School year winding down; summer school planned

Meeting March 25, the members of the Odessa School Board accepted the resignation of bus driver Mandy Smith and approved overnight travel for FFA trapshooting in Wenatchee and for the state science fair in Bremerton. On second reading, the board approved policies dealing with Co-curricular Programs (2150), Interscholastic Athletics (2151), Student Conduct (3240), Students and Telecommunication Devices (3245), Automated External Defibrillators /AEDs (3412), Medication at School (3416), Response to Student Injury or Illness (3418), Self-Administration of Asthma and Anaphylaxis Medications (3419), Anaphylaxis Prevention and Response (3420), Student Sports – Concussion and Head Injuries (3422), Emergencies (3432), Associated Student Bodies (3510), Extracurricular Activities (3560), Use of Tobacco on School Property (4215), Recruitment and Selection of Staff (5000).

Superintendent’s report

Superintendent Suellen White said district staff have been working on the Consolidated Program Review process for the past three months, looking at compliance with program rules for various state and federal programs. She expressed frustration with the amount of time the process has required. When the initial review was returned, it appeared many more hours would be needed to reply to each area where there are deficiencies. Some of the deficiencies are as minor as not having a date on a form, and some will require the district to adopt new policies using the exact language required by the regulator.

Reviewed under the program were Title I, Title 2, LAP, Homeless, Career and Technical Education, Private Schools, Civil Rights, Gun Free, Rural Education, and Fiscal.

White said she has completed a grant application to fund a four-week, four-day per week summer school to run from July 13 – August 6. The program will serve students ranging from incoming first-graders to students entering 6th grade, with two sessions offered – one for grades 1-3 and the other for grades 4-6. The grant is from “Feed Your Brain.” The program will partner with the district’s Summer Meal program. The summer school program will be called “Camp Titan” and will be different than what students see during the school year, with a focus on learning using technology. There will be a family component to the summer school.

The summer meal program will continue, with breakfast and lunch served every day, Monday through Friday, during the summer to any child of school age.

White said the School Health Advisory Committee has approved the purchase of two new pieces of equipment for the playground called “Gym-I-Nees.” One has been received and installed and appears to be very popular with students. They are used as part of the physical education program and are also available for students to use during recess. The students shoot balls into the top, and they exit through various colored tubes around the apparatus.

The E-rate provided by the phone company supports K-12 students and library patrons in the United States by providing discounts of up to 90% on goods and services essential for classrooms and libraries to receive voice, video and data communications. This part of the federal program has been phased out, so the district has applied for funding for equipment needed to support the school’s broadband, network and Wi-Fi connections. The district will receive a 70% discount on replacement equipment for items that are 10 years old and at the end of their service life.

Spring is always a difficult time for scheduling transportation, with lots of field trips and extracurricular activities taking place. At this same time of year, many substitute drivers are busy on their farms. With the recent resignation of a district driver, the transportation picture will be more complicated until a new driver can be hired and trained. Principal Jamie Nelson, athletic director Bruce Todd and transporation supervisor Keith Kolterman meet weekly to plan how to best handle all of the transportation needs and how to prioritize them if the district is not able to meet each and every need.

Principal’s report

Principal Jamie Nelson said the school musical, Wagon’s Whoa! wrapped up three months of practice and preparation with three performances last week. Julie Wehr, Craig Holman and several community volunteers worked tirelessly with the Odessa students, and their hard work paid off.

Nelson also reported science fair results as reported last week in The Record. Faculty award nominations and a student scholarship were also announced (see sidebar).

The Odessa Knowledge Bowl team participated in state competition in Arlington, Wash., March 14. They did not place in the top six and therefore did not move on in the competition.

On March 14, the Regional Prom was held at Fairchild Air Force Base. Nelson said all went well and Odessa students were dancing and mingling and appeared to be having a good time.

The National Honor Society induction ceremony and lunch was held in the library.

Pep Grant Testing is finished. Elementary through junior-high students recorded their activity and food intake for a week. This information is submitted to verify that the grant money used for increasing students’ health is working. No surprise, it is working. Odessa ranks the highest in student participation in activity and healthy choices out of all the other districts participating in the grant (in our region).

The FFA Trap Shoot will be held April 17 and 18 in Wenatchee, and the state FBLA conference will be April 15 through 17 in Spokane.

Facilities report

Justin Parr presented a report on the replacement of the school‘s reader board on First Avenue. After the issues with the last sign, the district decided to go with a national company that has been in business for a long time instead of a regional company out of Spokane. The 5 x 8 foot full-color sign will cost $19,100 with the installation running between $750 and $950 depending on the height of the pole the board will be installed on. School board members will make a decision on whether to purchase the new sign at its next meeting.

Summer projects were discussed, including moving the scoreboard in the multipurpose room to a more visible location, putting acoustical tile in the ceiling of the cafeteria to reduce the noise level, replacing the railing outside of the gym, installing a handicap ramp at the football field and replacing several boards in the grandstand at Finney Field.

Legislative report

The superintendent reported the legislature has moved forward with less than 400 bills out of more than 2,000 introduced this session. Of those 400, only about 40 affect education. The bill allowing teachers who retires before age 65 to work as substitute teachers passed the House almost unanimously but is being held up in the Senate by Senator Schoesler from Ritzville who believes such a practice allows retirees to “double dip” by receiving retirement pay and substitute teacher pay. White said she has countered this argument with the question, “What is best for students in the classroom, an experienced certified teacher or an emergency endorsed non-experienced teacher?”

District enrollment has declined by two students to 213.5 which still has the district 23.5 FTE students above the figure used for budget purposes. The district ended February with $557,038 in reserve.

The board tabled the selection of the new superintendent and will hold a special meeting at 6:30 on Wednesday, April 1. The board plans to go into executive session at the beginning of the meeting. At the conclusion of the executive session, board members will vote in open session to select a new superintendent.

The next regular meeting of the board will be April 22, 2015 with a workshop beginning at 6:30 and the regular meeting starting at 7 p.m.

A hiring committee met and interviewed Kimberly Jeske Ryan and recommended she be hired as a half-time guidance counselor for the 2015-2016 school year. She will work in the afternoons every school day. She is currently the guidance counselor in Soap Lake, lives in Odessa and graduated from high school in Odessa.

SIDEBAR

Teachers nominated;

student receives full ride

Odessa High School science teacher Jeffery Wehr has been nominated as the Science Teacher of the Year by Andy Boyd, regional representative for the Washington Science Teachers Association. This organization is dedicated to advocating and promoting quality advancement of science education.

Odessa High School business teacher and FBLA advisor Terri King has been nominated for the Life Changer of the Year Award by Superintendent Suellen White. This program recognizes and rewards the very best K-12 school district educators and employees from around the country who are making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership.

Odessa High School senior Carsen Weber has been awarded a national ROTC full-ride scholarship! He plans to use the scholarship at the University of Washington, where he has already been accepted.