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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2003)
, _________________________________ __________________________________________________________The INDEPENDENT, January 16, 2003 Page 11 State funding woes may force district to reduce number of days From page 10 about a project the children in two of her classes have recent ly completed. Each student de signed a toy or gift. First, each student made a collage using pictures from magazines to il lustrate their invention. Stu dents had to give their toy an original name and determine a price for the item. Each student dictated a short paragraph de scribing the toy or gift to a teacher or aide who typed the paragraph. The descriptions and illustrations were com bined, laminated and bound in a “Wish Book” that includes the work of all members of the class. All of Peterson’s students have difficulties in a regular classroom. All are significantly below grade level in reading and/or writing, many lack fine motor skills, and a few have be havior problems. This project is an example of the kind of indi vidualized instruction Peter son’s program provides. Peterson explained to the board that students are gener ally referred to the Special Edu cation Department by class room teachers, though any stu dent who might be served by the district can be referred by a parent or from a private school. After the initial referral and after meeting with parents, students are tested and all available in formation is gathered in order to design an Individualized Ed ucation Program (IEP) for each student. Funding may force loss of school days Banks School District will now have to look at the loss of some school days, McGlasson told the board, as a result of the December revenue projections, which showed a continuing de cline in expected revenue. Until December, McGlasson said, the district could have ab sorbed previous revenue loss es, as well as losses created if Ballot Measure 28 fails, be cause of a larger than expected cash carry-over created by conservative spending. She also announced that the board would enter expedited bargain ing with teachers and staff in early February to negotiate the reduction in school days. According to McGlasson, the few districts that are not cutting school days have large cash reserves which, almost without exception, they will use up this year. Most districts in Washing ton County have, or will, cut five days from their schedule this year. Banks can cut as many as five days and still meet state standards. Districts (like Hills boro, which may cut up to 18 days) can receive a one-year waiver for providing fewer hours than required, however, waivers can be granted for only one year. A second year with fewer hours than required could result in the loss of state school funds. MS 171 Includes many features of Stihl professional models: • Inertia chain b r a k e ^ ^ • Easy-off filter cover • Anti-vibration mounts • View-through oil and gas tanks U 14 l a r t é t a l a MS 311 All the features and more power than the rugged STIHL 290 Farm Boss. Includes: Anti-vibration systerry||| • Ematic guide bar « J • Winterizer kit for cold weather operation IntelliCarb compensating carburetor > Adjustable automatic oiler ■nwt Wtidcuners Protective Kit @1Z2Prtce Servicing Dealer JM" 1 0 ’ Bar a e b a li Over 19 years Serving the Community i I___ ___ 34515s w - Tuala,in V3lley Highway a n e jo . 10« North aide of TV Highway, between Hillsboro & Cornelius Superintendents are current ly being advised to begin plan ning next year’s budget based on the actual revenue projected to be received this year, a sig nificant reduction from the amount originally budgeted for the 2002-2003 school year. “W hat’s frightening,” McGlas son said, “is that now we don’t have the stones and rocks to turn over" that were used to balance the budget this year. The district will be in “survival mode,” she added, but she is pleased to be in a giving com munity and to have the admin istrative team that she does. She praised the ability of all members of the team to work together and think “outside of the box" to find solutions. insurance Report Amy Hanson, for Waltz, Sheridan, Crawford Inc., pre sented the board with the annu al report from the district’s in surance provider. Hanson said that the district was to be com mended for their “proactive ap proach in regard to loss control, Adm inistrators’ Reports BES principal Mary Voge re particularly in response to rec ported that two teachers are ommendations". Business Man vigorously working towards the ager Nancy Hall, in particular, national Board Certification for was exceptionally diligent, ac Teachers. This is a rigorous, cording to Hanson. Hanson national standard for profes said her company would be sional excellence. Voge also marketing the district’s policies told the board that students to carriers again this year, in an would be participating in a effort to keep the cost within the school-wide effort to improve budgeted amount. Hanson said the recess program. Each class that the industry is predicting Ye Olde Dingheiser SUNSET LAUNDRYI Pub & Restaurant VISA - M C - A T M Access FOOD, KEGS & ICE TO GO W ash... $ 1 .0 0 D ry ...2 50 Lunch & Dinner 180 S. Main St. Banks, Oregon COCKTAILS • BEER • WINE Breakfast Sat-Sun 9 am - Noon íwbk Parts * Sales * Service j Next year’s budget does not look encouraging will have a meeting that focus es on respect, responsibility and cooperation. Discussions with other classrooms, the counselor and playground su pervisors will result in findings that will be discussed at an up coming teacher in-service day. Superintendent McGlasson praised all of the school admin istrators for their continuing ef fort to analyze data and find ways to make improvements. McGlasson said that it is un usual for staff to be enthusiastic about utilizing test data to make improvements to better meet student needs, particularly in the face of larger class sizes and increasingly limited sup plies. McGlasson said that Voge, junior high principal Mark Everett and high school princi pal Jim Foster were all exem plary in their continued dedica tion to using available data, rather than simply filing it away. Daily 11:00 am - Closing w/Saw J rr McGlasson said that two things ease her fears for the upcoming budget cycle: Banks’ experience with a similar situa tion five years ago, when they were alone while trying to solve a seemingly impossible budget crisis, and the community's re sponse to the needs of the dis trict five years ago. 3vv“W 0" I tZH r B IN G O k CASH PRIZES!! S trassel ’ s A uto R epair & H ydraulic H oses À 2-4-6 S piral W ire F lange H ead • S uction H oses A daptors - 3/16” to 2" B ulk O il P roducts CLOSED MONDAYS 47100 N W Sunset Hwy. Manning • 324-4848 27S SiNsn, B hnb 513 324-9111 SUNDAYS 5-8 PM All Lottery Games another increase of 25-30 per cent. Board member Doug Nord- holm asked Hanson how the district’s $3 million combined li ability coverage compared to other districts and if she was comfortable with that amount of coverage. Hanson responded that she “ ...w ould be more comfortable with a $5 million to tal umbrella" but that the $3 mil lion figure made sense for a district the size of Banks. District website updated McGlasson told the board that N ordholm ’s comments about the website, at last month’s meeting, had been tak en into consideration. Some maintenance tasks were dis tributed and teacher e-mail links for the junior high and high school were completed. School secretaries now post the daily newsletter directly to the website for each school, which reduces the time needed to distribute the newsletter, and teachers can access it in their classrooms for daily announce ments. Having the newsletter on the website makes all of the information available, including menus, game information and other announcements. McGlas son urged anyone interested in school information to consult the website. In other business the board: • Passed a resolution to join with other districts to authorize the Oregon School Board As sociation to appeal, at OSBA expense, the district’s PERS rate increase. • Updated a policy on board elections with the addition that the policy be automatically up dated after future elections. • Announced that terms of board m em bers Gene Kelly and Ann Station would expire in July 2003. Station said she would not be seeking re-elec tion. • Adopted the Northwest Re gional Education Service Dis trict Resolution Plan, which dis tributes services to all 20 dis tricts in the ESD. Banks School Calendar January 20 - Martin Luther King Day, no school. January 23-24 - End of Se mester, no school. February 4 - Elementary Mad Science Assembly, morning.
