said of the kind of students her program attracts. For students who have lit- tle chance of graduating before aging out, districts at times look outside their own schools. “I had a couple kids opt for Job Corps,” Heyen said. “They’re not counted as com- pleters for us. It really doesn’t EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian Warrenton High School graduated 41 students Friday. matter to us, as long as they’re moving on.” The free, federally funded workforce training program helps low-income youth ages 16 to 24 complete high school, earn a variety of professional FHUWL¿FDWLRQVDQGEHWUDLQHGIRU a high-demand career. Going to college early More than half of the 58 peo- ple who earned their GED diplo- mas at the college this year were from Tongue Point Job Corps. Several GED graduates and their families gathered Monday in the college’s meeting room, where they were honored for earning a high school equivalency. Each year, the college’s GED program takes on teenagers re- leased by their respective dis- tricts and those generations older coming back to accomplish a lifelong dream. The graduates Monday ranged from 18-year- old home-schooler Nora Koch to 24-year-old Sri Lankan im- migrant Maria Dineshan Francis Lambert. Koch has siblings in high school, but said studying in groups did not work for her, nor did the slower pace of studies. Lambert had already graduated high school and earned a two- year college degree in Sri Lan- ka. But his education did not transfer to the U.S., meaning he has to do it all over again. Both Koch and Lambert are already enrolled in college to study sci- ence and civil engineering, re- spectively. “This is in some ways, argu- ably, the most important gradu- ation,” college President Law- rence Galizio said to graduates at the Monday ceremony, intoning them to take stock of their ac- complishment and plot their next moves. “It’s a myth that educa- tion is this linear progression.” Tsunami: Rule change will affect different towns in different ways Continued from Page 1A “I can not even hazard a guess,” Ryan said. The rule change will have ramifications for private de- velopers, too. Builders are legally required to consult with the department before planning high-occupancy structures, like a hotel or retirement home, within the inundation zone. But builders don’t have to listen to the state’s rec- ommendations, and the department has no formal method of monitoring com- pliance. “Nobody has totally blown us off,” Madin said. “But informally, it seems like they are paying atten- tion.” Madin said the depart- ment has been asked to con- sult about seven times in the last 20 years, reflecting the slow pace of development on the Oregon Coast. No matter when the re- drawing happens, the rule change will affect different towns in different ways. In low-lying areas like Seaside, a worst-case sce- nario tsunami would flood the city hospital, fire de- partment and municipal air- port, as well as every pub- lic school, according to the Seaside Signal. In contrast, Newport’s unelevated South Beach is already zoned for flooding under the outdated water line, while houses on the bluffs would remain un- affected by the new rule. College: ‘There’s no more important decision that we make’ Continued from Page 1A Galizio reached out to the Oregon Community College As- sociation for recommendations on interim possibilities, got a list, winnowed it down and relayed his recommendations to the board. “Three people were given to us in the executive session,” Monaghan said. “I suggest we interview any number of those persons.” The board voted 6-1 to hold a closed executive session to go over the questions it wants to ask interim candidates, and to inter- view three of them. Monaghan, Esther Moberg, Robert Dueh- mig, Paul Gillum, Patrick Wing- ard and Karen Burke voted yes. Tessa James Scheller voted no. “I’d like to be working on this currently,” Scheller said, adding she would rather form a subcommittee to begin work im- mediately. “There’s no more im- portant decision that we make.” The board set the closed meeting for 3 p.m. June 24, with a public session at 7 p.m. to ap- point an interim president. In other news: • The board adopted a 2015-16 budget of more than $36 million and a tax rate of 77.85 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Its gen- eral operating fund will be $10.2 million, including $4.1 million for instruction and $5.7 million for support services. More than 40 percent of the budget is $16 million in state and local bonds earmarked for the Patriot Hall Redevelopment. The entire adopt- ed budget will be posted at http:// Angela Fairless Larry Galizio tinyurl.com/q6cluzd • It unanimously approved a new associate degree program in computer science starting next year. Kristin Wilkin, dean of workforce education, said fac- ulty tell her the college regularly misses out on students because it does not have such a pro- gram. Students in the college’s program will also be enrolled at Western Oregon University, which will provide the computer science courses via video con- ference. College students can then transfer to the university for its bachelor’s program. • The board unanimously approved expenditures for the Patriot Hall Redevelopment. They include $51,000 for a ge- otechnical report, foundation observation and testing; up to $75,000 for consultation ser- vices for 23 months; and more than $50,000 for inspection and testing services. ,WKHOGWKH¿UVWUHDGLQJRID social media policy and proce- dures for students and staff, its ¿UVWVXFKHIIRUW*DOL]LRVDLGWKH college has mulled over such a policy for two years. The policy Rosemary Baker- Monaghan must go through a second read- ing before adoption. At its June 24 meeting, the board will likely adopt a revised nondiscrimina- tion policy. View the policies in the board’s Tuesday board pack- et, online at http://tinyurl.com/ npcl7jj • Galizio reported the college is close to selling the Josie Peper Building at 1642 Franklin Ave., next to the Performing Arts Center. JoAnn Zahn, vice pres- LGHQWRI¿QDQFHDQGRSHUDWLRQV said the closing date is Oct. 30, contingent on a rezoning change from commercial to residential. • Angela Fairless, a student at the college, a former candi- date for Seaside City Council and a community organizer, said she would like to offer her help in restarting the college’s news- paper, The Bandit, which went dormant last year. Fairless is a former editor of the Bandit. She also touched on what she said is a socioeconomic divide, point- ing out the more than $140,000 salary for the college president, compared to the median house- hold income of $44,000 in Clat- sop County. Lawsuit: Grimes was appointed to county clerk position in August 2011 Continued from Page 1A “Ms. Grimes’ procedure was consistent with what other clerks were doing and complied with SOS requirements and had been in use for several election cycles,” Altschul wrote. Kennedy Grimes started working for the county in the 'LVWULFW $WWRUQH\¶V 2I¿FH LQ 2007, before being appointed to county clerk in August 2011. She worked as county clerk un- til March 2012, then returned to the position in June 2013. Valerie Crafard, former clerk of the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, was hired as Clatsop County clerk in March. Our people make The Planetree Difference Congratulations Spirit of Caring Award Winner Kelsey Betts! The Spirit of Caring Awards honor individuals who personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare experience. “ I am truly impressed with the nurse and person that Kelsey is. Her passion for maternity nursing and CMH is clear in her everyday work.” – Award nomination for Kelsey Betts, RN &YDIBOHF4U"TUPSJB0SFHPOt XXXDPMVNCJBNFNPSJBMPSHt"1MBOFUSFF%FTJHOBUFE)PTQJUBM