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NOVEMBER 15, 2023
5
Tribe seeks input for possible
2024 opening of charter school
Tribal Council approves
sixth supplemental budget
By Katherine Warren
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals staff member
Smoke Signals editor
About 30 people attended a
90-minute community input
meeting regarding the Tribe
opening a charter school on
Thursday, Nov. 9, in Tribal
Council Chambers.
Curriculum and Personal De-
velopment Program Manager
Justine Flynn and Shawash Ac-
ademic Teacher Adam Langley
were the presenters with Tribal
Council Chief of Staff Stacia
Hernandez managing the ZOOM
link.
The Grand Ronde Tribe has
been thinking of opening its own
charter school since at least 2019
when Tribal members voted in
favor of the idea 643-549 during
an advisory vote.
In January, Tribal Council
approved a professional services
agreement for a charter school
feasibility study with GLAS Ar-
chitects of Eugene. The orm was
contracted to examine options,
such as opening a kindergarten
through ofth-grade or kindergar-
ten through 12th-grade school,
and also examine operational
models and funding possibilities.
Flynn said there are three
phases that staff have deter-
mined and provided a QR code
to a survey link for community
members to provide input as to
what they would like to see as
well as what they think about
the phased process.
Phase 1 would feature kin-
dergarten through sixth-grade
students attending a full day
with three full-time teachers,
three assistants and one special
education case manager. Flynn
said the school could start teach-
ing Tribal students as early as
the 2024-25 school year with full
days looking like 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The orst phase has its challeng-
es, she added, such as stafong
increases as well as what to do
about food services.
Phase 2 would be open enroll-
ment across kindergarten through
sixth grade having one classroom
per grade. Educational offerings
would continue with the language/
culture model with math and
science instruction included and
having a homeroom staff. It would
require hiring four more teachers
and four more assistants. The
second phase also would mean
expansion of food services as well
as transportation.
During these two phases, Fly-
nn said the Tribe will need to
continue to push for legisla-
tion with the state of Oregon
for school compacts that are
Tribal Council approved a sixth
supplemental budget for calendar
year 2023 of $1.87 million during
its Wednesday, Nov. 8, meeting to
cover costs for funding the construc-
tion of ove houses in the home own-
ership development project east of
Grand Ronde Road off McPherson
Road.
A lending misunderstanding
affected ove potential buyers, who
were incorrectly notioed that the
Housing & Urban Development
Section 184-approved lender 1st
Tribal Lending would not pro-
vide loans for new construction on
Grand Ronde Tribal lands despite
HUD guidelines stating that new
construction is eligible for the fed-
erally-backed loans.
With the Tribe approving the
supplemental budget, the five
homes will not be classified as
<new construction= and that will
streamline the lending process
with 1st Tribal Lending or another
approved Section 184 lender for the
families seeking to own homes in
the project.
The new supplemental budget,
along with a $2.326 million supple-
mental budget approved in August,
means the Tribe will own the orst
20 homes being constructed by
Scholten Construction.
Interim General Manager and
Tribal Finance Ofocer Chris Leno
has said that when the Tribe even-
tually sells the homes, the proceeds
will then come back to the Tribe.
In other action, Tribal Council:
" Approved a limited waiver of
sovereign immunity with Apple
Agreements so that the Tribe9s
similar to Tribal compacts in
Washington state. Staff are also
investigating infrastructure
that supports seventh- through
12th-grade students and how
to support athletics whether
on the Tribal campus or with
a local school district, such as
Willamina.
Flynn said a compact school is a
model that needs to pass through
state legislation and would op-
erate similar to state-Tribal
compact schools in Washington.
It would authorize federally rec-
ognized Tribes to create schools
through a compact with the state
and the Tribe would maintain
full control of the school while
having guidance and regulations
directly with the state.
Phase 3 is dependent on infra-
structure at the Early Education
building, Flynn said. The Tribe
already has two staff members
who teach social studies and
language. The Tribe also has
other departments that can help
support Tribal student needs,
such as Natural Resources for
science and Culture for art.
The next step for Phase 1 is a
survey for community members
to oll out and working with the
Language Program staff to plan
expanded days, Flynn said.
Tribal member Peter Grout
asked if the Grand Ronde Tribe
was looking at partnering with
other Tribes to get more footing
with potential legislation?
Tribal Council member Denise
Harvey said that some Oregon
Tribes have a charter school and
they have a contract and can9t
get out of it for quite some time,
such as the Umatilla Tribe in
eastern Oregon.
<Lisa Leno and I will be at
the NCAI (National Congress of
American Indians) conference
and there will be Tribes from
Washington so there will be
people we can talk to about these
issues,= Harvey said.
Education Manager Angela
Fasana said the Tribe is on the
right path to open a charter
school in September 2024. n
Information Systems Depart-
ment can continue to use the
software to manage Apple devices
for the Tribe;
" Approved an application to the
Institute of Museum and Library
Services Native American/Na-
tive Hawaiian Museum Services
grant program for $112,506 for
the purchase of two visual rolling
vault systems;
" Approved an application to the
Oregon Department of Edu-
cation Integrated Community
Partnerships grant program for
$292,384 to provide funding for
an academic coach, oeld trip costs
and family literacy nights;
" Approved appointing Tiffany
Keppinger to the Education Com-
mittee with a term ending on
March 31, 2025;
" Approved a $1.5 million contract
with Portland general contractor
Lease Crutcher Lewis for remod-
eling work at the Sheridan Inn,
which will be converted into a
residential treatment facility
for Tribal members. The Tribe
purchased the property for $1.8
million in June;
" Declared a per capita payment
distribution date of Tuesday, Dec.
12;
" And approved Tribal Council
member Lisa Leno as a delegate
to the National Congress of Amer-
ican Indians, all other Tribal
Council members as alternates
and approved annual member-
ship dues of $30,000.
To watch the entire meeting, visit
the Tribal government9s website
at www.grandronde.org and click
on the Government tab and then
Videos. n
Tribal nonemergency text line
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has a nonemergency text line
at 541-921-2927.
<If you have a nonemergency situation or question, feel free to contact my
ofocer via text through this line,= said Grand Ronde Tribal Police Chief Jake
McKnight. <When one of my ofocers receives the text, they will call you back
when they have time.=
McKnight said that emergency situations still require calling 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474. n
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