Page 10
The INDEPENDENT, August 21, 2003
Students will see many staff changes
Vernonia junior high and
high school will see many
changes this year, with the ad
dition of several new teachers,
the resignation of former princi
pal Mike Durbin and a leave of
absence for counselor Jill Grif
fin. Superintendent Mike Fun-
derburg told the board that he
expects all positions to be filled
prior to the beginning of school.
Several of the new hires are ex
perienced teachers whose pre
vious positions were eliminated
due to the school-funding cri
sis.
Teachers Scott Finlay and
Judy Benson, and middle
school counselor Robyn Stein
have left the district for posi
tions closer to their homes, re
luctantly, according to their let
ters of resignation. Byron
Brown, who had been teaching
seventh and eighth grade so
cial studies, will transfer to the
high school, which enabled the
district to recall Justin Ward,
the only district teacher laid off
due to budget cuts. Ward will fill
the position vacated by Ben
son.
New hires confirmed by the
board at their August 14 meet
ing include the following:
— Doran Lower, HS Busi
ness Education, whose position
was cut after 10 years at Cen
tral Catholic HS.
— Robert Shannon, HS Mu-
Vernonia woman
earns place on UO
Dean’s List
Am ong the nearly 1,900
University of Oregon students
named to the deans’ lists for
scholastic achievement during
spring term of the 2002-2003
school year, is Hadassah Eliza
beth Galey of Vernonia, a
sophomore international stud
ies major.
UO deans’ lists are compiled
for fall, winter and spring terms
during each school year. All un
dergraduate and postbac
calaureate students, including
National Student Exchange
students, are eligible.
To qualify, students must
have completed 12 or more
graded credits for the term with
a minimum grade-point aver
age of 3.75 on a scale having
4.0 as a straight-A average.
sic, a new teacher who has
been a substitute in Beaverton
with a wide variety of experi
ence, including work with dra
ma productions.
— Ted Aubin, JHS Social
Studies, in his first teaching po
sition, is a former student of
Funderburg’s in Sandy.
— Shanna Sexton, Elemen
tary Special Education, comes
to the district from Utah.
— Jean Riley, HS Science,
another lay-off victim, is from
Libby, Montana, and holds mul
tiple certification in science,
math and social studies.
Funderburg told the board
that he was surprised at the
number and quality of appli
cants for the middle school
principal position vacated by
Mike Durbin. (Durbin would
have been middle school prin
cipal in 2003-2004, but has tak
en a position as principal at
Gaston High School.) Nathan
Underwood was selected from
about 20 applicants. Under
wood finished his administra
tive internship in Beaverton last
year and, Funderburg said,
when he called the school to
check Underwood’s references
the school secretary gave him
a glowing review. Funderburg
laughingly told the board that,
since the secretaries run the
Is the Service
school, her reference was good
enough. Aside from that, all of
Underwood’s references were
positive and at the interview he
seemed the best candidate to
pursue the goals of the district.
Jim Krahn, board chair and part
of the interview team, said he
was excited about having a
young, enthusiastic administra
tor.
Test Scores Reviewed
Funderburg briefly reviewed
both state testing scores and
the designations received by
district schools under the feder
al No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB). He reminded the
board that, last year, he predict
ed Vernonia schools would
score poorly in the 2002-2003
school year, but that it was too
late to make dramatic improve
ments in academics, especially
in the midst of a funding crisis.
He said that the district has
great teachers, but that more
time would have to be focused
on academic achievement.
‘There is a lot we can do be
tween now and January,” Fun
derburg said, when state as
sessments begin, to improve
test scores. There will be week
ly in-service training for staff,
with the focus on methods to
Please see page 11
Ian D. Johnson
Army Spec. Levi H. Brown is
one of 250 soldiers assigned to
the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry,
25th Infantry Division (Light)
who returned to Schofield Bar
racks, Oahu, Hawaii, after be
ing deployed to support the
mission of Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
While deployed, the soldiers
served at various areas of re
sponsibility locations and were
assigned to the 3rd Infantry Di
vision or the 101st Airborne Di
vision (Air Assault). Some of
the soldiers received Combat
Infantryman Badges and com
bat patches from their adoptive
units.
Brown is an infantryman and
has been in the service for
more than two years.
A 1997 graduate of Vernonia
High School, he is the son of
Grant C. Brown of Vernonia.
Army Pvt. Ian D. Johnson
has graduated from basic com
bat military training at Fort Sill,
Lawton, Oklahoma.
During the eight weeks of
training, the soldier studied the
Army mission and received in
struction in drill and cere
monies, rifle marksmanship,
weapons, map reading, tactics,
armed and unarmed combat,
military courtesy, military jus
tice, physical fitness, first aid,
Army history, core values and
traditions, and special training
in human relations.
Johnson is the son of Claire
A. and George W. Schryer of
Banks.
To place your ad, call 5 0 3 -4 2 9 -9 4 1 0
B ecau se of misconceptions regarding decisions and actions within
the Vernonia School District, the district's board of directors is pub
lishing the following statement to help m ake clear that the board sets
policy and it is the responsibility of the staff to implement that policy.
During the past school year the Vernonia School District
participated in a strategic planning process to identify our vi
sion and guiding principles. The goal setting process will help
us to develop a more positive direction, atmosphere, and en
vironment for all stndents and staff. The 2003-04 school year
will have many changes in personnel and policies. The board
of education feels it is imperative that the district goals are a
focus to create school and district improvement. With a set of
unified guidelines, everyone will achieve and succeed.
The Vernonia School District Board of Directors requires
the building and district administration to follow these guide
lines:
1. All staff must work together as a team.
2. Every student and staff member will be held accountable
for their actions and decisions.
3. All students and staff will demonstrate acceptable be
havior. There will be consequences for unacceptable behavior.
Staff, students, and visitors will be respectful of each other
and school property.
4. Communication must occur between students, staff, par
ents, and the community.
5. All staff concerns will be handled at the lowest possible
level.
The board goals will be implemented in a professional
manner within the boundaries of state and federal laws, board
policies, and employee contracts. It is the belief of the board
that the implementation of these requirements will result in
higher student academic achievement and an environment in
which all can grow and succeed.
Vernonia School District Board of Directors
August 14, 2003
S I
Levi H. Brown
Action Ads Work for You!
Message to the Community
Sign-up time for
Little Guy Football
Vernonia Little Guy Football
is now taking sign-ups for
youngsters in third through
sixth grades.
Coaches and staff of any
kind are also needed.
For more information, call
503-429-0314.
Adoptive, foster families needed
An informal meeting regard
ing adoption will be held Sep
tember 9, from 6:30 to 9:30
p.m. Sponsored by DHS Child
Welfare, it will be held at the
State Office Complex at 500 N
Hwy 30, St. Helens, in Confer
ence Room A.
An adoptive family and a
foster family will be available to
answer questions about their
experiences.
Those interested in being
adoptive or foster parents must
attend pre-service training to
learn more about the children
being placed. The training will
be held Tuesday evenings from
Sept. 16 through October 14.
On any given day, there are
between 300 and 350 children
in Oregon waiting for an adop
tive family. In Columbia County,
alone, there are over 80 chil
dren in substitute care, some
who will be returned to their
parents or relatives and some
who will need adoptive families.
Single, married or divorced
people of all ages, lifestyles, re
ligions, ethnicities and in
comes, living in houses or
apartments, working in or out of
the home, are eligible to adopt.
For more information regard
ing adoption, call Sandy McMil
lan at 800-428-2546, ext. 308.
Call Gail Mitchell at 800-428-
2546, ext. 317 for information
regarding foster care.
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