September 22, 2025 Work Session Meeting Minutes

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

The Work Session was held September 22, 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/97721628814

Provisional Minutes-Not Board Approved

At 6:30 p.m. the Board of Directors of McMinnville School District opened the work session meeting.  The meeting was called to order by Chair Larry Vollmer.  Roll call indicated the following:

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

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
Director Doris Towery

ADMINISTRATION
Kourtney Ferrua, Interim Superintendent
Cherice Bowden, Board Secretary

AUDIENCE
Brian Crain, Davey Altree, Jason Hall, Lauren Berg, Hiran Amerasinghe, Dave Furman, Heidi Vollmer, Jasmin Juarez, and Marie Wherry.

• Interview Candidates
  Chair Larry Vollmer welcomed everyone to the September 22, 2025, work session. He announced that the session would begin with interviews for an upcoming vacant school board seat. He noted there were two candidates in the audience and invited them to sit at the presentation table and he made sure that Susan could hear and understand what they were doing. He explained how the process would work.

  Board members asked the three candidates the following questions:

  1. Vice Chair Gerardo Partida asked: Have you served on a board or similar panel before, and if so, can you talk about that experience?
  2. Director Lu Ann Anderson asked: What is your experience, if any, developing and/or reviewing budgets?
  3. Chair Larry Vollmer asked: Stakeholder relationships are very important in this role.  Can you share your experience building consensus?
  4. Director Jason Bizon asked: What is your “why” for wanting to serve on this board?
  5. Director Christine Bader asked: Can you share some of your experiences using skills that are relevant to your understanding of the responsibilities of the board?
  6. Director Abbie Warmbier asked: There is a lot of data to review in this role.  What skills and experience do you bring in evaluating data?
  7. Chair Larry Vollmer asked: If you are appointed to serve on this board, would you consider running for this position in the next election in 2027?

  Question 1:
  Marie Wherry:
  She is currently serving on the board of the McMinnville Education Foundation. She is  involved in planning events like Runtoberfest and a wine dinner in February. She has been on that board for several years. Additionally, she was the treasurer of the Memorial PTA for a couple of years and is currently the president of the Duniway PTA.

  Susan Escure:
  She has served for many years on the Sunrise Rotary Board as treasurer, president, past president, and currently treasurer again, as well as being on the Rotary Foundation Board.  She was an early member of the KOB (Kids on the Block) Board after moving to McMinnville and working for the school district and assisted with the Mayor’s Ball.  As part of her rotary commitment, she headed up the scholarship committee, which awards scholarships to Chemeketa students and helped with the youth exchange program interviews this last year.  She also worked with Duniway MS service days at Airport Park.

  Jasmin Juarez:
  She has been a part of the Hispanic PTA for five years where she served as president and she is currently serving as the vice president for about three years.  She helps with festivals and choosing candidates for scholarships and goes out into the community.

  Question 2:
  Susan Escure:
  She began her career in 1987 as a CPA, working in that role for about five years. Then she became the controller for Portland Habilitation Center, a role similar to positions at organizations like Mid Valley or MD Advancements, managing budgets. Later, she moved to Rainier, Oregon, where she had her first experience in school finance as a business manager. Over the next 20 years, she worked with school budgets, primarily during times of recession and declining enrollment. In the later years before retirement, she was able to help add programs thanks to the Student Success Act.  She is currently serving on the Budget Committee for the McMinnville School District.

  Jasmin Juarez:
  She has budget management experience from her time as a restaurant manager and currently supports the Hispanic PTA treasurer with managing the PTA’s budget.

  Marie Wherry:
  She is a small business owner and has a bookkeeping business and is familiar with working with budgets.  Through the PTA she knows how to create a budget, work within a budget and analyze a budget.  She also worked in Lincoln City with the homeless families helping them create a home budget.

  Question 3:
  Jasmin Juarez:
  She shared that she tries to help people both by speaking up and by asking about their concerns and needs, something she has also done through her work with the Hispanic PTA.

  Marie Wherry:
  She thinks that the best way to build consensus is by being present in the community, attending local events to have face-to-face conversations. She emphasized the importance of gathering community input through direct interactions and tools like ParentSquare, aiming to hear as many voices as possible before meetings.

  Susan Escure:
  Based on her experience working with city, county, and community leaders, effective communication is key, especially ensuring everyone understands the issues being discussed, since people bring different perspectives. She emphasized the importance of school districts clearly sharing what they do well, noting that they often don’t promote their successes enough, which can lead to a lack of public awareness.  This could often help people on the outside understand the challenges that we have.

  Question 4:
  Marie Wherry:
  She shared that she serves a lot of groups in the community and she would like to give a voice to those groups.  Her second and main reason is a strong desire to give back to the community. Now that her kids are getting older and more independent, she feels she has the time to give back to the school community.

  Susan Escure:
  She shared that she’s always been someone who enjoys helping others. Although she began her career as a CPA, she found it unfulfilling and wanted work with a meaningful purpose. While school finance was challenging and not something she particularly enjoyed, she was energized by collaborating with the administrative team, hearing their challenges and celebrating their successes. She values public education and is seeking a volunteer role in retirement that both brings her joy and makes use of her experience. She believes serving on the board would be a great fit and said she would take the position seriously and be honored to serve alongside the other members.

  Jasmin Juarez:
  She shared that she is Brazilian and has a passion for helping others, especially by being a voice for those who may not feel heard. As a parent of a child with autism, she has learned to advocate not only for her son but for others as well. She believes many in our community are uncomfortable speaking up, and she hopes to serve as an additional voice for them.

  Question 5:
  Susan Escure:
  She thinks that the biggest skill is listening.  Being a member of a team and not speaking on behalf of the board.  She has sat in board meetings for 20 years and sat at the table with Rainier school board members and she understands a lot about the procedures and policies. She thinks that will be really helpful.

  Jasmin Juarez:
  She shared that having communication, patience and working with those in the community to build relations and helping people feel comfortable.  

  Marie Wherry:
  She shared that she is really good at organizing and making things more efficient. She does not  have a lot of experience in policymaking, but is a quick learner and I think that she would be an asset to make things more efficient on board.

  Question 6:
  Jasmin Juarez:
  She shared that, as a medical assistant, she was involved in coding.  She will take the time to ensure she fully understands the process.

  Marie Wherry:
  She shared that she is a bookkeeper and she has to analyze profit and loss statements, balance sheets and make sure her clients understand it.  She stated that she is very proficient in analyzing data, making it relatable to other people if they do not understand the numbers.

  Susan Escure:
  She explained that in her profession, she spent 34 years reviewing numbers, account codes, analyzing trends, and working with complex data. When she started in school finance, submitting data to the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) was simple, but over time it became much more detailed, with dozens of data fields per student. She took a deep interest in ensuring the accuracy of that data, especially because it directly impacted school funding (ADM and revenue). She said she’s very comfortable analyzing financial information, regulations, and complex policies.

  Question 7:
  Marie Wherry:

  She stated that as a parent it is hard to judge the future and make a decision right now, but she feels that if it is in the best interest for herself, her family, the community and the board, she would definitely consider it.

  Susan Escure:
  She stated that yes, she would and she plans to live in McMinnville forever.  She has no plans to move.

  Jasmin Juarez:
  She said, “Yes, yes I would”.

  Chair Vollmer asked the board members if they would like to deliberate tonight or at the October 13 business meeting.   The board decided that they would like to wait and deliberate at the October 13 business meeting and would likely set up a work session prior to the business meeting to deliberate.

   

   

• Division 22 Standards Overview
  Director Lauren Berg provided an overview of the district’s annual work to ensure compliance with the state’s Division 22 standards. These are approximately 50 state-mandated benchmarks that set the baseline expectations for the level of service school districts must provide. This year, the standards are organized differently, now grouped into five broad categories aligned with the state’s new accountability framework, rather than by traditional department areas. While the standards themselves haven’t changed significantly, how they’re categorized has. Examples include diploma requirements and curriculum adoption now falling under “high-quality learning,” and staff evaluations under “committed and supported staff.”

  She explained that her role involves working with district leadership to gather evidence showing compliance with each standard, including updated policies or procedures when applicable. This information is first presented to the school board at the October 13 business board meeting and then made publicly available and submitted to the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) by the November 15 deadline. If any standards are not met, the district must submit a corrective action plan, with the expectation to be fully compliant by the start of the next school year. The state will review submissions and provide feedback by January, followed by progress checks throughout the year to ensure alignment and final compliance by the following September.

  Subcommittee Proposals
  Interim Superintendent Ferrua explained that the purpose of the subcommittees is to allow for deeper exploration of specific district topics and trends, something not possible within the limited time of regular board meetings or work sessions. These subcommittees also support board development and strengthen collaboration between board members and the cabinet team. Participation is optional, and the subcommittees cover areas such as fiscal and human resources, long-range planning, which is especially important for upcoming bond work, instruction, including assessments and curriculum, policy, examining updates and OSBA recommendations and the District Advisory Committee, which fulfills new legislative requirements around equity and program oversight for all students.

  She clarified that these subcommittees are cabinet-focused, not decision-making bodies. Meetings are informational, with space for discussion and questions. All materials, agendas and presentations will be made available to the full board and admin team. Feedback from the subcommittees will be returned to the superintendent and cabinet for consideration and implementation, ensuring compliance with public meeting laws. Directors leading each subcommittee have already scheduled their meetings, and those dates will be shared in the upcoming Friday communication, along with an invitation for board members to sign up. Updates will be shared through weekly communications.  

  The board asked several clarifying questions, which Interim Superintendent Ferrua addressed and responded to.

  District Assessment Plan
  Davey Altree presented an overview of the district’s assessment plan for the current school year, emphasizing its foundation in academic rigor and alignment with state standards. She explained how the district uses common formative assessments (CFAs) to guide instruction, combined with evidence-based teaching strategies and collaborative work through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The assessment selection process prioritizes six key criteria: purposefulness, equity, alignment with 21st-century skills, social-emotional considerations, academic rigor, and system-wide alignment from pre-K through 12th grade. Altree highlighted that the district has a strong understanding among teachers about the difference between assessments for learning and assessments of learning and noted widespread use of nationally normed assessments like NWEA MAP across all grade levels.

  She also discussed areas for growth, including the implementation of new early reading assessments in elementary grades, aligned with the latest science of reading research. Efforts are underway to deepen alignment and rigor in CFAs, with targeted work beginning in October to ensure assessments are standards-based and instructional. She noted specific assessments at the elementary level: in literacy, tools like Amira and core reading assessments for K–2, and NWEA MAP for grades 3–5; in math, common formative assessments and fluency diagnostics; and in science, plans to develop new CFAs alongside existing OSAS state testing. The goal is a more coherent, research-informed assessment system that both supports student learning and informs effective teaching practices.

  She provided an overview of the assessment practices at the middle and high school levels. Both levels use common formative assessments (CFAs), NWEA MAP testing, OSAS (statewide assessments), and a district writing assessment (new this fall for middle school). In math and science, students are assessed through CFAs, MAP, and OSAS. Altree noted that the number of assessments varies by subject and grade level, and one of the district’s goals this year is to ensure that ELA and math CFAs are fully developed and ready for each unit by year’s end.

  Regarding how the data is used, she explained that most assessment data is for instructional purposes and not directly reflected in report cards, especially standardized tests like OSAS and MAP, which are separate from classroom curriculum. At the elementary level, assessments are used as part of a broader “basket of evidence” to inform grading. CFAs may influence grades more directly at the middle and high school levels, but they are still just one of several factors. She also noted that the Fontas & Pinnell reading assessment was discontinued for K–5 students and replaced by Amira and CORE reading tools. The district continues to use CFAs, MAP testing, and district writing assessments and is actively working to expand its CFA offerings.

  Advanced Placement Scores
  Assistant Principal Teresa Denney provided an in-depth overview of the Advanced Placement (AP) program at McMinnville High School, beginning with a general explanation of what AP is. She explained that AP courses are rigorous, college-level classes managed by the College Board, and students who perform well on the exams can earn college credit, saving both time and money. These courses not only prepare students academically for postsecondary education but also enhance college applications by demonstrating readiness for advanced coursework. McMinnville High currently offers 16 AP classes, with 460 students enrolled last year and 747 total exams taken, some students taking multiple AP classes simultaneously.

  She celebrated several AP student achievements, highlighting high scores in courses such as AP Government and Politics, AP Language and Composition, and AP Art, where students earned top-level scores, some in categories with very low global achievement rates. She also introduced a new AP Student Ambassador role at the school to promote the College Board’s BigFuture platform, which helps students with college readiness, scholarships, and career exploration. The school has seen consistent growth over the past four years in AP enrollment, exam participation, and pass rates. She clarified that AP exams are optional, but highly encouraged, with most students choosing to take them. Exams are standardized and taken during a specific two-week window in May across the globe.

  She also discussed the school’s efforts to expand access and equity in AP participation. While the College Board doesn’t track IEP or 504 status, McMinnville High ensures accommodations are provided during exams, with a growing number of students receiving support; 35 exams in 2024 and 46 in 2025 had accommodations. She attributed the program’s success to two main factors: outstanding and passionate teachers, and the school’s commitment to removing barriers, no prerequisites, financial assistance, and open access regardless of language, ability, or background. These inclusive practices have made the AP program more accessible and successful for a broader range of students.

  ASB Fee Schedule Adjustment
  Principal Dave Furman addressed the Board regarding a proposal to reduce the cost of the ASB (Associated Student Body) sticker. 

  He explained that the ASB sticker gives students benefits like free entry to athletic events and discounts on dances, participation has declined over time, currently at about 15% of students, a past requirement that club members buy the sticker was removed, which contributed to the drop in sales and funding loss for ASB and ASB students and advisor Lucy Bertolo initiated a conversation last spring about lowering the cost to make it more accessible. 

  Since the proposal came after the June fee schedule approval, it’s now being brought forward for consideration.  The plan is to reduce the fee from $47 to $30, aligning with similar schools like Sherwood and Forest Grove, Hillsboro is slightly lower at $20.  The goal is to run a campaign to boost participation, not just in buying the sticker, but in engaging more with school events.  It is a student-driven effort to make the ASB sticker more affordable and increase student involvement in campus life.

  It is being brought to the board as a 1st reading and will come back to the October 13, 2025 Business Board meeting as a 2nd reading for Board final approval.  

  The board engaged in discussion, offering comments and asking several clarifying questions, which Principal Dave Furman addressed and responded to.

  Board Retreat Follow Up
  Chair Larry Vollmer explained that the board has reviewed and edited several key documents based on input from participants and members. 

  These include:

  1. Working Agreements,  outlining how the board will operate as a group.

  2. Board Goals Document,  which has evolved to include board goals, superintendent goals, and district goals all in one.

  3. Interim Superintendent Evaluation Template, the format that will be used for the evaluation process.

  He noted that all three documents are linked in the current agenda and will serve as the working versions going forward. However, they can be updated or refined over time, especially during retreats, to better support the board’s ongoing work.

  Directors Comments
  Director Bader thanked all the individuals who applied for the board, noting the exceptional quality of the applicant pool and expressing a desire to include more if possible. She also extended appreciation to the community partners, staff, and teachers who made GrizzFest a success, highlighting it as a fun and inspiring event that showcased the wide range of opportunities available within and beyond the school. 

  Director Bizon noted the upcoming homecoming week festivities, including the Friday parade and football game, and expressed excitement for the events. He reflected on the complexity of understanding the various student assessments and acknowledged how overwhelming it can feel, even as a board member, to grasp which assessments matter most and what they indicate. He thanked the district staff for their efforts in keeping the board informed and helping them understand the district’s performance. He expressed condolences for the loss of Esther, a district employee from the Success Center, extending heartfelt thoughts to her family and colleagues.

  Vice Chair Partida shared his appreciation for GrizzFest, noting how enjoyable it was to see all the teachers and staff, and how much he values the event each year. He also expressed gratitude to Marie, Jasmine, and Susan for their contributions, emphasizing that one of the most rewarding aspects of being a board member is working to benefit students, which he described as the best part of the role.

  Director Anderson echoed the appreciation expressed by fellow board members and gave a special shoutout to the high school, noting the medals crew’s donation of fire pits and other items to the Yamhill County Historic Dinner auction, where the student-made items sold well and positively represented the district. She shared a personal reflection about Esther, expressing gratitude for a recent conversation they had and offering heartfelt condolences to her family and the high school staff.

  Director Warmbier reflected on Division 22 requirements, expressing gratitude that the district easily meets these foundational standards, which represent the basic “floor” for education, while holding much higher expectations overall. She acknowledged the significant, ongoing effort involved in maintaining curriculum, standards, and structured minutes across the district, an achievement worth celebrating even if it often goes unnoticed. She also praised GrizzFest and shared her anticipation for back-to-school night at Patton, expressing thanks to the staff who dedicate time to these events.

    Upcoming dates:

  • Board Business meeting October 13, 2025 and November 10, 2025
  • Work Session meeting October 27, 2025 and November 24, 2025

  The Session adjourned at 8:10 p.m.