August 11, 2025 Business Board Meeting Minutes

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

The Board Business Meeting was held August 11, 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 Chair Larry Vollmer.

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

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
None

ADMINISTRATION
Kourtney Ferrua , Interim Superintendent
Cherice Bowden, Board Secretary

Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Kathi Fowler.

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

• 1.4  Introductions and Communications
  There were no introductions or communications.

  1.7  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:

  Chris Palmer donated to MHS $1000.00 for the Rick Carpenter Scholarship and $1000.00 for the cook alternative education asb account, MHS Class of 1995 donated to MHS $1000.00 for Sources of Strength, Sandra Burger donated to MHS $1000.00 for the life skills asb account, and Sprick Roofing Co., Inc. donated to MHS $2500.00 for SkillsUSA Nationals 24 and welding.

  2.2 Approval of minutes of the July 14, 2025 Business Board Meeting approved. 

  2.3 Personnel Actions approved.

  On motion by Director Lu Ann Anderson, seconded by Vice Chair Gerardo Partida, the Consent Agenda was approved on a unanimous vote 7-0.  Director Lu Ann Anderson – aye, Director Christine Bader – aye – via Zoom, Director Abbie Warmbier – aye,  Chair Larry Vollmer – aye,   Vice-Chair Gerardo Partida – aye, Director Doris Towery – aye, and Director Jason Bizon – aye.

  3.0 REPORTS
  The Board heard Monthly Reports.

  3.1  Superintendent Report
  Interim Superintendent Kourtney Ferrua states that this month, we’re excited to welcome back our school leaders after their summer break. We’ve been using this time to focus on professional development, setting clear goals, and aligning our vision for the year ahead. Our goal is to bring more clarity and consistency to our improvement plans across the district  from buildings to classrooms with a clear roadmap to track student growth and success.  We’re focusing on key areas like academic achievement, attendance, social-emotional well-being, school climate, and partnerships with families and the community.

  She reported that later this month, we’ll hold a board retreat where she will share a data calendar that will help plan how to use both end-of-year summative and mid-year formative data to guide our decisions and drive improvement.

  Interim Superintendent Ferrua reported that this summer, the district offered engaging programs for students, including a hands-on science camp at Metzger Park for migrant elementary students, funded through the Migrant Education Program and federal Title III dollars. The camp focused on building curiosity about nature, reinforcing science concepts, promoting teamwork, and integrating literacy and math skills. In addition, we received a $77,000 grant from Yamhill Coordinated Care Organization (YCCO) to support mental health, social-emotional learning, and suicide prevention, now in its third consecutive year. We’re also closely monitoring enrollment numbers, especially in Pre-K and Kindergarten, and taking strategic steps to reach out to families, as declining enrollment and lower poverty rates require careful planning around staffing.

  She also reported on other important updates including the release of federal ESEA funding (Titles I, II, III, and IV), which had been delayed but is now being distributed, relieving some financial pressure on our budgets. Our Nutrition Services team has exceeded last summer’s meal counts by over 6,000 meals, with more than 10,000 meals served so far; a big thank you to Joanna and her team for their great work. 

  Interim Superintendent Ferrua is also actively meeting with community leaders, including local mayors, nonprofits, and business partners, to strengthen relationships. She stated that as we prepare for staff to return at the end of August, our facilities, tech, and admin teams are working hard to ensure schools and technology are ready, and we’re excited to kick off a strong year with professional development for all staff.

  3.2  Director of Fiscal Services’ Report
  Director Hall reported that the district is finishing up its year-end financial work as of June 30, with preparations underway for the audit scheduled in late September. So far, the district has received 103% of its projected revenue and spent about 89% of its budget. He explained the district’s cash flow pattern, noting that while no state funding is received in June (a high-expense month), a double payment in July helps balance that out. The current estimate for the ending fund balance is around $14.5 million, slightly higher than expected, which will help support the 2025–26 budget amid declining enrollment and changes in poverty-related funding.

  He also reported that the district stayed within its approved spending limits across all categories. Federal Title I and II funds for the 2024–25 school year came in slightly below estimates, but conservative budgeting and projected lower carryover should prevent any major program cuts. Finally, the district’s investment account (LGIP) remains steady with a 4.6% interest rate, unchanged since March.

  Director Lu Ann Anderson asked, “You said that in the title funds we won’t see any major cuts, minor cuts. “Can you give an example of what you mean?”

  Director Hall explained that for Title I, we had budgeted about $1.6 million, and with our actual carryover and this year’s allocation, we’re at $1.62 million,  so we’re slightly over what we planned, for Title III, we came in about $15,000 under budget, but overall, the differences are small and manageable.

  3.3  Director Report: Excise Tax Historical Context
  Director Hall provided an overview of the Construction Excise Tax (CET), which was authorized in Oregon in 2007 and adopted by McMinnville School District in 2008. The CET is a fee on new residential and commercial construction, collected by local governments and passed on to school districts. Certain types of buildings like affordable housing, public buildings, hospitals, private schools, and religious facilities are exempt. By law, CET funds must be used for capital improvements like new buildings, facility upgrades, or projects in the district’s long-term facility plan.

  Director Hall reported that since 2008, MSD has collected around $4.6 million in CET revenue, with most of it being saved until 2016 to support projects from the district’s $89 million bond. These funds helped pay for improvements like Baker Field turf, new restrooms, and upgrades to the high school’s softball and baseball complexes. Director Hall noted that CET funds made up about 3.5% of the 2016 bond total. If the district were to pursue a $120 million bond in the future, it would aim for about $4.2 million in CET funds to provide a similar level of support.

  Director Jason Bizon asked what is the current balance?

  Director Hall answered, “The budgeted amount for this year was $3.3 million.”

  Director Abbie Warmbier said, “You mentioned we’d need $4.2 million to keep the same percentage as before, but just because we had that much available in the past doesn’t mean we have to contribute the same amount now.”

  Director Hall explained that there’s no rule or policy about how much we have to contribute. We were just using past practice as a reference. Last time we did a bond, we had saved up 8 years of CET revenue because we hadn’t spent any of it yet. In the past few years, we’ve gotten about $500K–$600K a year, but last year it dropped to just over $400K. With construction slowing down due to the economy, we might not see those higher amounts going forward.

  He gave an overview of the best practices for how we use construction excise tax funds. He explains that the main goals are to support our long-term facilities plan and save for major projects and legally, there are limits on how we can spend the money. We also try to coordinate with bond planning, stay transparent, and keep some flexibility for urgent needs. 

  3.4  Director of Facilities & Operations’ Report
  Director Crain reported that there was a broken fire sprinkler head above the ceiling at Patton Middle School. It was an older sprinkler, originally installed before the building had smoke detectors or duct sensors. When it broke, it caused water damage.

  Rapid Response, the restoration company, is doing a great job drying out the building. They’re using large tubes to bring in dry air and remove moisture, and they’ve made great progress. They’re using tools like infrared and moisture sensors to check for any remaining wet areas. They’ve also sanitized the carpets to prevent mold and bacteria.

  Director Crain will be meeting with the contractor and the insurance adjuster tomorrow to figure out what damaged items need replacing. They will  also create a plan to make sure everything is safe and ready for the first day of school.

  3.5  Personal Electronic Device/Committee
  Director Crain reported that in July, the governor issued Executive Order 2509, which requires schools to adopt a cell phone policy by October 31st and fully implement it by January 1st.  Our district is already ahead. Middle schools have followed a “phones away for the day” rule for years, students can’t use phones at all during school. Last year, the high school didn’t allow phones during class, but students could use them in hallways and at lunch. This year, they’re expanding the rule so phones won’t be allowed during lunch or in hallways either.  The plan is to start the school year with these new procedures already in place, even before the formal policy is adopted.  We have a student-parent webinar scheduled for August 20th in English and Spanish to answer questions. The Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) was supposed to release a sample policy today, but it hasn’t come out yet.  Once the sample is available, the district will review it in a subcommittee on September 4th, send it to Cabinet, and aim for board approval after a first reading on September 8th and final approval on October 13th meeting the governor’s deadline.

  Director Crain explained that students can’t use devices at all during the school day, from start to finish. They can keep them in a backpack, pocket, pouch, or locker.

  There are some exceptions:

  • Students with IEPs or 504 plans

  • Students with medical conditions (like needing to monitor something on their phone)

  • Special cases where a written exemption is given for individual needs or educational purposes

  3.6  Director Report: Welcome Back Week PD Plan
  Director Turner reported that we have hired 42 new staff so far, including 13 elementary teachers, 11 secondary teachers, 12 classified staff, 4 district office staff, 1 confidential employee, and 1 administrator. That number is still changing as we continue hiring.  Human Resources has personally onboarded each new hire, giving them a more individualized and supportive start. This support will continue during Welcome Back Week, which is focused on helping employees succeed.

  Director Berg shared the Welcome Back Week Over:

  • Friday, August 22, new licensed staff will attend district orientation that morning.
  • Monday, August 25, all new staff (licensed and classified) are welcomed with breakfast at 7:30 AM.  Schools and departments introduce their new team members, afterward, licensed staff go into training with district TOSAs; classified staff have orientation.  
  • Tuesday, August 26, principals lead building-level meetings, Classified staff have afternoon training and Licensed staff get time in their classrooms to prepare.  
  • Wednesday, August 27, all-district Welcome Back event at the high school: 
    • 7:00–8:00 AM: Benefits Fair, activities lobby.
    •  8:00 AM: District-wide kickoff in the gym , all are invited.  

  The rest of the week includes more training and classroom prep time for staff.

  She reported that Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) last year was the district’s year 0 starting PLC work with Oregon ASCD, focusing on ELA and math at the K–12 level.  The district saved a lot of money by joining a group partnership instead of contracting individually, from $250K down to about $50K.  In June, about 100 staff received leadership training to help support this work at their schools.

  This year’s focus is to continue building on PLCs with more targeted support by school level elementary, middle, and high. Expand PLC training to other subject areas like science, social studies, EL, and teachers in specialized roles, like CTE, art, or music, who often work alone.  Keep PLCs central in professional development, weekly meetings, and leadership planning.  Provide time for content-specific teams to meet and collaborate and empower trained building leaders to support their own staff and PLC teams at each school.

  4.0  Public Forum
  We did not receive any public comments.

• 5.0 New Business

  5.1 City of McMinnville Bond
  Zach Geary, speaking as both a city councilor and a parent in the district, shared an update on the community-led effort by the Political Action Committee for Parks and Recreation to support a proposed $98 million bond. This project has been in development since a 2019 Facilities Needs Assessment and focuses on key social infrastructure: a $72.5 million combined recreation and aquatic center, a $4.5 million senior center upgrade, a $4.5 million library expansion, $9 million for parks, $6 million for outdoor recreation at the new site, and $2 million for the old pool site. The recreation center will include pools, basketball courts, fitness areas, child care, and more, built on the Miller property across from McMinnville Water & Light, creating a major recreation hub.

  The senior center upgrade will improve safety, access, and usability, addressing long-overdue needs. The library improvements will expand the children’s area and public restrooms, key community services. The parks portion is guided by the city’s new 2024 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, aiming for broader, more accessible outdoor recreation by focusing on smaller, neighborhood-based parks. Outdoor additions at the new facility include pickleball courts, a turf field, and a non-motorized boat launch. Zach Geary emphasized opportunities for the city and school district to collaborate on shared facilities and programming, highlighting the bond’s broad community benefit.

  On motion by Director Jason Bizon, seconded by Director Doris Towery,  to support the Parks and Recreation projects as presented.  It was approved on a unanimous vote 7-0.  Director Lu Ann Anderson – aye, Director Christine Bader – aye – via Zoom, Director Abbie Warmbier – aye,  Chair Larry Vollmer – aye,   Vice-Chair Gerardo Partida – aye, Director Doris Towery – aye, and Director Jason Bizon – aye.

  Director Abbie Warmbier asked, “Do you have a deadline of when you need an endorsement?”  Zach Geary answered,” Yes. Very early in September, all of the paperwork is due for the voters pamphlet.”

  Director Christine Bader asked, “Should we amend the motion or would it be a secondary motion to say yay or nay to endorse this, but or if we would do a draft?”

  Mr. Geary advised that the Board leave it to the policy making body to write endorsement.

  The board continued to discuss and give their support to the projects.

  6.0  Board Directors Comments
  Vice Chair Partida expressed thanks and stated, it’s clear how dedicated the people working with us are, and that means a lot to our district. One of my favorite events each year is Welcome Back, because it’s a time when everyone is together in one place, full of energy and excitement.  He thanked  Councilor Zach Geary for everything he is doing with the bond project. It’s a great effort, and I’m hopeful and confident that it will pass.

  Director Anderson thanked Chair Vollmer and Superintendent Ferrua for the regular email updates and slide decks, saying they were informative and even revealed fun details like staff members’ favorite treats. She also gave a shout-out to Nutrition Services, praising their hard work over the summer preparing healthy meals and suggesting someone should taste-test the fruit popsicles, which looked great in Facebook posts.  She highlighted a McMinnville High School student, Rio Yannis, who was recognized in The Oregonian for being selected to Oregon State University’s pre-college journalism program, giving credit not just to the student but also to her teachers. She thanked  Councilor Zach Geary and his team for their work on the bond effort; she is confident in its success.

  Director Towery gave a big thank you to Brian Crain for all his hard work over the summer, preparing for the new school year and helping everything look great. She also expressed deep pride in the district’s efforts to support students and families, especially through the migrant education program, the special summer camp, and serving over 10,000 meals. At a time when funding cuts and food insecurity are affecting many, she praised the district for stepping up and making sure kids are fed and supported. She highlighted how important it is that the district is helping build a stronger, more inclusive community.  She also thanked Councilor Zach Geary and the PAC for their years of dedication to improving parks, recreation, and libraries, saying it’s exciting for the district to be a partner in that effort. She shared her excitement for Welcome Back Week, calling it one of her favorite times of the year because of the energy, positivity, and potential it brings.

  Director Warmbier stated that it was great to see a full room again and thanked the administrators for coming in person. She noted that it’s rare to have all building principals return to the same schools, and she believes that kind of leadership consistency will positively impact the schools. She also appreciated the principals’ early efforts in August to bring clarity and support to their staff.

  She added that seeing the marching band and sports practices starting up is a clear sign that summer is ending and the school year is getting underway.

  Director Bader thanked everyone for their work and said the presentations were clear and informative. She was struck by the Nutrition Services numbers and is curious whether the increase reflects greater need or improved ability to meet existing needs. She gave a big thank you to Joanna and her team, and welcomed Morgan, noting that feeding students is one of the most important things the district does outside the classroom.  She also thanked Director Crain for leading the response at Patton and offered support to make sure the Patton library, an important space for students, can fully recover. She thanked Councilor Zach Geary for working with the district on the bond project and said she’s glad the board can support it. 

  8.0 Announcements
  None

  Meeting Videos

  The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m.