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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2012)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, May 16, 2012 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Ver- nonia schools. This column was provided by Su- perintendent Dr. Ken Cox. Congratulations to the Vernonia High School Band for placing first at the Oregon State Band Competition for 2A/1A schools! Mr. Izzett has done a great job in helping these students learn how to work together to create great music. Well done Vernonia band students! The end of the year is fast approaching, which means we are getting serious about plan- ning for moving everything to the new school this summer. We are currently planning our big move day for June 26th. If you would like to vol- unteer please contact Barb Carr at the district office. Students are welcome, but they must be at least 12 years old. We are hoping to coordi- nate this effort so that we can get as much ac- complished as possible without having people standing around or getting hurt by trying to do too much. We will be asking all volunteers to sign a release before helping. As we prepare for the move, we are trying to make sure we move only those things we can use. So we are organizing a Surplus Sale. This will be a one day event on May 22nd where the surplus items will be available for viewing in the WGS basement (199 Bridge St). The items will be available for preview from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the sale will be from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. All items will be sold “as is” and cash and carry is preferred as we do not accept credit or debit cards. Arrangements can be made for pick up within one week after sale. All money is due the day of sale and there will be no pre-sales. For a list of items avail- able or other ques- tions, please contact Betsy Miller at the district office (503-429-5891) or by email at bmiller@vernonia.k12.or.us. You probably have already heard that there will be some changes next year due to the budg- et shortfall. We presented a balanced budget to the District Budget Committee last week, but in doing so are proposing the following changes: • The entire district will take five (5) Furlough Days where every staff member in the district will not report to work. Two of these days will be scheduled to allow them to be used to replace snow days if needed. • We will eliminate 2.2 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) licensed positions (one due to a resigna- tion); 2.4 FTE classified positions, primarily due to changing demands at the new school build- ing; and over $10,000 in administrative costs. • We will no longer be able to provide funding for middle school sports. I would point out that this is the proposed budget and is subject to change since we con- tinue to get more accurate information on feder- al funding and other funding opportunities. We will be discussing the budget in detail at the next Budget Committee meeting, scheduled for Thursday, May 24, at 6:00 p.m., where the pub- lic is welcome. If you have suggestions or con- cerns please let me know by May 21st so we can research the feasibility of any proposed changes. CCRider Student Fun Passes now on sale Columbia County Rider Transportation has announced that the 2012 Student Summer Fun Pass is now available for eligible students. The pass is good for all zones and routes, and allows students to travel lo- cally and regionally on the CCRider system. The $45.00 pass is valid from June 7 through September 4. To be eligible for the pass, Vernonia Veterinary Clinic Formerly Midway Veterinary Clinic Monday, Wednesday & Saturday students must be enrolled in Columbia County schools, at- tending grades 1-12 in the up- coming school year. Some ex- tra paper work is required for students under the age of 12 in order to insure the safety of those riders. To purchase a 2012 Student Summer Fun Pass call CCRid- er dispatch at 503-366-0159, or purchase the Pass directly from CC Rider drivers on any route. For information regarding routes, schedules and the tran- sit system, go to the website: www.columbiacountyrider.com. School board expects cuts to make budget work The Vernonia School Board meeting of May 10 was preced- ed by the first budget meeting for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The budget message stated that due to lower student count, relatively flat funding from the state, significant increases in transportation costs, contractu- al salary increases and other factors, the budget is being bal- anced by reducing days of school and making staffing cuts. The district is proposing five furlough days and the elimina- tion of 2.2 full time licensed po- sitions (one resigned and the position will not be filled), and 2.4 classified positions; there will also be $10,000 cut from administrative costs. The clas- sified position cuts are consid- ered to be “due to changing de- mands at the new school build- ing”. Budget committee meet- ings are scheduled to continue through May 24, so some of these proposals may be modi- fied before the budget’s final approval by the board of direc- tors. When the regular board meeting started, High School Principal Nate Underwood an- nounced that 100 percent of the seniors passed their read- School will hold surplus sale on May 22 – preview from 6 to 7 p.m. The Vernonia School District will hold a surplus sale on Tuesday, May 22, in prepara- tion for the big move up the hill to the new school. There will be a preview from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by the sale from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Washington Grade School basement, at 199 Bridge Street. Enter off of Cali- fornia Avenue, use basement door (handicapped access). Lists of the items to be sold are available at the school dis- A IR C ONDITIONED D INING Mariolino’s 700 Weed Avenue Vernonia ing tests. The board also heard about recent happenings at the middle school and high school levels in reports given by lead- ership students. Steve Effros, the school con- struction project manager, told the board about a big volunteer planting effort at the new school that will include PCC students, contractors and the board, and will take place on June 1 at the new school. High school graduation cer- emonies will take place June 2, while eighth grade promotion will be held June 6. In other business, the board: • accepted the resignation of high school language arts teacher Erica Bell; • approved 24 revised poli- cies; • approved a supplemental budget moving more money into food service for the current fiscal year; • declared a list of items as surplus. These items will be in- cluded in the surplus sale scheduled for May 22 (see Chalk Talk on this page for more details). The next regular meeting of the board of directors will take place on June 14, starting at 6:00 p.m., at the district office. 503-429-5018 N OW SERVING FRESH MADE P ASTA S ALADS , P OTATO S ALAD AND G ERMAN P OTATO S ALAD 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia trict office, 475 Bridge Street. All items will be sold “as is.” Cash and carry preferred. Arrangements can be made to pick up items up to one week after sale. All money due day of sale. No pre-sales. Memorial Day, May 28, is set aside as a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.