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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2012)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, August 1, 2012 School board hears new school update Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Vernonia schools. This column was provided by Superintendent Dr. Ken Cox. It seems that summer is half gone, but as you can see from the photo (below right) of the commons area of our new school, we are still a long way from being ready for our Grand Opening on August 21st. However, I am confident that we will be ready be- cause of the dedicated work of our custodial staff, some addition- al help from some inmates and volunteer community members. We currently are waiting for the last of the flooring to be com- pleted throughout the main part of the building. That should be done this week and we will be able to start moving some of the boxes from the commons to their correct locations throughout the building. We are going to be looking for some community volunteers to help get the outside of the building ready for the Grand Opening. Last week we had a group of local Cub Scouts help rake out the landscaping that was done in front of the building, in preparation for having some mulch blown in. If you have some spare time in early August and would like to help, please contact Barb Carr at the district office (503-429-5891 or bcarr@vernonia.k12.or.us). Just a reminder, the Grand Opening festivities on the 21st will start with some short speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m., followed by an opportunity to tour the building until a light luncheon and another short program at noon. The building will be open for you to tour all afternoon and we will have our first Town Hall meeting in the new building from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., with dessert and some community thank you comments around 6:00 p.m. We look forward to having you join us to celebrate our new schools and what has been accomplished by our community. The Vernonia School District Board of Directors met on July 19. The board heard from John Donovan, of the Metropolitan Group, that fundraising for the new school is on target, with $100,000 still to raise to get to $40 million. The effort will then move to raising money to re- duce the debt the district in- curred by taking loans to keep construction going while the fi- nal $4 million is raised, during the next year or so. Donovan also discussed the Grand Opening day activities, scheduled for August 21. The activities include a community open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Superintendent Dr. Ken Cox told the board that the move day, July 10, was a success, with 38 community volunteers, 33 staff members, 10 Intel vol- unteers, 20 state inmates with their two supervisors, and many others helping empty the old school buildings into the new school. The inmates re- turned the next day, and half of them returned for a third day on July 12. Cox estimated that 90 percent of the move was ac- complished in those three days. Lunch prices for the 2012- 2013 school year will increase by five cents (5¢) for grade school and high school stu- dents, while the middle school student lunch will go up by 10¢ to $2.50. Middle school sports fees also increased to $75.00 per sport/per child, and $35.00 for the Reduced Sport Fee. Jim Krahn was elected to a fourth year as chairman of the board (The bylaws limit con- secutive terms to four per offi- cer). Cari Levenseller was unanimously chosen as the vice-chair. Substitute teacher pay for the next school year was set at $162.00 per day. The district determined they would have to pay prevailing wages for the demolition of the old school buildings, so the board approved the motion to contract for the demolition at prevailing wages. Registration for middle and high school students for the 2012-13 school year will take place on August 22. September 4 will be the first day of school. The next regular board meeting will be held August 9 starting at 6:00 p.m. VHS Cross Country team practice set to start later this month Vernonia High School cross country practice will begin on Monday, August 20, at 10:00 a.m. at the football grand- stands. Participants need to have had a medical physical exam within the past two years, and have insurance, before practic- ing. The team had a great sea- son last year, finishing a close second place to Nestucca in the Northwest League champi- onships. “Our goal this year is to win it outright,” said Coach Byron Brown. Pet of the Month Find the pet that’s right for you at the Columbia Humane Society 2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens. Phone 503-397-4353 Open Mon - Fri 1 pm to 5 pm & Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm Spencer is a little Chihuahua Mix, weighing under 10 lbs with a heart the size of a St. Bernard. This little guy is all ears and sad eyes. He is very sweet and gets along well with other dogs. He was ready the first day we got him to give you kisses and show you that he loves you. He is very appreciative of all that is given to him and is waiting for his forever home. The vets think that he is right around 2 years old. The Columbia Humane Society is a No-Kill non-profit shelter dedicated to helping friends find each other since 1985. This Month’s Pet is Sponsored by: THE INDEPENDENT News & Information you can use Piles of items moved from the old schools rest in one area of the new school while the rest of the school is finished. See Chalk Talk above for more information on the new schools. Oregon gets waiver from NCLB law Governor Kitzhaber and Chief Education Officer Rudy Crew have announced that Oregon received federal ap- proval for its Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility application. With this approval, Oregon will be able to tailor the mecha- nisms of the ESEA, or No Child Left Behind Act, to create a more accountable and respon- sive system that meets the needs of Oregon students and strengthens Oregon schools. “This approval is a victory for our state, our schools, and most importantly our children,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “We have rejected the one-size-fits- all mandates of past federal re- quirements and come together to create a home-grown sys- tem of accountability and sup- port that puts us firmly on the path to our 40-40-20 goal of greater educational success for all Oregonians.” Oregon’s waiver is the prod- uct of months of work by more than 120 education and com- munity stakeholders, from around the state, who helped design the new framework for college and career readiness, school accountability and sup- See NCLB on page 17