During its July 11 meeting, the Lebanon Community School District Board of Directors nominated and approved Tom Oliver as chair of the board, and Nicole Piland as vice chair before getting down to business.
Superintendent Jennifer Meckley delved into the Focus Area report: Third grade reading has increased from 37% to 41%, which is higher than the state average, and a 92% participation rate in state STAR testing – a screening and diagnostic test.
“I talked [about] the term ‘win city,’ and it’s kind of become our motto among our leadership team,” Meckley said, crediting a coworker with the term. “We talk about [how] you got to pay attention to small wins and keep the positive momentum going.”
Meckley said she would like to see improvements and an earlier start around the Successful Spartan criteria, which requires students to pass all of their classes and maintain good attendance, among other things.
“I would love for [faculty] to start having actual dialogue with kids with that vocabulary so that, when they’re in high school, on-track language is part of the system that students know too, not just the staff,” Meckley explained.
Meckley praised the rising estimated 90% graduation rate and great STAR testing rates, including those among special education and BIPOC (black, indigenous and other people of color) students.
According to Meckley, zero bus routes were canceled this year, which is “unheard of” in other school districts, which she credited in part to administration taking on driving when needed. Total mileage came to more than 370,000 miles.
“It is really a team effort to get all the kids to school,” Meckley said. “You can see the daily numbers and how many athletic trips we were able to transport students in, which is great because, again, that’s a challenge when you don’t have enough drivers.”
The LCSD Welcome Center serves at-risk families and students who have more extensive needs than some, including unhoused students and families, and the team works with several agencies to make sure those community members get necessary support.
“It’s very impressive, with the small staff that we have, that we’re able to support this many families in some of those really specialized areas,” Meckley said. “And of course we have a bilingual community liaison who really supports our bilingual families.”
Technology facilities are getting a new ticketing system to replace the current “archaic” one being used; this will assist with managing work orders and facilities reservations.
It was pointed out that, despite having a community of more than 20,000, LCSD’s Facebook page has less than 4,000 followers; their posts have extensive reach regardless and maintain steady engagement.
The new communications director plans to send out a weekly newsletter so families know what to expect, including board meeting updates so it will be easier for community members to stay up to date on school district changes.
The board discussed community use of district facilities; community members are able to use school buildings for events and, at times, these uses strain school resources. They’re exploring a new policy to limit use in order to maintain facilities and staff well-being while keeping buildings available for use.
The district charges “small” fees in comparison with upkeep and maintenance costs, with upwards of $5,000 to wax a gym floor. Meanwhile, they brought in only $500 in fees.
It was pointed out that other school districts often do not allow free use of school facilities like Lebanon, and that the district shouldn’t be funding cleanup costs, so it has been necessary to consider changes to fees and policies in order to maintain upkeep. They did remove the policy allowing the public to use the kitchens.
Agencies like the Boys and Girls Club will still be able to use facilities for free, however, and the district will allow for special contracts and other not-for-profit organizations and take a “holistic” approach to facility usage.
Regarding the policy on head lice, LCSD has made changes to remain compliant with state laws; children will still be sent home for treatment if found to have head lice, but they can’t be excluded from school. The policy will be reviewed along with the facilities usage policies during the next meeting.
The Seven Oak project was reviewed, including some of the details about better access to the HVAC controls. The Lacomb roof is in the process of being repaired and remains within the budget cushion.
The kitchen remodel is underway, with most equipment having been removed so new things can be installed like a made-to-order sandwich shop.
Several LCSD students participated in Oregon State University’s women’s basketball camp as well as the Seven Oak basketball camp; apparently the Seven Oak camp was even better than OSU’s thanks to Coach Andrews.