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Polk County Education 10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 24, 2017 Web: Students must be organized Continued from Page 14A WEB leaders have to make up that missed schoolwork, so they must be well organized and stu- dious. Ryan Fitts said he finishes as much work as he can in class, and has a plan for when he gets home so he can keep up with his aca- demics while participating in WEB. But it’s worth it to the stu- dents to help others. It wasn’t that long ago they were the new kids on the block at Talmadge. “I remember I was super excited to get my locker, and then I couldn’t reach the top shelf,” Fitts said. Crystal Rodriguez said she enjoys helping others feel more comfortable. “I was really shy and didn’t want to be open that much,” she said about her- self in sixth grade. WEB lead- ers helped her get more in- volved and comfortable with the situation. Sometimes WEB leaders will sit with someone at lunch who has no one else to sit by, Elijah Mierau said. “On the rare occasion, you have to break up a fight,” he said. But they try and keep their language positive. Rather than saying, “Don’t do that,” they say, “That’s cool, but ….” Sixth-graders can be ornery, WEB leaders said, and they have to organize activities for everyone. “Our goal is to make sure everyone belongs,” Webb said. “It’s literally what WEB stands for.” FCSD budget includes gym money By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer Thursdays! May - September 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 182 Academy St., Dallas Featuring Growers, Producers & Artisans of the Polk County area & beyond! (corner of Main & Academy) Special Event: Compost Giveaway Republic Services wants you to give their locally-made compost a try! Bring an empty bucket to the market TOMORROW for a free sample of compost to take home and try out in the garden! ______________ FALLS CITY — The 2017- 18 Falls City School District budget includes money to hire more teachers and, de- pending on how the bids come in, build an elementary school gym. The budget committee ap- proved the budget on May 16, with a grand total of $4.2 million and a general fund of nearly $3.5 million. Next year’s budget is based on state funding in the amount of $7.9 billion. While conversation had been that the figure will be $7.8 billion, which would mean adjust- ments, Superintendent Jack Thompson is now hearing the figure will be closer to $8 billion. “I think I’m going to be safe and I’m not having to go b a c k a n d m a k e c u t s,” Thompson said. The approved budget gets the district a step closer to one of its main objectives at the elementary school. “The board’s long-term goal is to have a teacher at each grade level,” Thompson said. Most classes at the ele- mentary school now have combined classes with two grade levels taught by one teacher. This year, the district split the seventh and eighth grade classes because it would be too big combined. Next year, it’s the first- and second-grade class that is projected to be crowded. “Our first and second grade would be 35 if we left them combined,” Thompson said. The committee decided to add a teacher to split the classes, but also leave the seventh-eighth grade classes Come down and enjoy the following selections from our vendors… beef, rabbit, chicken, eggs (duck & chicken), artisan breads & confections, plant starts, early season veggies, canned goods, bottled sauces, fruit syrups and shrubs, artisan crafts, garden art, fresh cut flowers, hand-sewn items, HOT food options & MORE! ____________ Next Week Special Guests separate, even though the student count wouldn’t be so high in 2017-18. “The board really wanted to not move backward,” Thompson said. At the high school level, the staff is being shuffled with the creation of a dean of students position, which will be filled with a “teacher on special assignment.” The position was created because Thompson will be leaving the district after this school year. He served as the high school principal in ad- dition to superintendent. The elementary school prin- cipal will be the district’s in- terim superintendent next year, so a supervisory posi- tion is needed at the high school. Student discipline, day-to- day operations in the school, and teaching two classes will be the primary responsibili- ties of the post, which will be filled by Micke Kidd. The part-time science teacher will be moved to full- time and another half-time teacher will be added, with the plan now to teach lan- guage arts, Thompson said. A $400,000 loan to build an elementary school gym is included in the budget. Thompson said the loan hasn’t been secured yet, and the district is in the begin- ning stages of figuring out how much the building will cost. He noted the vision for the building has been scaled back significantly after a bond to pay for a bigger facil- ity failed twice. That left the district to face dealing with eventual increases to physi- cal education requirements and crowded practice sched- ules at the high school gym with limited resources, Thompson said. “The need has not changed,” he said. “Kids still need a place to play.” Last week, the board agreed to pursue a bid from a steel building company for a basic structure with a floor, heat and electricity. Thompson said that com- pany indicated it would be possible to build that for less than $400,000 leaving room for permit costs and a contin- gency for overruns. He said the district will have a better idea in a month or so if it can move forward with its plan. The Falls City School Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on adopting the budget on June 13. (June 1 market) Grand Ronde CASA Committee approves DSD 2017-18 budget – Volunteer recruitment Olive Growers of Oregon – Tasting event Facebook.com/bountymarket 503-623-2564 By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer http://www.exploredallasoregon.org/bounty-market.html DALLAS — The Dallas School District Budget Com- mittee approved the 2017-18 budget on May 17, and set priorities for additional Recycle for a better future 2017 Relay For Life Of Polk County — June 3-4 is back at the Dallas High School Track Kelly K. Denney Financial Advisor 503-623-2146 244 E. Ellendale, Suite 2 Dallas, OR 97338 Ben Meyer, AAMS Bob Timmerman Financial Advisor Financial Advisor 503-606-3048 503-623-5584 193 E. Main Street Monmouth, OR 97361 159 SW Court Street Dallas, OR 97338 ® Solution on Page 8A Please join me in thanking these sponsors for joining the Relay For Life fight vs. cancer: West Valley Hospital West Valley Physicians & Surgeons Clinic Dallas School District Polk County Itemizer -Observer Eola Hills Wine Cellars Dallas Retirement Village Bollman Funeral Home Polk County Association of Realtors Pressed Coffee & Wine Bar Republic Services Dutch Bros Coffee Monmouth Medical Center West Valley Surgical Specialty Clinic The Majestic/Ray Stratton Partnership in Community Living, Inc. Bookey Strong Royal Flush/Tony Teal Les Schwab Tire Centers of Dallas, Independence & West Salem NW Natural Western Days H&R Block Dallas & Monmouth First Community Credit Union James W. Fowler Construction Dallas Family Medicine LLC Michelle Hasbrook, DMD Washington Street Steakhouse & Pub Mungo Signs & Screen Printing White’s Collision Service Old Mill Garden & Feed LimeBerry Sweeny's Pub & Lotto Dallas Rotary Club Mitch Ratzlaff State Farm Squirrel's Taxi Service OrePac Manufacturing Elkay Wood Products Rolling Prairie Farms Woolsey Family Dental Anytime Fitness Main St Ice Cream Parlor Penna & James, LLC Ron Wilson Center Relay For Life of Polk County will take place at the Dallas High School Track June 3~4. If you or someone you know is interested in sponsorship, contact Amy Bickleman at 541-272-9240 or online at amy.bickleman@cancer.org or visit our website at www.relayforlife.org/polkcountyor funding if the Oregon Legis- lature sends more than $7.8 billion to schools. Dallas’ budget is based on a funding level of $7.8 billion for the 2017-19 biennium, but the Legislature hasn’t ap- proved the school’s budget yet, leaving the door open to a higher funding level. “Right now, the real mes- sage that we are getting is hold. We are still standing at $7.8 billion because that is the last best information that we have,” said Tami Montague, the district’s fis- cal services director. Montague said the May 16 state revenue forecast indi- cated there will be more rev- enue to fill the state’s shortfall. “The irony there is that there is enough new revenue now that they believe it will kick the kicker,” she said. A “kicker” happens when revenue comes in at least 2 percent higher than estimat- ed. The personal kicker re- turns money to taxpayers through a credit on tax re- turns. Corporate kickers go toward K-12 education. With some uncertainty, the budget committee ap- proved the budget as first presented, but gave instruc- tions for the Dallas school board to follow if more money is allocated. The committee recom- mended the board consider suggestions from the dis- trict’s collaboration team, a group of teachers and ad- ministrators that is involved in creating the budget. With increasing PERS costs in mind, committee member Linda Fox said the district should increase its beginning fund balance, money carried over from the previous year. The committee also sug- gested the board should use unexpected resources to shrink the size of elementary classes. After approving the budg- et unanimously, the com- mittee voted to put those suggestions into a formal recommendation. The board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the budget on June 12. Dallas Schools 2017-18 budget
