BOARD GOALS
Board member Shelly Kolb has proposed some adjustments to board goals. When talking about supporting extra curricular activities, she wants to add fine arts and performing arts. Also, she would like to see support for more CTE programs. Shelly discussed creating metrics to measure these goals. These goals will be discussed at the next meeting.
Parents Bill of Rights
Dr. Phillips wants input from the community. He suggested inviting parents to come in and give input on what they would like to see in this bill. At his recommendation, we will send out a survey/email/social media to get input. Board member Brian Shannon recommended we use this as an opportunity for everyone to work together and find some common ground.
Financial Report From Heather Bixby
Heather presented the school district’s Expenditures Report, which included payroll through the end of the year. She has no concerns with the budget. A lot of our spending is tied up in bonds and meeting payroll. Board Member Shelley Kolb asked about the district’s legal fund, mentioning that there might be some community confusion about it. Heather clarified that in 2021-2022, $350,000 was budgeted and roughly $100,000 of it has been used. She went on to explain that part of this legal fund covers injuries of employees and bystanders. She went on to say that sometimes it's easier and more fiscally responsible to settle lawsuits or wrongful terminations, and that the legal fund could be used for those types of settlements as well. The fund can’t be used at our whim – rather, it is there to cover lawsuits involving the school district. Heather also gave a brief bond update, reporting that everything is on track. Governor Tina Kotek recently released a projected education budget of $9.9 billion. It has yet to be reviewed, but a state budget of $9.9 billion would mean Newberg would not have to cut programs, people or systems. In fact, it might even allow some items to be added back to the school district’s budget. The state education budget won't be finalized until the end of May or possibly June. Purchasing new curriculum was moved out of the general fund by the previous administration. Heather stated that we need to work to get curriculum back into our budget, but not at the expense of staffing.
Transportation
The Student Transport of America bussing contract has been revised to terminate on June 30th. The district’s new RFP process closed at the end of January, and there have been four responses, including competitive bids from Columbia Bus Company and First Student. Heather Bixby, Director of Finance for Newberg Public Schools, created a cost analysis that indicated First Student’s bid was significantly less expensive. Community member Mr. Moxley was on the interview and analysis committee, and he provided his observations and feedback about the process. The district appreciates his insight and participation. After completing the cost analysis, the committee has recommended that the board award First Student a five-year contract. The board passed a motion 7 to 0 approving this recommendation. Trevor commented that this process was not used last time they hired a new bus company, that it was eye opening, and that he appreciates everything Heather did to streamline the process. He recommends that we continue these types of cross functional processes in the future.
Justin and Bobbi from First Student thanked the board and Dr. Phillips for this opportunity. They said they are excited to be back and intend to improve their services and build a relationship with the school district so that this does not happen again. There were multiple bus drivers in attendance who came to give their support to First Student. This has been an emotional process, and they are very happy to be back. This is an opportunity for a fresh start for the district and First Student.
Board Comments
Dave - “We did some staff/parent interviews. I thought it was a blast, though not always easy to hear. We have staff who want to be the best educators they can be, they just need communication. Biggest take-away is that there is a real lack of discipline, which is tough on everyone. When kids act out, they are begging someone to love them. Not doing anything about it does not help them. Parents want to get back to normal, to make academics the focus again.”
Brian - ”I want to give a shout out to our audience who showed up – especially on Valentine’s Day – to support the Parents Rights in Education policy.
Ron - He apologized to Dave Brown about his son coaching at McMinnville. :)
Raquel - Touched on the parent interviews. “I had a lovely time with a mom. We talked about building bridges together and crossing them – not looking at the water going under – for the good of the district and everyone.”
Shelley - Gave a Fentynal Symposium shout out. “I want to keep these safety symposiums going on issues that we can all come together on. Our next symposium will address bullying and cyber-bullying. Stay tuned!”
Renee - Thanked everyone for coming. “I’m on the mural committee. We have been meeting. It’s been fun to move the project forward. I’m hoping the project will bring the community together.”
Trevor - “I learned a lot from the empathy interviews, and look forward to doing more in the future. I want to make sure we do something with the information. Currently, we are creating action items, assigning people and due dates. Much more to come! I love the district staff and appreciate everything they are doing. I’m excited about moving forward.”
Dr. Phillips - “Thank you to the board for their time and support.
Wrestling had districts last week in Sherwood. We took first with 489 points. Second and third place teams didn’t have those points combined. Seven wrestlers will go to state. We are going for our 4th state title in a row.
Swimming - last Saturday the boys team took 2nd at the swim meet. Three boys relay teams will go to state along with some individuals. Girls took 3rd place. Erin Fincher was named boys swimming coach of the year.
Cheerleading won championships for the 9th time in a row.
Theater - Murder on the Orient Express is so much fun. The cast and crew put on an excellent production. Be sure to check it out!
Our brass band qualified for State.
Thank you First Student. I look forward to working with you.
I enjoyed the Listening Sessions. We did over 30 interviews and will do more. We all enjoyed it, and we learned a lot. We realize we need to communicate more. Also, we need to focus more on the fundamentals of education.
We have a new tech department that most people don’t know about. We recently did a film introducing teaching and learning and the tech department.
The big project is student achievement, which we are working on.
Some believe that staff shortage is unique to Newberg. ABC news reported that all states are reporting a 75% drop in staffing, which is critical. It is not happening in just Newberg, it's happening everywhere. I will not minimize the problems we have here, but it is unfair and maybe even dishonest to say that it's just us and that it's the board’s fault. I believe we have much to be positive about. Finger pointing, blaming and keeping score is a bad recipe for any relationship. I’m going to stay positive.”