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COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 8, 2018 7A School board looks to move forward, discusses past By Zach Silva zsilva@cgsentinel.com While Krista Parent was not in the room, the former South Lane superintendent was at the heart of the school board’s con- versation last Monday. It marked the f rst of a two- day school board retreat that fo- cused on looking at the board’s purpose and how to enter into the transition process. Th e most notable transition the board is making is with the departure of Parent as superin- tendent. Last January, the board announced Parent would re- tire on June 30 following issues stemming from an anonymous letter given to the board that a handwriting expert paid by a local resident determined was “probably” written by Parent. Earlier in 2017, it was revealed that Parent had entered into a relationship with a South Lane employee. She was cleared at the local level with the school board citing a lack of policy surround- ing fraternization. Parent was also cleared at the state level of any wrongdoing. Kyle Tucker served as acting superintendent until the end of the school year and opted out of applying for the interim superintendent po- sition. Parent served as South Lane School District superintendent for 16 years and worked in the district for 32 years. Interim superintendent Larry Sullivan along with Steve Kelley LET THE COUNTDOWN Friday, Aug. 24th 4:00pm-8:00pm ($5 for early pickens) BEGIN! Primitive • Vintage • Repurposed • Salvage Saturday, Aug. 25th 9:00am-4:00pm (Free Admission) Farmhouse • Garden, and good old Rusty Goodness! from the Oregon School Boards Association led a four-hour spe- cial session as they primarily discussed the board’s value and how to move forward. Th e meeting reached its cre- scendo when the board was prompted by the question “what is being lost” – alternatively framed as what are they letting go of – from the past year as they enter a new school year. Th is led to each board member express- ing personal feelings about Par- ent in an open and honest man- ner the likes of which had not occurred in open session over the past year. “For me, personally, I lost any conf dence in authority at the top level. And I started spend- ing a whole lot more time think- ing of what does that authority mean,” said board chair Alan Baas. He continued saying, “my experience as a board member was sort of an ongoing experi- ence of trying to f gure out how an authority was being exercised that didn’t somehow make sense to me for what my duty on the board was.” Baas was not alone in refl ect- ing on the role of a board mem- Rusty & Primitive Vintage Market at Shady Oaks (77380 Hwy. 99 S CG) 6 to 9 pm || No Cover Charge August 10 • The Mike Davis Band classic rock August 17 • Heavy Chevy classic rock August 24 • The Huckleberrys sour mash country Open Daily 11am for Complimentary Tasting 942-1364 X www.saginawvineyard.com board member Merlene Martin. “Th at is not how you treat some- body that gave 32 years of their life to this district. And I am ashamed of us for that.” Th e f nal member of the board to speak was Jerry Settelmeyer. “I worked with Krista as a building administrator and we worked really well together and we really focused on getting a lot of stuff done. I lost for re- spect that grew over years. On two sides of the same person. Krista did some fantastic things for this school district. Some re- ally good, solid things. Includ- ing making, in some respect, making administrators way more responsible for having to be a good school district,” said Settelmeyer. “But I also lost respect for Krista in that every year that went on, more information was controlled all the time. And I saw that happen to the school board. Saw that happen to ad- ministrators. I do not feel bad at all about losing that control. Th at power, that way of doing business. I do not feel good about what I truly believe Krista has done to herself in her life.” When it was all said and done, Kelley was pleased with how the board had conducted them- selves as part of the process. “One of the things I’ve appre- ciated is you’ve each expressed something a little bit diff erently in terms of what you’re losing or what you’re letting go of but yet you’ve seemed to do it with respect even if you didn’t agree with the person. You let them share their loss and that was so important,” Kelley told the board. Sullivan also believed that the board was taking an important step forward. “Part of the transition as we talked about today was identi- fying what we’re losing. It’s not just a superintendent, it’s how we go forward,” he told Th e Sen- tinel aft er the meeting. “And so being able to identify where we were, what we’re going to let go of and where we’re going, takes a lot of work and it’s certainly emotional.” Parent has since taken a posi- tion with COSA as a professor and Director of Leading and Li- censure. Cottage Grove’s Run CG plans ‘Beer Mile, Toga Style’ run for 8•18•18 TREASURES Live M Music Friday Li i Every E F id ber. “I’ve lost a certain amount of faith in somebody who I thought was doing a job partic- ularly well. And I have also lost the illusion that I was doing my job particularly well. Or even adequately,” said board mem- ber Taylor Wilhour. “I feel like what I’ve been doing in my time on the board was aligned pret- ty closely with what I was being told I was supposed to be doing. But in retrospect, perhaps, I and we should have been doing a lot more or a lot diff erently.” Th roughout this period of the meeting, emotions ran high as a variety of diff erent opinions were voiced. “It’s really hard for me to sit here and… hear people talk horribly about a person that a year ago they were giving praise to but they give no benef t of the doubt to now. I’m trying to let go of the fact that this district let somebody go aft er 32 years of service who no doubt ended in a bad manner but let her walk out of this district with a retirement card not signed by one of us and having guards on her in her of- f ce as she cleaned it out,” said Back in 1978, the town of Cottage Grove buzzed as crews arrived to f lm ‘Animal House,’ a movie that would become an en- during, if irreverent, classic. On Saturday, Aug. 18 of this year, the town will come to- gether to celebrate this fantastic anniversary and attempt to recapture the record for the “World’s Largest Toga Party” that Cottage Grove f rst attained on the movie’s 25th an- niversary in 2003. Local running group Run CG organizes events each year that showcase the beauty and charm of the Cottage Grove area while providing an atmosphere of fun and f tness. Naturally, the group couldn’t wait to be part of this year’s ‘Animal House’ celebration, and they’re planning a race that’s sure to add It’s Your Subscription. excitement to the festivities. Billed as a “Beer Mile, Toga Style” the Brew Rush will take place alongside the par- ty at Bohemia Park beginning at 2:30 pm on Saturday Aug. 18. Several heats of runners will drink a beer at each quarter-mile inter- val of the race for a four-beer total. Th ey’ll have brews of three diff erent strengths from which to choose thanks to local sponsors Plank Town Brewing, Pelican Brewing and Goodlife Brewing. According to beermile.com, the offi cial resource for beer mile-related activities, the earliest documented beer miles took place in the late 1980s, and the races trace their origins in part to various college campuses. In the early 1990s, the emergence of digital communication helped foster their growing popularity and introduce a set of standard rules. Today, beer miles are more popular than ever, and the record times — four min- utes, 33 seconds for men and six minutes, eight seconds for women — are impressive by any standard. Of course, in Cottage Grove, participants will have the added challenge of performing the Brew Rush in a toga, which is required for entry into the celebration. Th e full reg- istration fee, which includes all four beers, entry into the toga party, a toga kit and $10 food voucher, is $75. 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