Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, April 15, 2010 47J chose CM/GC for new building From Page 1 decision to construct the new school using the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) contracting method. “One reason for this method is that it lends itself better to use of local contractors,” said board member Greg Kintz. Though this resolution allows the district to be exempt from competitive bidding require- ments, it aligns with the board’s stated direction of trying to find ways to use local contractors and laborers in the project. The board agreed to hold a workshop at 6:00 p.m., before the Town Hall on April 9, at 7:00 p.m., in the schools cafeteria (green building). District employees Tom Ramsey and Mark Brown refin- ished the floor of the Scout Cabin as thanks to the Friends of the Scout Cabin for gener- ously allowing the district’s use of the cabin. The Friends sent a thank you note to Superinten- dent Ken Cox. Tim Bamburg and Ernie Smith (with Jim Krahn as alter- nate) volunteered to be mem- bers of the new Executive Fa- cilities Committee. The commit- tee will also include Cox, Ram- sey, an administrator and a teacher. The purpose of the committee is to provide direc- tion to BOORA architects and the general contractor as the new school project goes for- ward. Cari Levenseller asked to be on the Naming Committee. That committee will use the guidelines already in place to make decisions on naming parts of the new school for donors. In other business, the board: • Accepted the resignation of Brenda Docken, high school special ed. teacher, with thanks for her service to the district; • appointed Dan Titus to the Budget Committee based on his application; • approved Policy EFA - Lo- cal Wellness Program; • heard that the CloseUp group of middle schoolers go- ing to Washington, D.C. will be leaving on April 18. After the Town Hall on April 29, the next regularly sched- uled board meeting will be May 13, starting at 6:00 p.m. in the District office. Head Start is taking applications Head Start, a federally fund- ed pre-school program, is seeking students for the 2010- 2011 school year. Applications are being taken from all three and four year olds in Columbia County. Recruitment for fall en- rollment is now in progress and will be completed in August. If parents are interested in enroll- ment information they are urged to phone immediately. Prospective students must be three or four years old by September 1, 2010. Children must be from limited income households or have a disability and/or special needs to qualify. Head Start incorporates a total family program that in- cludes nutrition, education, medical and dental services for the enrolled child and home visitations. USDA approved meals are served. Training on various subjects and on-the- job-training is offered to all en- rolled families. Limited trans- portation may be available. The U. S. Dept. of Agricul- ture (USDA) and the State of Oregon prohibit discrimination in all USDA programs and ac- tivities on the basis of race, col- or, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability. The Vernonia Head Start Center is located in the Blue Heron Hollow Apartment com- plex. Families who live in the Mist, Birkenfeld and Vernonia areas may phone 503-429- 9243 for more information. The Clatskanie Center is lo- cated behind the high school in Clatskanie. Families in the Clatskanie, Quincy, Westport and Knappa areas may phone 503-728-2940 for more infor- mation. The Rainier Center is locat- ed in the Riverside Church building. Families in the Rainier and Goble area may phone 503-556-2807 for more infor- mation. Students in the St. Helens area attend class at the center on Columbia Blvd., next to Mc Bride School. Families may contact 503-397-4114 for more information. Page 11 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Vernonia schools. This column was provided by Superintendent Ken Cox. It’s springtime, and while that evokes images of daffodils and tulips, it also means the District must focus on next year’s budget. We are still one person short of full membership on our Bud- get Committee. The time commitment for this public service is not too demanding; we have our first budget committee meeting in conjunction with our May 13 board meeting, another on May 27, and then hold the budget hearing in conjunc- tion with the June 10 board meeting. So, if you are at all interested in learning about the details of how we finance our educational system in Oregon, please contact Barb Carr in our office for a budget committee application. We are still trying to figure out the financial picture for next year and beyond, and what we are hearing doesn’t sound encouraging. As you know, last year we made a number of significant cuts, not only in staff but in school days. We feel that this puts us in a position to not have to make any cuts in Help WGS kids Run for the Arts Washington Grade School (WGS) students will be partici- pating in the Young Audiences’ Run for the Arts on April 22. Young Audiences is a non- profit arts in education organi- zation. Their Run for the Arts project is a way of raising mon- ey to enrich curriculum in the arts. Money raised through pledges to students will be used for artists’ performances, classroom workshops, and field trips in the next school year. Last year WGS raised $2,553.45 from this event and hopes to raise $3000 to $4000 this year. Students will run as many laps as they can in 30 minutes, around the high school track. They will receive prizes, t-shirts, and other awards for their efforts. To pledge to the runners, or to volunteer on April 22, con- tact George Spaulding, K-5 PE Teacher, at 503-429-7941. the coming year, but with a sluggish econo- my and our low student count we won’t be mak- ing any additions either. We would like to get your input on what you think is most important as we begin the budget process. To give you that opportunity we will be setting aside some time at our next Town Hall Meeting on April 29th to gather your input and share our proposed budget. We will also be dis- cussing progress on the new schools, the FEMA buyout process, and share our new capital cam- paign video and website. We will once again meet at 7:00 p.m. in the VHS Cafeteria and will be done by 8:30. Please check out the district blog at www.vernoniaschools.org for the latest updates on all of the issues we face as a district. You can even ask questions on the site, or also by filling out one of the question forms that are placed around town. We want to keep you in- formed.