News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
A3
Superintendent leaving for Tillamook
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Bret Uptmor
Stephen Phillips
Vince Swagerty
School superintendent
selection narrowed to three
Committee
passes $17.8
million budget
on to board
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The selection for a new
Grant School District 3 su-
perintendent was narrowed
down to three finalists, the
school board announced May
21.
The district received 18
applications since advertis-
ing began in mid-April.
Following the advice of a
consultant assisting in the
hiring process, a screen-
ing committee composed
of teachers, staff, admin-
istration and two parents
met May 8 and whittled the
applications down to six,
school board chairwoman
Chris Cronin told the Eagle.
There was no discus-
sion among the commit-
tee members about the se-
lections. Each member read
each application and scored
each applicant in confidence.
The consultant tabulated the
results and found significant
agreement among committee
members.
“The cream rose to the
top,” Cronin said.
The school board met in
executive session May 17 to
conduct interviews in person
or by video conference and
narrowed the selection down
to three. The finalists will
travel to Grant County to visit
the district schools and meet
with staff and students.
The community is invit-
ed to meet the candidates
in person from 5:30-7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 23, at the
Grant Union Junior-Senior
High School library.
They candidates include:
• Stephen W. Phillips was
formerly deputy superinten-
dent at Beaverton School Dis-
trict from 2016-2018, serving
41,000 students. Before that,
he was superintendent at
Malheur Education Service
District in Vale for four years,
where he also spent four years
as director of career technical
education, alternative edu-
cation, youth transition and
technology.
Phillips served as assis-
tant middle school principal
in the Nyssa School District
for five years and worked for
five years as a math teacher
and coach for various athlet-
ic teams. He has a Ph.D. in
educational leadership from
the University of Idaho and
a master’s in educational ad-
ministration from Idaho State
University.
• Vince R. Swagerty
served as principal for Reed-
sport Charter School in the
Reedsport School District,
serving 335 students. He also
served as principal at Open
Bible Christian School/C.S.
Lewis Academy for four
years, as well as other Ore-
gon school districts for eight
years.
Swagerty served as the
professional technical educa-
tion coordinator for Douglas
Education Service District
from 1998 to 2002. He has
a master’s in policy, founda-
tions and administration from
Portland State University and
a bachelor’s in curriculum
and instruction from the Uni-
versity of Oregon.
• Bret A. Uptmor has been
superintendent at Wallowa
School District since 2011,
serving 180 students. Before
that, he was an assistant prin-
cipal and a principal in the
Ontario School District for
six years.
Before entering school ad-
ministration, Uptmor was an
industrial technology teacher
for about 15 years. He has a
master’s and a bachelor’s in
industrial technology educa-
tion from the University of
Idaho.
The school board has be-
gun thorough background
and reference checks for the
finalists. The board will con-
duct a second interview with
each finalist in executive ses-
sion and expects to hire a new
superintendent at the June 6
board meeting.
In other school board
news:
• The district budget com-
mittee approved a $17.8 mil-
lion budget for fiscal year
2018-2019 at the May 16
meeting. The school board
will finalize approval of the
budget during a June 6 public
hearing.
The budget increased by
18 percent over last year’s ad-
opted budget, which reflects
$236,906 in federal Secure
Rural Schools funding not
available last year, a grant for
the seismic upgrade to Hum-
bolt Elementary School and
increased funding from the
state.
The state’s economy has
done well so more money is
being made available per stu-
dent, Shelley said. Locally,
the district has been facing
declining population and low-
er median income. Projected
enrollment for the next fiscal
year is 605 students, three
more than in March 2018.
Over the past 10 years,
district enrollment has de-
clined by 170 students, which
equates to a loss of $1.3 mil-
lion in revenue to the district
from the State School Fund
Grant during 2018-19, ac-
cording to the budget mes-
sage.
“What this has meant to
the district during this time
frame has been an aggres-
sive move to downsize while
maintaining quality pro-
grams,” the budget message
states. “A large portion of the
reduction has included the
consolidation of schools and
reduction of positions dis-
trictwide.”
More than 70 percent of
the general fund budget goes
to salaries and associated pay-
roll costs of 88 school district
employees. The new budget
will reflect the last year of
a four-year contract with li-
censed staff and the first year
of a two-year contract with
classified staff. Cronin called
it a good budget.
“We didn’t have to make
any cuts,” she said.
• Shelley reported some
good news about the Grant
Union Junior-Senior High
School gym floor. The south-
east corner of the floor buck-
led as a result of water from
an ice machine.
The buckled floor boards
have been coming down,
Shelley said, and enough
wood might exist to allow
them to be sanded rather than
completely replaced.
“We will monitor the gym
floor and make repairs as
needed in July,” Shelley told
the Eagle.
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Changes at Grant School
District 3 are on the horizon
as Superintendent Curt Shelley
resigns at the end of the school
year, and several other positions
at the school district open up.
Shelley has accepted a posi-
tion as assistant superintendent
at Tillamook School District. He
expects to step into the super-
intendent position in one year,
after the current superintendent,
who has been at the job for 17
years, retires.
Shelley’s wife, Elizabeth,
who is the career coordinator
and advanced English teacher at
Grant Union, was recently hired
at Tillamook as their career co-
ordinator.
“It is a new opportunity
for us,” Curt said. “It’s a good
school district with lots of op-
portunities.”
The Shelleys have two chil-
dren, Reagan, who will graduate
from Grant Union next month,
and Kellen, a sophomore. Kel-
len has been involved in agricul-
ture classes and FFA.
“They have a great ag pro-
gram and lots of opportunities
for college credits,” Elizabeth
said. “It’s a very similar atmo-
sphere to our community here.”
The Shelleys moved to John
Day in 2007, when Curt became
the principal of Grant Union,
with Elizabeth hired as a teacher
and career coordinator.
He has also been an OSAA
executive board member for
six years as a 3A and then a 2A
representative. In Tillamook,
he will be back as a 4A repre-
sentative for Tillamook School
District.
In 2015, Curt became the
superintendent of Grant School
District 3.
“This is my third school dis-
trict I’ve worked for, and I think
it’s been the best school district
I’ve been in,” Curt said. “It’s
been a good opportunity for my
children, and us.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth said.
“Our kids have both thrived in
their environment with the great
connections they’ve had and
made. We have very supportive
administrators and staff to work
toward common goals.”
As an English teacher, Eliz-
abeth has helped students earn
dual credits in writing and lit-
erature through Eastern Oregon
University in La Grande. She
also teaches leadership class for
student body and class officers.
“All the kids have been
great to work with,” she said.
“It’s been rewarding to see the
students move on, and achieve
the goals they have set for them-
selves.”
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Elizabeth and Curt Shelley submitted their letters of
resignation at the March 21 meeting of the Grant School
District 3 board of directors. Both have accepted jobs
with the Tillamook School District.
Humbolt Elementary teach-
ers and staff were approved
for hire at the May 16 school
board meeting, including Sha-
ron Fritsch for sixth grade, Julie
Hamilton for fifth grade, Kelli
LaFranboise for second grade
and Shanley Cobb as librarian,
and special education assistant.
The board also approved Kristi
Moore, a Grant Union English
teacher, to take on the addition-
al positions of dean of students
and career coordinator.
Casey Hallgarth, who has
taught sixth grade at Humbolt
for four years, has accepted
the superintendent/principal
position at Prairie City School
District. Curt Shelley said other
openings in the district include
Humbolt principal, district
music teacher and high school
math teacher. Humbolt prin-
cipal Kim Smith has accepted
a position with Baker Charter
Schools. She has been with the
district for 20 years.
Matt Jones, who has taught
middle school and high school
math, as well as calculus and
physics, is retiring after 32 years
with the district. He previously
taught in Ontario. Jones was
voted Grant Union’s Teacher of
the Year multiple times.
Music teacher Lori Hart has
also resigned and accepted a po-
sition in Arizona.
Curt said he’s enjoyed liv-
ing in John Day and working at
the district.
“We’re not leaving this
community because of any-
thing here,” he said. “We’re
looking for new opportunities.”
“This is a great place,” Eliz-
abeth added.
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