May 12, 2025 Business Board Meeting Minutes

 MINUTES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF DISTRICT NO. 40,
YAMHILL COUNTY, McMINNVILLE, OREGON

The Board Business Meeting was held May 12, 2025, both in person and via Zoom at the
McMinnville School District Office, 800 NE Lafayette Ave., McMinnville OR 97128

The link was https://msd40.zoom.us/j/215496199

Provisional Minutes-Not Board Approved

At 6:30 p.m., the Board of Directors of McMinnville School District opened the board business meeting in Regular Session. The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Abbie Warmbier.

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Vice-Chair Abbie Warmbier
Director  Lu Ann Anderson
Director  Christine Bader
Director  Gerardo Partida
Director  Doris Towery
Director  Larry Vollmer

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
Chair Jason Bizon

ADMINISTRATION
Debbie Brockett, Superintendent
Cherice Bowden, Board Secretary

Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ben Mackay.

AUDIENCE
Kourtney Ferrua, Brian Crain, Martha Biggs, Shelly Simonyi, Erin Caldwell, Jason Hall, Hiran Amerasinghe, Scott Murphy, Kim Price, Stephanie Murdock, Lauren Berg, Davey Altree,Vicky Brown, Kathi Fowler, Dave Furman, Allison Eitzen, Cielo Tahmaseb, Hilary Brittan Lack and Lisa Jordan-Zornow.  See attached 

• 1.4  Introductions and Communications
  Director Frost introduced  the team from McMinnville High School.  Assistant Principal Teresa Denny and teachers Carly Olson and Nicole Long. They introduce the students who are with them.

  1.5  Review of Agenda
  There were no changes to the agenda.

  2.0 Consent Agenda

  2.1 Gifts to the District: The Board accepted with gratitude, gifts to the District:

  Faye Kenyon donated clothing items worth $250.00 to MHS for student needs, Roy Crabtree Jr. donated $100.00 to MHS for the track team, Macy & Son donated $100.00 to MHS for girls tennis, Knights of Pythias donated $500.00 to MHS for Mission Mac High, Robert Broom donated $100.00 to MHS for boys tennis, Santiago Tenesaca donated $100.00 to MHS for boys tennis, James Kleinschmidt donated $100.00 to MHS for boys tennis, Wrigley Family Ventures donated $1125.00 to MHS for boys tennis and El Rancho Market donated $200.00 to Buel ES pinatas & candy for their El Dia Del Nino Cultural celebration.

  2.2 Approval of minutes of the April 14, 2025 Business Board Meeting and April 28, 2025 Work Session Meeting approved. 

  2.3 Personnel Actions approved.

  On motion by Director Lu Ann Anderson, seconded by Director Christine Bader, the Consent Agenda was approved on a unanimous vote.  Directors: Larry Vollmer – aye, Gerardo Partida – aye, Lu Ann Anderson – aye, Christine Bader – aye, Vice-Chair Abbie Warmbier – aye, Director Doris Towery – aye.  There were 0 nays.  

  3.0 REPORTS
  The Board heard Monthly Reports.

  3.1 Student Reports
  Principal Furman shared that they wanted to provide an update on the AVID program, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. The program has been at the high school for many years, with Ms. Olson and Ms. Long involved for most, if not all, of that time. He emphasized that AVID is a foundationally strong program that works, students in AVID consistently have higher GPAs, receive more and retain more scholarship money, and pursue post-secondary education at higher rates than the average student. He credited its success to dedicated, enthusiastic teachers who are committed to helping students connect with their future.

  Carly Olson introduced herself as a social studies and AVID teacher at McMinnville High School, as well as the AVID coordinator. She proudly shared that she is an alumna of the school’s 100th graduating class and a former student of Newby Elementary, Memorial Elementary, and Patton Middle School. She expressed her pride in teaching within the district and thanked the board for the opportunity to share the impact AVID has had on students at McMinnville High School.

  Nicole Long introduced herself as a TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) for secondary teaching and learning, supporting AVID and other postsecondary programs at the secondary level. She explained that before her current role, she served as AVID coordinator and teacher at the high school since the program began in 2015. She noted that the last time they presented AVID was with their first graduating class in 2019, and now they are preparing to graduate their sixth class of AVID seniors.

  Nicole Long explained that AVID is a four-year program with elective courses for students from freshman to senior year. Students have the same AVID teacher in 9th and 10th grade, and then a different teacher in 11th and 12th grade. The program focuses on academic success and college and career exploration in the early years, and on developing the skills and habits needed for post-secondary success in the later years. AVID students are typically first-generation, historically underrepresented, and/or low-income, with average to high test scores, strong attendance, determination, and excellent character.

  Carly Olson and Nicole Long shared data about the AVID program’s impact on the class of 2024. Of those students, 73% earned college credit while still in high school, 96% enrolled in at least one AP class, and 88% took at least one AP exam. Overall, 94% were enrolled in rigorous courses earning college credit before graduation. They emphasized that AVID plays a critical role in closing the opportunity gap. All students in the most recent AVID graduating class were accepted to a two- or four-year college, with an average GPA of 3.6. Among the 66 graduates, five received the prestigious Ford Family Foundation scholarship, worth $40,000 per year. For the class of 2023, 76% enrolled in college, and 81% of those persisted from their first fall to the next—highlighting that AVID not only prepares students academically but also supports them in navigating and funding their post-secondary education. 

  Jackie Bravo, a second-grade teacher at Newby Elementary and head coach at McMinnville High School, shared how important the AVID program was in her life. As a first-generation college student, she said AVID felt like a family member who always had the answers. Although her parents were supportive, the college process was new to them, and AVID gave her the guidance, study skills, and financial aid support she needed. It helped her get into and succeed at Linfield University, where she reached all her goals. 

  Jesus Navarrete Ramos shared that AVID opened his eyes and gave him the support he didn’t know he needed. At first, he thought he would figure out high school on his own, but with help from teachers like Ms. Long, Ms. Houston, Ms. Brisbane, and Ms. Olson, he found guidance and support. As a first-generation Hispanic student, things like visiting colleges felt overwhelming, but AVID made it possible by covering costs. The program also taught him important skills like how to talk to counselors, write emails, and stay organized, skills that now help him in college. 

  Daisy Struk  has been in AVID all four years and is thankful for how it has shaped her life. She will attend Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida to study nursing and run Division II cross country and track. As a freshman, she wanted to go to college but didn’t know how, AVID helped her understand the steps and gave her the confidence to get there. Through college visits and lessons, she learned what college is really like and how it can help her future. AVID also taught her important skills like staying organized, speaking in front of groups, and managing her time—especially useful as she balanced sports, clubs, and a weekend job. Most of all, AVID gave her a strong, supportive community.  

   

  Nicole Long and Carly  Olson demonstrated the AVID clap in honor of the students who came to the board meeting to tell their stories.   See presentation.

   

  3.2 Student Envoy Report

  Student Envoys from MHS welcomed and introduced  the incoming Executive Board for next year;    co-presidents are Ben McKay and Cameron Heider, Oscar Marksbury Page, treasurer and Emma LaRon, secretary. The Student Envoys presented the student report for MHS.  They shared that the number of individual students enrolled in AP classes, the number of enrollments in AP and the number of students taking exams are all up from last year.  They are proud of this growth and attribute it to the amazing AP teachers and the removal of barriers for students to take a class.  They also gave an update on academics, athletics, and arts/pathways.  See presentation.

  3.3 McEA
  Chris Starr gave updates and recognitions on behalf of Polly Dunkley, who couldn’t attend due to a family emergency. He congratulated Tremaine Payne for receiving the Education Distinguished Service Award, with the banquet scheduled for May 14. At Willamette ES, students began testing, supported by a buddy system and fun Star Wars-themed decorations organized by Eileen Strabeck and her team to encourage students. Reed Kimura, in partnership with Grandhaven PTA and Kaiki’s nonprofit, is helping produce “Seussical the Musical” with free performances this week. The McEA Union still has a few open positions, final officer announcements will follow voting. 

  Chris also shared that during the upcoming superintendent search, the union looks forward to a transparent process involving staff, parents, and the community.

  In her farewell statement, Polly Dunkley reflected on her three years as McEA’s  President, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve. She shared how she grew from knowing little about the union to holding multiple leadership roles over her 19-year career. Polly emphasized her commitment to supporting members and upholding contracts, acknowledging the challenges of the role but also the deep fulfillment it brought. While stepping down, she plans to stay involved by focusing on members’ rights and working with Amy Gerber and Anna Hutcheon. She closed by thanking educators for their continued dedication, especially during tough years, and said how proud she is to work alongside them.

  Chris Starr shared that although Polly wasn’t present, everyone appreciates her and he wanted to officially acknowledge that during the board meeting. He thanked her for her collaborative spirit and the way she helped the district and the association work well together.

  3.4  Superintendent Report
  Director Frost provided two key updates. First, she shared that the superintendent search process has begun, with McPherson & Jacobson leading the effort. Board Secretary Cherice Bowden will serve as the staff liaison for the search. Second, she gave a detailed overview of the Director of Human Resources search, emphasizing the board’s and her commitment to a transparent and inclusive process. 

  Director Frost explained that the firm Human Capital, led by Robyn Bean and Christy Perry, has been hired to manage the Human Resources search. Initial focus group meetings are scheduled for later in the week, involving union leaders, administrators, directors, and HR staff, the job posting has already gone live, the search firm will conduct reference checks on top candidates and provide detailed notes to the district’s hiring team, which includes all current and acting directors. This director team will ultimately decide who moves forward in the process. Board members can also participate during the finalist stage, and those interested should contact Director Frost directly. The goal is to have the new HR Director named or in place by July 1, though start dates could vary based on notice periods from other districts.

  3.5  Director of Fiscal Services’ Report
  Director Hall shared the current student enrollment as of May 1, 2025. “Our enrollment is under projection at 6,158(a 3.2% decrease).” He gave a breakdown by grade.  He also gave an update on student withdrawals and some of the reasons why students may have withdrawn. Director Hall shared that in April, a total of 49 students withdrew from the district. About 67% either had a 10-day drop or moved out of state or country. The largest portion, just over 50%, were students who fell under the 10-day drop category, with the rest spread across other withdrawal reasons. He gave a  financial update as of March 31, 2025.  

  Vice Chair Warmbier commented that the monthly report on attendance is helpful, especially in showing where the 10-day drops happen. She appreciated the accountability and tracking but expressed concern that 25 students reached that point, saying she wishes it didn’t come to that.  See presentation.

• 4.0  Public Forum
  We did not receive any public comments.

  5.0 Unfinished Business

  5.1 Acting Superintendent Compensation 1s & 2nd Reading
  Vice Chair Warmbier asked Director Hall to explain the process on how the concrete number was reached.  

  Director Hall explained how he calculated the stipend amount. Since it was for a partial year, he started with the administrator’s annual salary and multiplied it by 20%, which was the agreed-upon premium. He then divided that 20% amount by the total number of contract days, 235 in this case to get a daily rate for the stipend.

  Next, he counted the number of business days from April 14 through June 30, when the administrator would be serving in the role, and multiplied those days by the daily rate. The final calculated total was $7,706.55. He also confirmed that the document was updated to reflect the correct dates, including April 14, 2025, as the appointment date and March 13, 2024, as the date the administrator signed their intent to return.

  On motion by Director Larry Vollmer, seconded by Director Doris Towery, the motion passed  unanimously  to approve the addendum to the administrator contract as amended. Director Gerardo Partida – aye, Director Lu Ann Anderson – aye, Director Christine Bader – aye, Vice-Chair Abbie Warmbier – aye, Director Larry Vollmer -aye and Director Doris Towery – aye.

  5.2  Policies 2nd  Reading
  Director Frost presented the following policy for a second reading:

  JEC – Student Admissions and Entrance Requirements

  Director Frost explained that Policy JEC, which covers student admissions and entrance requirements, was updated due to changes in the McKinney-Vento laws related to foster students. The update added a sentence at the end of the policy stating that students in foster care placed in a new district are still considered residents of their original district, unless a court decides it’s in the student’s best interest to attend school in the new district.

  Director Anderson noted that the updated policy will be challenging for any district in Oregon to implement because it conflicts with existing residency rules, and courts don’t usually influence school attendance decisions. She also reiterated her concern about requiring documentation, like a birth certificate, since families in crisis often don’t have access to those records. While she understands the district must follow the policy, she emphasized the importance of doing whatever is possible to support students in difficult situations and ensure they can get into school.

  On motion by Director Lu Ann Anderson, seconded by Director Gerardo Partida, the motion passed  unanimously  to approve the policy for final adoption. Director Gerardo Partida – aye, Director Lu Ann Anderson – aye, Director Christine Bader – aye, Vice-Chair Abbie Warmbier – aye, Director Larry Vollmer -aye and Director Doris Towery -aye. With 0 nays.

   

  6.0 New Business

  6.1 Health Adoption 1st Reading
  Director Ferrua presented final recommendations for the district’s health curriculum adoption. She reminded the board that during last month’s work session, educators shared their process and top curriculum choices. Health is a smaller adoption in terms of the number of teachers involved, but it is highly important due to strict state laws and Division 22 requirements. The adoption follows board policy and Oregon administrative rules, and the process is on track—beginning with this first reading in May and a second reading in June to allow time for public comment. As part of the district’s approach, only materials vetted and approved by the State of Oregon were considered.  At the elementary level, the state approved only one curriculum, The Great Body Shop, which the district already uses and teachers support. For middle school, the team selected Goodheart-Willcox, which received the highest scores during review. For high school, Live Well was the only state-approved option, so it will continue to be used. Director Ferrua also addressed a question about future adoptions, noting that next year’s focus will be on English Language Arts (ELA), 

  followed by math the year after. These are the two most expensive adoptions, and the district has been saving funds accordingly to prepare. She noted that this back-to-back scheduling creates budgeting challenges, especially for elementary teachers, and that feedback about this concern has been shared with the state.  See presentation.

  6.2 McPherson & Jacobson, LLC
  Doug Nelson and Mike Scott, representatives from the superintendent search firm, thanked the board for the opportunity to lead the search process. Doug noted that they’ve enjoyed getting to know each board member and hearing about their priorities. Common themes from those conversations included the desire for stability, a smooth leadership transition, clear communication, transparency, and no surprises. Mike added that it’s important to keep all board members involved in decision-making and to conduct those discussions in public meetings to ensure full transparency.

  They also reviewed the search calendar, noting that it remains mostly unchanged. The application deadline is June 2, and they hope to meet with the board that same week to finalize interview questions, compensation details, and possibly review a stakeholder survey report. Doug and Mike plan to conduct background checks and initial Zoom interviews with top candidates before presenting finalists to the board on June 9. They discussed launching the community stakeholder survey soon, possibly starting as early as May 15.  During the week of June 9, this is when the Board will select the finalists. The following week, a special meeting will need to be scheduled to choose the new interim superintendent. 

  The meeting on June 9, the Board will receive a preview packet for the shortlist of candidates, it will include their application materials, cover letter, and their written response to the qualities and characteristics the Board is looking for. Mike and Doug will have also done short online interviews with them, and each candidate will have submitted a recorded video interview answering general questions. Those video links will be shared with the board. 

  Salary and compensation was discussed for the interim superintendent.  Director Frost suggested that as long as the Board is willing to authorize the total compensation and the total compensation does not exceed the compensation budgeted for the superintendent in the 2025-26 budget, they could move forward with the total compensation.  

  Position and description with characteristics and criteria were discussed and the recommended changes by the search firm  were reviewed.  The determination of communication protocol, development of interview questions for the survey were also discussed. 

  7.0  Board Directors Comments
  Director Anderson gave a shout out to the education pathway students at Miller Woods.  She also to the pathway students at the high school.  She was able to get a sneak peak at the cosmetology and it looks better than some salons that she has seen in the community. She commented that we are diligently doing what we need to do in terms of the interim search and budget, but there is other board work that has to be done.  She complimented Director Frost for sending out information but she thinks the subcommittees, Policy Committee, was editing policies in real time.  She feels that we have a mechanism for doing those meetings that does meet the legal requirements.  She really wants to get back to doing the subcommittee meetings. 

  Director Vollmer shared some feedback from a group of 3rd graders.  They were writing and doing reports on what would make school better for them.  They definitely need a longer lunch period, for the nice days they want  picnic tables outside, having a garden which includes apple trees so they have snacks year round and a pop machine.  He commented that it is a neat thing to sit and listen to how honest, genuine and sincere they are. 

  Director Bader commented that since our last meeting she visited Mission Mac High which was full of energy.  It seemed to raise a lot of money, the amount is not yet known.  It was a tremendous effort by so many students and advisors at the high school.  She gave them a shout out.  Memorial Earth day bike to school was great.  There were probably twenty kids who took part in it.  She visited Buel ES’s robot build, which was fun.  They were doing teamwork and all the problem solving.  She congratulated Dr. Lauren Berg for successfully defending her dissertation on first generation students’ pathway to higher education.

  Vice Chair Warmbier shared that with the Resilient Mac group she took that down to the local level of Raising Resilient Ravens and has a Grandhaven parent meeting and book study that is going to be continuing on to try and make that specifically focused on that community with the hope that other elementary schools would see how they can do it at their schools as well.  She thanked Principal Furman for bringing the AVID Program to us.

  8.0 Announcements
  None

  Meeting Videos

  The meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m.