Odessa School Board

The Odessa School District will see some new faces among its staff in the fall of 2022 as it looks to hire a new part-time superintendent and a new business teacher/FBLA advisor following the announced retirements of Dan Read and Terri King, respectively.

The Odessa School Board held its regular monthly meeting Feb. 23 in the high school library, preceded by a workshop in the district office to discuss the superintendent search and hires for the 2022-2023 school year. Present were board members Ed Deife, Chris Crossley and Carmen Weishaar and staff members Dan Read, Jamie Nelson, Staci Claassen, Justin Parr and Bruce Todd. Board members Janie Steward and Heather Valverde were absent.

The board approved the consent agenda which included the minutes of the January 26, 2022 regular board meeting and February 3, 2022 special board meeting; payroll warrants #614330-614350 and direct deposit warrants #900008863-900008925 for $312,881.77; general fund voided warrant #614271, ($880.10); general fund voided warrant #614335, ($275.00)/reissue of warrant #614351 for $275.00; general fund A/P warrants #614352-614388 for $59,270.85 and ASB fund A/P warrants #614389-614398 for $8,468.95. The board also accepted the resignation of Terri King, effective August 31, 2022.

Superintendent Read shared the student count and a comparison of the governor’s, house and senate budget proposals.

Principal Nelson reported that the head count has increased with two students returning and three new students. Covid counts are currently low.

She also commented on school spirit during the final few basketball games of the season. The Pep Band directed by Sam Harder sounded much improved with more students participating. The Pep Club members and fans wore different themed outfits and cheered loudly.

The elementary children celebrated Kindness Week with lots of good deeds spread throughout the school. Third-grade teacher Kristin Sebesta and her class made a poster congratulating the FBLA winners. The junior class read “How a Bill Becomes a Law” to the second-graders, and the seventh-grade science class created a periodic table in the junior-high hallway. Science teacher Jeff Wehr and the freshmen class engineered devices to create the most voltage over time. The winners were Tucker Walter (wind power), Levi Hardung (solar power) and Jesse Reeves (hydro power).

Music students Chloe Winkler, Leah Beth Claassen, Katie Mae Shelton, Hudson Watson, Rebecca Bramer, Izaak Schmierer, Aiden Schmierer, Leland Rodriguez, Morgan Lewis and Troy Hardung were selected as members of the Honor Band. The final performance will be March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Fox Theater in Spokane.

Nelson said the Bi-County Prom will be held March 12 from 8:30-11:30 p.m. at the Spokane Conference Center. She also thanked Sandi Smith for organizing staff potlucks once a month to bring staff members together.

Athletic Director Bruce Todd reported that the basketball season has ended. The high school boys placed third in the NE 1B South Division and were eliminated in the first round of the district tournament. The girls placed first in the NE 1B South Division and fourth in the NE 1B district tournament.

He said practice for spring high school sports would begin February 28 and that he had received no applications for junior-high head track coach to date.

The superintendent’s financial report indicated an unassigned general fund balance of $884,022.71.

The board approved Policy/Procedure 2195 (Academic Acceleration), accepted the CASE grant to the FFA chapter for $56,700, approved the hiring of Kelly Watkins as a school bus driver for the 2022-2023 school year and approved two special board meetings on Mar. 1 and 2 to interview and then to review candidates for the position of superintendent.

The next board meeting was scheduled for Mar. 23 at 6 p.m. in the high school library, preceded by a board workshop at 5:30 p.m. in the district office.