The Newberg-Dundee School Board met on Tuesday, Dec. 12 to make key decisions, such as approving: a proposal for a 2023-25 Early Literacy Success Grant, two large donations, the first steps to selling Dundee Elementary, and a request for a sports team to travel to a competition.
A few highlights took place at the start of the meeting, with the School Board approving
An out-of-state travel request for the NHS Wrestling Team to attend the Reno Tournament of Champions from Dec. 15 to 18. The team has been accepted to compete for the past four seasons. The Board also approved the acceptance of two impressive donations:
- Two Jade Purifiers from A-dec valued at $5,750 and
- $13,000 from Newberg Early Birds Rotary Foundation to purchase a forklift for all of the School District’s Career Technical Education programs.
Next came a series of presentations. One key presentation was about the Oregon At-A-Glance District Profile (see attached Word document or pages 29 and 30 in the packet), which showed progress in the areas of standardized test scores and graduation rates. The overall graduation rate for the 2022-23 academic year was 83%, 2 percentage points higher than the state average.
After the presentations, there were action items. The School Board approved all action items:
- Dundee: The School Board declared the Dundee Elementary School property to be surplus and allowed the Superintendent to take steps to begin the sales process. The school was built in 1937.
- New Course: The School Board approved the creation of three classes at Newberg High School: Acting for Film, Allied Health Chemistry, and Multimedia Storytelling.
- Early Literacy Success Grant: Teaching and Learning Director Jillian Felizarta said that she planned to apply for the state’s Early Literacy Success Grant. The application requires School Board approval, which the board gave.
- Felizarta will submit her grant by Jan. 8, increasing the ask from $315,744 this year to $328,632 in 2024-25.
- This monetary increase will allow the district to increase its full-time equivalent (FTE) from 6.5 to 7.5. (An FTE is a measurement that accounts for the number of hours that employees work rather than the number of positions they hold. Essentially, 1 FTE is 40 hours and 0.5 FTE is 20 hours.
- The added funds will also provide additional reading support and expanded summer learning opportunities for primary school students district wide.
- An increase in FTE will allow the district to staff a second classroom for students throughout the district who are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
- Student Investment Account (SIA): Felizarta also shared with the School Board how she and her Teaching and Learning Department team plan to use Student Investment Account (SIA) funds from the state to achieve crucial School District goals. One key goal is to continue a mostly upward trend for graduation rates for students, being sure to leave no group behind and helping all students fulfill their academic promise.
- High School and Middle School Fees: View the Newberg High School fee changes on pages 79 to 82 of the Dec. 12 School Board packet, with changes to fees for the Physics Lab, Woods 1 and 2, and others. View the Chehalem Valley and Mountain View Middle School fee changes on page 87 of the Dec. 12 School Board packet, with changes to fees for PE, Wood Shop, Art II, and others.
- OSBA Elections: The Newberg-Dundee School Board has a vote in the elections for Oregon School Boards (OSBA). On Dec. 12, the Newberg-Dundee School Board cast its vote for Susan Graham of Central School District (13J) for the Oregon School Boards Association’s Legislative Policy Committee, Position 13 in Yamhill/Polk County. Local school board members also cast a vote in favor of the OSBA establishing the Oregon Rural School Board Members Caucus. The Caucus would have a member sit on the OSBA Board of Directors and the Legislative Policy Committee. These new seats required an update to the OSBA’s bylaws, which was a second resolution that the Newberg-Dundee School Board also approved.
The next Newberg-Dundee School Board meeting will be held on Jan. 9, and it will feature presentations by Mabel Rush Elementary Principal Tim Lauer and Antonia Crater Elementary Principal Brian Wood.