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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2016
Cannon Beach Academy celebrates approval Council poised to pick
Seaside’s next mayor
Charter school
plans to open
in fall 2017
Cannon Beach
Academy board
members Patti
Rouse, Barb
Knop, Sally
Steidel, Phil
Simmons and
Kellye Dewey with
Jeneé Pearce-
Mushen, Yohali
and Alondra, who
translated for
Spanish speakers
in the audience.
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Community members of all
ages gathered at Chamber
Hall last week to celebrate
the Cannon Beach Academy’s
unconditional charter applica-
tion approval by the Seaside
School District board.
This major step brings the
school closer to opening in
fall 2017.
“We have come a long
way,” board President Kel-
lye Dewey said to the crowd.
“Hard work from the start is
now paying off for our fam-
ilies and our community.
There still remains tons of
work ahead, but our approved
charter without conditions
is a milestone that needs
to be acknowledged and
celebrated.”
The Cannon Beach Acad-
emy formed in 2013 after Can-
non Beach Elementary closed.
The school district had denied
two of the school’s proposals,
and withdrew its conditional
approval for another proposal
earlier this year.
The academy and school
district worked together this
year on the charter applica-
tion. Before getting approved,
the academy clarified certain
aspects of its financial plan,
with revenue to be gener-
ated primarily through district
funding, pledges, fundraising
and grants, board members
said in October.
“We want to thank you all
for being here and helping us
start this from the ground up,”
Dewey said. “We wouldn’t be
where we’re at without you
all.”
Mayor Larson
leaves vacancy
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — Mayor Don
Larson stepped down this
month as the city’s top official
after the second year of his
four-year term. How will the
next mayor be chosen?
A City Council workshop
on Nov. 28 could make things
clearer.
Larson, 80, has served as
mayor since 2002, when as
a city councilor, he defeated
Rosemary Baker-Monaghan.
He subsequently won re-elec-
tion in 2006 and 2010.
In the 2014 election, Lar-
son garnered 62 percent of
the vote, defeating challeng-
ers Angela Fairless and John
Dunzer.
According to the city char-
ter, a mayor’s four-year term
begins at the first council
meeting of the year imme-
diately after the election and
continues until a succes-
sor assumes the office. The
mayor serves as chairman of
the council and presides over
its deliberation, with author-
ity to enforce rules and deter-
mine the council’s order of
business.
Vacant offices are filled
by appointment by a major-
Lyra Fontaine
The Daily Astorian
Moving forward
The academy can now
start to finalize financial
details, apply for grants, plan
for enrollment, prepare the
school building and start hir-
ing staff, according to board
members. With its approved
charter, the academy can
apply for state Department
of Education charter school
implementation grants that
will be available in the spring.
“If we can dig down and
find the drive to take us to
the finish line so we can open
those doors for the first day of
school, we will be so grate-
ful,” Dewey said. “Imag-
ine the smiles on those kids’
faces. We are not only provid-
ing this school for our com-
munity, but also a choice
in education, which is what
every child deserves.”
Dewey and board mem-
bers Sally Steidel, Barb
Knop, Patti Rouse and Phil
Simmons were available
for the audience to answer
questions.
Jenee Pearce-Mushen and
two local children, Yohali and
Alondra, translated Dewey’s
words for Spanish speakers.
A “fundraising moun-
tain” created by artist Bill
Steidel will serve as a marker
for funds raised by the acad-
emy. Board members thanked
Steidel for contributing his
original artwork.
“I think you’ve all noticed
that we have a mountain,
and we do have a mountain
of work to do,” said Sally
Steidel, adding that the piece
of art will be placed some-
where in town.
Getting ready
The academy’s grade lev-
els will start with kindergar-
ten through second grade,
then add a grade each year.
The board will recommend
17 to 21 students per class.
A contract will likely be
secured with the school dis-
trict by the end of the year,
and enrollment could open in
March.
Getting the building ready
is one of the top priorities,
Knop said. Because the acad-
emy’s conditional use per-
mit expired, board members
have turned in a revision for
the Planning Commission
to review in December. The
school is temporarily located
at 171 Sunset Blvd.
With potentially vulner-
able bridges between Sea-
side and Cannon Beach, not
having a school in town is a
“major logistics issue” in the
event of an emergency, parent
Ryan Dewey said.
“It’s not about my kids’
individual experience,” he
said. “It’s for the community.
If you don’t have a school,
grade school kids, parents
and grandparents in a com-
munity, it’s not a community.
It’s a resort town.”
The potluck gathering also
celebrated voters approving
the Seaside School District’s
$99.7 million bond measure
to relocate schools out of the
tsunami zone.
1
Buy
Get
S
AVE
Astoria’s
H ELP
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EO Media Group/File Photo
Mayor Don Larson pri-
or to re-election in 2014.
Two years of his four-year
term remain.
ity vote of the remaining
members of the council. The
appointee serves immediately
after appointment and con-
tinues until the January fol-
lowing the next general city
election.
The appointee will fill the
remaining two years of Lar-
son’s four-year term.
Councilors may select
any registered voter with at
least one year of residence in
Seaside.
Will incoming Councilor
Tom Horning be part of the
council’s decision-making
process?
“That’s something the
council will determine at the
workshop,” City Manager
Mark Winstanley said.
The council workshop is
scheduled for 3 p.m. at Sea-
side City Hall.
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