School board

The Board of Directors of Odessa School District #105 met in the high school library August 22 at 6 p.m., preceded by a workshop in the district office at 5:30 p.m. for the purpose of reviewing the 2018-2019 extra-curricular salary schedule and to discuss district goals for the next school year. Attending were board chair Ed Deife; board members Heather Valverde, Chris Crossley and Carmen Weishaar; Superintendent Dan Read; Principal Jamie Nelson; Business Manager Juli Weishaar; operations supervisor Justin Parr; Athletic Director Bruce Todd and visitors James and Vivianne Poe, Victoria Iverson and press reporter Terrie Schmidt-Crosby.

The board approved the consent agenda which included the minutes of the July 25 regular meeting, August payroll warrants #611234-611258 and direct deposit warrants #900006377-900006426 for $261,210.17; general fund A/P warrants #611259-611304 for $48,496.97 and capital projects fund A/P warrants #611305-611307 for $59,728.40; adoption of the Union Exempt Classified Salary Schedule for 2018-2019; extended and extra-curricular contracts for 2018-2019; adoption of the coaches’ salary schedule for 2018-2019; Bruce Todd’s 2018-2019 contract as athletic director; LaRee Kuchenbuch’s hiring as a paraeducator; Mandy Lewis’s hiring as a part-time paraeducator; Sam Harder’s hiring as junior-high asst. boys basketball coach; a split contract for Paul Horak and Colley Walter as junior-high asst. football coaches; travel to Camp Wooten by the 6th-graders Sept. 25-28, 2018 (tentative) and the 2018-2019 contract with Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center for occupational and physical therapy.

Superintendent’s report

Read began by thanking staff members who worked during the summer on upgrading and cleaning the facilities and those who worked in the offices. He gave a brief update on the summer projects that included sidewalk repair and/or replacement in certain areas, demolition of the Els house on property the district had purchased and installation of the security entrance system in the main school building complex and building of the baseball dugouts at Finney Field.

Principal’s Report

Nelson said school registration went smoothly. Total enrollment was down from the end of school in June but up compared to the beginning of last year.

Nelson thanked Nancy Glines for her hard work in making the summer feeding program a success and also Tim Larson, Carley Williams and Elizabeth Larson for facilitating the summer school program.

She reported that teachers have been in and out of the building getting their classrooms and lessons prepared for the first day of school on Wednesday, August 29. Staff will attend two days of in-service prior to the start of school.

Board reports

Chris Crossley commented favorably on the house demolition and baseball dugout installation.

Athetic director’s report

Bruce Todd reported that the schedules for fall sports and high school basketball have been completed. Since changes may still occur, the most current schedules will be posted on the school website as they are updated.

Todd also reported fall sports practices are underway and the Wash. Interscholastic Activities Association could possibly change classifications to a set number of students for each classification with an allowance made based on free and reduced lunch counts in the high school.

Todd thanked the custodial crew of Justin Parr, Kevin Schaefer and Adam Palacio and community members Jason Johnston and Rod Webster for doing the finishing concrete work on the baseball dugouts.

Todd requested board approval for an emergency football practice, if needed, on Sunday, August 26, due to poor air quality from wildland fires forcing teams to practice indoors. The request would then also have to be approved by the WIAA.

Facilities report

Justin Parr reported the ramp being redone at the elementary entrance will be ADA compliant, the dugout walls are up and the two buses vandalized over the summer have been cleaned and are back in service.

Financial report

Read presented the ASB balance sheet for July. He further presented the Financial Activity reports for General Fund for July showing an unassigned fund balance of $822,163.

The next regular board meeting will be held Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 6 p.m. in the high school library, with a workshop at 5:30 p.m. before the regular meeting.

Running Start update

Nelson presented board members with an updated running start matrix. Small changes were made to the English and history course equivalency requirements.

Executive session

Chairman Deife announced at 6:30 that the board would enter into a 15-minute executive session to discuss employment per RCW 42.30.110 with action to follow. The board came out of executive session at 6:48 p.m. to announce that the subject of a salary adjustment rider to Principal Jamie Nelson’s contract was tabled until the next regular board meeting.