Schoolwide enrollment approaches 250

The Board of Directors of Odessa School District #105 met in the high school library Wednesday, October 24. The meeting was preceded by a workshop in the district office for the purpose of discussing the gym/weight room user fee and the upcoming levy.

Present were board chair Ed Deife; board members Heather Valverde, Chris Crossley, Janie Steward and Carmen Weishaar; Superintendent Dan Read; Principal Jamie Nelson and Business Manager Juli Weishaar. Also present were facilities supervisor Justin Parr and athletic director Bruce Todd.

There was no staff or public input.

The board approved the consent agenda which included the minutes of the September 26, 2018 regular meeting; bills and payroll warrants #611418-611443 and direct deposit warrants #900006488-900006551, totaling $283,862.97 for October; general fund A/P warrants #611444-611477 totaling $40,932.88; capital projects fund A/P warrant #611478 for $19,386.00 and ASB fund A/P warrants #611479-611497 for a total of $7,704.52.

Superintendent’s report

Read reported an October enrollment of 245.6 full-time equivalent students.

Read also passed out a handout showing that the district will have an approximate $47,229 increase in medical benefit costs when the state-mandated School Employees Benefits Board coverage begins in January of 2020. He explained that a large portion of the increase is due to the difference in how part-time employee costs will be calculated and that there will no longer be pool dollars available to offset the employee share of the cost of coverage.

Read’s report finished by informing the board that the staff had participated in a harassment, intimidation and bullying training session earlier that day presented by Clear Risk Solutions.

Read shared the 2019 legislative priorities from both the NEWESD 101 Region and the Washington Association of School Administrators. Highlights included school funding inequities, special education funding, school safety and security, as well as support for school facilities.

Principal’s report

Principal Nelson reported a P-12 headcount enrollment of 248 students.

Nelson reported on homecoming, Camp Wooten and a life-sized puppet show for grades K-5 by Allied Arts of Moses Lake. Upcoming activities include a pumpkin patch field trip for elementary students, a double Christmas concert on December 6 at 6 and at 7:15 p.m., the FBLA Fall Conference in Spokane on Halloween and tractor driving and potato judging practices for the FFA chapter members.

AD report

Athletic Director Bruce Todd reported on high school volleyball and football post-season play. In anticipation of the possibility of qualifying for playoffs, hotel reservations have been made for both state volleyball in Yakima and for state football in Tacoma.

Todd passed out a winter/spring sports survey he had taken of students in grades 6-12. Based on survey results, Todd recommended the district offer high school softball in the spring.

Todd said the junior high spring sports season will be split to allow athletes to compete in both track and field and baseball/softball. Approximate dates for the seasons are March 6 through April 15 and April 16 through May 23.

Todd concluded by reporting the WIAA is recommending changes to classification counts based on free and reduced lunch counts and is also looking into redistricting the entire state for all classifications.

Facilities report

Justin Parr said his crew has been busy winterizing sprinkler systems, raking up leaves, working on the baseball dugouts and performing bus repairs. He thanked Jason Johnston for his help with construction of the dugouts.

Parr is working to secure a second bid on gravel for the lot diagonally across from the gym. There was a short discussion regarding updating the reader board sign.

Financial report

Read presented the ASB balance sheet for September and general fund financial activity reports for September showing an unassigned fund balance of $766,108.

The next regular board meeting will be held Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 6 p.m. in the high school library, with a board workshop preceding at 5:30 p.m.

The board voted to accept $1,000 awarded to the OHS FBLA chapter by the Center for Creative Leadership’s scholarship program (based on OHS’s high percentage of students who earned their Microsoft Office Specialist certification) and a $2,227.39 Deutschesfest donation to the FFA from the FFA Alumni Association.