Board Notes

We’ve reached an exciting milestone in the bond program: the opportunity to evaluate how to best utilize the remaining owner contingency bond funds. At this stage, approximately $544,000 remains in owners contingency. These funds were originally set aside for unforeseen project issues and potential scope additions that align with the bond’s original commitments.

Given the current progress—particularly on the CTE building—the project team feels confident in releasing a portion of these contingency funds for new scope items. The Bond Oversight Committee has reviewed and supports moving forward with the following two critical upgrades:

• Fire Alarm Upgrades at the Elementary School – $113,312

• Public Address (PA) System Enhancements – $113,995
  (Includes additional speakers for both the elementary and high school)

Both of these upgrades are essential to enhancing student safety, and the bond team is prepared to proceed. However, due to the dollar amounts involved, I wanted to inform the board in advance and provide an opportunity for any questions or concerns.

The bond committee unanimously recommended at our last meeting moving forward with these two items. I plan to approve these items on Monday at 3:00 PM. If you would like to discuss further or have any concerns before approval, please reach out to me before then.

Sunday the 20th

• Easter

Monday the 21st

• Home Softball
• All Staff meeting to go over budget (Staff only)

Tuesday the 22nd

• Troy and Union meeting
• Budget Committee meeting

Wednesday the 23rd

• Home Baseball

Thursday the 24th

• Bond meeting

Friday the 25th

Saturday the 26th

• Ag Fest

As part of the recent safety audit, one of the recommendations was to ensure tighter control over building key access. Specifically, we were advised to request the return of keys that have been checked out but are no longer actively needed.

Currently, there are several keys out in the community that were originally issued for specific purposes, such as coaching during the season or building use agreements—that have not been returned. Over the past month, we’ve had a few instances where individuals have accessed facilities, most commonly Gym B and occasionally the weight room, without a current building use agreement in place. In some cases, this has resulted in unsupervised students, messes left behind, or minor damage, all of which create additional work for custodial staff and, more importantly, potential liability for the district.

We are in the process of reaching out to those individuals, some of whom have been identified via security camera footage, to either request the return of their keys or confirm that a valid building use agreement is in place.

I wanted to keep you informed in case you begin to hear any community feedback or questions about this effort. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like more information.

All states have been asked to sign the new Title IX assurances tied to a recent federal executive order. However, signing these assurances would put Oregon in conflict with its own Title IX laws. This creates a difficult situation: if the state declines to sign, there’s a threat of losing federal funds; if the state does sign, it risks violating its own laws and potentially losing state funding.

For now, there’s no immediate financial impact on our district. We have already drawn down all of our federal funds for the 2024–25 school year.

Key questions currently being raised at the state level include:

• What happens if federal funds are withheld from Oregon?

• If districts are in compliance with state law, should the state provide temporary funding to bridge any gaps?

Maine has already filed the first lawsuit challenging the federal directive, and we expect more clarity by the end of the month.

The area of greatest concern for St. Paul is nutrition services, as that program is heavily supported by federal funding. There are still many unknowns, but I will continue to keep you updated as we learn more.

I wanted to provide a brief update on three notable bills currently moving through the Oregon Legislature that could have implications for school districts:

1. PERS Buyback Bill
   This bill would allow PERS to use surplus funds to minimize the impact of future rate increases on public employers. If passed, it could provide some financial relief to districts by helping to stabilize or reduce PERS contribution rates.

2. Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone Ban
   This bill, which is gaining strong momentum and is expected to pass, would prohibit student cell phone use during instructional time. The goal is to minimize distractions and increase student engagement during the school day.

3. Unemployment Benefits for Striking Workers
   This bill proposes to allow workers who are on strike to access unemployment benefits. While primarily focused on the broader labor sector, this legislation could have indirect impacts on public sector bargaining dynamics.

I’ll continue to monitor the progress of these bills and will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

I wanted to share a quick update regarding federal funding for rural schools. We currently receive approximately $29,000 annually through this program.

The Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) has raised concerns that this funding could be at risk due to ongoing federal budget freezes. While nothing has been finalized, there is growing uncertainty around future allocations.

We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for the continued support of rural districts. I’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

There are several developments at the federal level that may have an impact on the state’s May revenue forecast. At this time, we are hoping for a flat forecast, which would allow the state to comfortably maintain the $11.36 billion State School Fund (SSF) allocation.

However, if the forecast drops significantly, both OSBA (Oregon School Boards Association) and COSA (Confederation of Oregon School Administrators) are preparing for the possibility of renewed discussions around education funding levels. A downturn could put pressure on the current SSF commitment, which would have direct implications for district budgets across the state.

We’ll continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated as we learn more following the May forecast release.

I wanted to inform you that I’ve reached out to several school districts to gather information on how they structure and manage athletic camps, particularly regarding parent costs. In addition, starting next week, I’ll begin calling all volleyball parents individually to better understand their perspectives and experiences related to camp expenses.

You may begin to hear questions or conversations in the community about this topic, and I wanted you to be aware that this outreach is part of a data-gathering effort to explore concerns and potential solutions.

Below is the general guide I’ll be using for these conversations:

🏐 Parent Interview Guide – Volleyball Camp Costs

Overall Experience

• Can you tell me about your overall experience with volleyball camp last year (or your expectations if you haven’t attended yet)?

• How do you or your family prepare for the cost of camp? (e.g., budgeting, fundraising, choosing between activities)

💬 Perceptions Around Cost

• How do you feel about the cost of volleyball camp?

• Have you or someone you know ever hesitated to participate because of the cost?

• What parts of the cost feel most difficult or surprising?

💡 Exploring Solutions & Values

• Can you think of any ways the school or program might help reduce the financial burden for families?

📊 General Insight

• Do you think this is a common concern among families, or something more individual?

• Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience with athletic costs in general—not just volleyball?

• Is there anyone else you think we should talk to about this subject?

My goal is to gather honest, constructive feedback that can guide future decisions around equitable access to athletic opportunities. I’ll be sure to share a summary of what I learn once these conversations are complete.

Here is a quick update on the progress of the CTE building:

• The foundation pad is complete and currently curing.

• The metal building materials will be delivered either today or Monday and will be staged onsite next week.

• The concrete requires at least 10 days to cure before further work can proceed.

• Steel frame installation is scheduled to begin the week of April 28.

You may notice that the steel frame is powder blue in color—please don’t be alarmed. This framing will not be visible from the exterior once the building is complete.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as construction progresses.

Here is a link to our Inflexion priority survey that we are working on for our shared value and maxim work. If you haven't yet completed it please do.

https://bit.ly/engage-st-paul

Please see the board packet for a copy of this month's report

• Topic included in report:
• Kindergarten/PreK roundup
• End of Third Quarter
• New Playground Equipment and Storage Shed
• State Testing
• Bargaining and Negotiations with Classified Staff
• Local Service Plan Review
• Budget Update
• District Maintenance
• Bond Work

If we don’t currently have regularly scheduled individual meetings, please reach out to me to schedule one. I would love to have these meetings every other week, but at a minimum, I believe monthly meetings are essential to ensure communication is flowing and any individual questions or concerns are addressed.

I value these opportunities to connect with each of you personally, and I’m eager to make sure we’re all aligned and well-informed.

Thank you for your time and collaboration. I look forward to our next conversation.

One of the things I have noticed in conversations with many of you, as well as in individual meetings, is that there have been times when we know certain information has been shared in board notes, but it can be difficult to locate, particularly when it involves attachments or other documents that were sent. I understand how this can be frustrating and can sometimes hinder our ability to access the information we need efficiently.

To address this, I’ve added a new section at the bottom of each set of board notes titled "Links to Info." This section will serve as a centralized place where I can populate links to important documents, attachments, and resources that may be useful for recurring conversations or ongoing topics of interest. This will make it easier to access key materials without having to search through multiple emails or files.

Please let me know if there are any specific documents or resources that you would find helpful to link in this section. My goal is to streamline our access to important information and make our meetings more efficient and productive.

*

As we continue to refine and improve our systems, I wanted to provide you with an overview of the systems that have been reviewed and/or implemented for the 2024-25 school year. I will be linking these systems in the "Links to Info" section at the bottom of future board notes for easy access.

New and Adjusted Systems for 2024-25:

1. Maintenance Request System
2. HR Process
3. Behavior Management at Elementary Schools
4. St. Paul Elementary Attendance Team Overview 2024-2025 St Paull Elementary Attendance Team Overview 2024-2025
5. Communication Systems
6. Budget Process
7. Out of District Transfer Requests

If you have any other systems or areas you would like me to address or include in this list, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Your feedback is always appreciated as we work together to continue improving the effectiveness of our operations.

In response to a request for a way to track our ongoing policy work, I have created a spreadsheet that provides a clear view of our progress on each policy update. Here’s how it’s organized:

• Green: Policies that have been fully updated and approved.
• Yellow: Policies that have undergone a first read and are pending a vote for adoption.
• Red: Policies scheduled to be presented at the next board meeting for a first read.
• No Color: Policies yet to be reviewed, which will be scheduled for future meetings.

This color-coded system should help you quickly see the status of each policy. As new updates are received from the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA), I will add them to this list to keep everyone informed.

I hope this tool helps streamline our policy review process. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions for improving this system.

Policy updates

Board Meeting

Date: Tuesday, April 8th

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: HS Library

*

Standard 1: Visionary and District leadership (The Brand>Strategic Plan)

Standard 2: Ethics and Professional Norms (not really an article, more spread out though practices)

Standard 3: Inclusive District Culture (Student and School Data and Growth)

Standard 4: Culturally Responsive Instructional Leadership and Improvement (Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment

Standard 5: Communication and Community Relations (Outreach)

Standard 6: Effective Organizational Management (HR and Union)

Standard 7: Effective Fiscal Management (Budget and Policy)

Standard 8: Policy, Governance, and Advocacy (Policy, Governance, and Advocacy and Facilities)

While my intention is not to include confidential information in these notes it is important to always be thinking in terms of that when it comes to any shared information.

I need to remember that whenever I am sharing something, or talking to anyone and sharing my thoughts, I am not just Troy, I am the Superintendent. Likewise as you share information and thoughts, you are not just you, but rather you are you, the school board member.

Everything I put in these notes will be informational in nature. Nothing I put in these weekly notes will be to make decisions or have discussions with a quorum. Please be careful to not reply all, or discuss these topics in groups of more than three in order to stay clear of public meeting rules. This is for both your and the district's protection.

Policy updates

St Paull Elementary Attendance Team Overview 2024-2025