June 9, 2025 Business Board Meeting Minutes

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

The Board Business Meeting was held June 9, 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 6:31 p.m., the Board of Directors of McMinnville School District opened the Budget Hearing meeting.  The meeting was called to order by Chair Mr. Jason Bizon.

Chair Bizon asked if there were any public comments.
There were no public comments in person, nor did we receive any public comments via email.

The meeting adjourned at 6:32 p.m.

At 6:32 pm, the Board of Directors of McMinnville School District opened the board business meeting in Regular Session. The meeting was called to order by Chair Jason Bizon.

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

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
None

ADMINISTRATION
Steffanie Frost, Acting Superintendent
Cherice Bowden, Board Secretary

Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Kylie Abon, Shailee Ortiz and Shiloh Ghinazzi.

AUDIENCE
Martha Biggs, Vicki Brown, Dave Furman, Scott Murphy, Stephanie Murdock, Kourtney Ferrua, Davey Altree, Lauren Berg, Hilary Brittan Lack, Allison Eitzen, Shelly Simonyi, Laurie Fry, Brian Crain, Hiran Amerasinghe and Jason Hall.  See attached. 

• 1.4  Introductions and Communications
  There were no introductions or communications from Acting Superintendent Steffanie Frost.

  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:  Dean & Debbie Klaus donated $2,000.00 to MHS in Memory of Dustin Klaus, Dale & Rita Bills donated $200.00 to MHS for boys tennis, Sandra Burger donated $1,000.00 to MHS for the life skills ASB account, Mariellen Rich donated $100.00 to MHS for boys tennis, Ulista J Brooks Rev Living Trust donated $$15,000.00 to MHS for pathway & future educator scholarships, Reta VanVorst donated $100.00 to MHS for boys tennis, George & Shelli Wainwright donated to Memorial ES furniture worth $37,000.00 for an inviting environment, Tayd Bills donated $250.00 to MHS for boys tennis, Annette Burich Dunn donated $100.00 to MHS boys tennis, Amanda Marshall donated $100.00 to MHS for boys tennis, Creative Metal Works donated to MHS fabrication rolling machine and misc materials for the fabrication and wood shop worth $5,800.00, Leslie Thomopson donated $100.00 to MHS for the resource room, Honey Pie Pizza donated $2160.00 to MHS for the Poetry Club, First Federal donated $150.00 to MHS for the ASB Leadership Fun Run and Toni Rickards donated $250.00 to MHS for boys tennis.  

  2.2  Approval of minutes of the May 2, 2025 Special Board meeting, May 7, 2025 Special Board meeting, May 12, 2025 Business Board meeting and May 19, 2025 Work Session meeting approved.

  2.3  Personnel Actions approved.

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

  3.0 REPORTS
  The Board heard Monthly Reports.

  3.1 Student Report Grandhaven ES
  Principal Scott Murphy shared a presentation and  explained that it was developed through a Professional Learning Community (PLC) process, where staff reviewed MAP testing data to understand student progress. The data compared student growth and achievement, revealing that while the school was performing well in terms of growth, achievement levels were slightly below national norms. The fifth-grade classrooms showed significant growth from fall to winter, prompting a deeper discussion among staff about what contributed to that improvement. Student ownership was the key factor. He stated that when students set learning goals, track their progress, and reflect on their outcomes, they become more engaged, motivated, and confident in their abilities.

  Principal Scott Murphy states that at Washer, the focus is not only on academic outcomes but also on the effort, perseverance, and independence that students demonstrate. Recognizing effort encourages resilience and helps students internalize the belief that they can improve through their own initiative. This concept of student ownership fosters a sense of agency and purpose, leading students to understand the “why” behind their learning. By celebrating this ownership, the school nurtures a growth mindset and deeper learning. To illustrate this, Murphy invited board members to engage directly with students who brought their goal-setting charts, offering an opportunity to see firsthand the impact of these practices on student development.

  He states that they are proud of the students at Wascher, not just for what they have accomplished but for the mindset that they are building; the mindset that says I can grow, I can improve and I can be in charge of my learning.  See presentation.

  3.2  Superintendent’s Report
  Acting Superintendent Steffanie Frost expressed her appreciation for the McMinnville School District retirees.  She highlighted their dedication, years of service, and the positive impact they’ve had on students. She emphasized the importance of publicly recognizing these individuals for their commitment and contributions to the district and for their hard work and lasting influence on the school community.  She shared the names of each retiree, the school they work at and their years of service.

  For graduation, Acting Superintendent Frost highlighted the army of people that spent hours and hours to make sure that McMinnville High School seniors had an amazing experience.  She thanked the teams for all of their hard work and gave a special thanks to the teaching staff and support staff. 

  Acting Superintendent Frost also thanked the Board for their support.  She commented that she has been in the role for a very short period of time, the professionalism and care that the Board has taken to help support her and have her be successful in the role is really appreciated.  She thanked the entire administrative team, the district Cabinet leadership team and commented that we are doing this work together; it takes the whole team.  It has been a whole team effort.

  3.3  Director of Fiscal Services’ Report
  Director Hall shared the current student enrollment as of June 1, 2025. “Our enrollment is under projection at 6,116 (a 3.9% 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 32 students withdrew from the district. 75% of the withdrawals were students categorized as Not Enrolled/Status Unknown (10-day drop) or moved out of state or country. Another 9% withdrew due to moving out of the district, while 12% enrolled in an Online Charter School, Home School or Private School.  3% withdrew for personal or academic reasons.  He gave an update on the finance report for April.  As of now we are at 94% of our budgeted revenue and 63% of our budgeted expenditures.  The final State School Fund payment will come in May that will include our adjustment for the 2023-24 school year.  

  Director Anderson asked, “For the payment that’s coming in May from 2023-24, do we anticipate it to be flat, increased, or decreased?”

  Director Hall answered, “We received an adjustment for the 2023-24 State School Fund payments. I believe it was around a million dollars, which was up.” 

  Acting Superintendent Frost clarified with Director Hall that the funds have already been allocated in the approved budget.  Director Hall confirmed by saying, “Yes.”  He also informed the Board that the interim audit work was started the last week of May and was completed last Wednesday.  The auditors are planning to do their final audit work the week of September 22.

  4.0 Public Forum
  We received one public comment from Melanie Martinoff who sent her comment to each board member prior to the meeting for them to review.  She shared School Board and school district expectations as well as some concerns on several items which she listed out. She shared School Board expectations she retrieved from the OSBA website.

• 5.0 Unfinished Business

  5.1 Health Adoption 2nd Reading
  Director Kourtney Ferrua presented the Health Adoption for a second reading to the Board.  She states that this is the final step in the adoption of health curriculum this year.  Director Kourtney Ferrua shared that the selection of the new health curriculum has been a months-long process involving collaboration among teams of elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Using the state framework and approved curriculum list, the teams selected The Great Body Shop for elementary, Goodheart-Willcox for middle school, and Live Well for high school. Director Kourtney Ferrua made a recommendation to the Board to approve these curriculum choices and move forward with purchasing them for implementation in September.

  On motion by Director Larry Vollmer, seconded by Director Gerardo Partida, the motion passed unanimously to accept and approve Director Ferrua’s recommendation  from the committee to move forward with purchasing The Great Body Shop for elementary, Goodheart-Wilcox for middle school and Live Well for high school for implementation in September as presented.  Director Larry Vollmer – aye, Director Gerardo Partida – aye, Director Christine Bader – aye, Director Doris Towery – aye, Director Lu Ann Anderson – aye Vice Chair Abbie Warmbier – aye and Chair Jason Bizon – aye.  The vote passed 7-0.

  6.0  New Business

  6.1  Student Fees
  Director Hall gave an overview of the proposed fee schedule for the 2025-26 school year. He states that for the most part things are pretty stable and was kind of the same for the 2025-26 school year.  There were adjustments made for the middle school yearbook, some in nutrition services to align with the reimbursement rates that we need to charge for those and Bear Hugs to align.

  6.2  Resolution 01-2025
   2025-2026 Budget Adoption Approval
  Director Jason Hall presented Resolution 01-2025, Adopting the Budget for Board final approval.  Chair Jason Bizon read each section for Resolution 01-2025, Adopting the Budget and motioned to approve the final 2025-2026 Budget for adoption.  

  On motion by Chair Jason Bizon, seconded by Director Larry Vollmer,  to approve Resolution 01-2025 for the final adoption of the 2025-2026 Budget as presented.  It was approved on a unanimous vote.   Director Larry Vollmer – aye, Director Gerardo Partida – aye, Director Christine Bader – aye, Director Doris Towery – aye, Director Lu Ann Anderson – aye Vice Chair Abbie Warmbier – aye and Chair Jason Bizon – aye.  The vote passed 7-0.

  7.0  Board Directors Comments
  Director Towery shared highlights from an exciting few weeks across the district, celebrating the many positive events and accomplishments. She attended the JOY concert at Wascher Elementary and was especially moved by the young string players, noting the joy of families and the impressive progress of second-year students. She also visited the Young Authors event at Willamette Elementary, where students proudly shared their stories, and she thanked the McMinnville Education Foundation for supporting such enriching programs.  She also praised the AVID students for their inspiring presentations and future aspirations, calling it an amazing experience. She described graduation as a moment of pure joy and expressed gratitude to the entire district for supporting students throughout their academic journey. She gave a heartfelt congratulations to all retirees, thanking them for their dedication and wishing them happiness and relaxation in retirement.

  Director Vollmer shared his appreciation for being invited to join the Food Service Department at Oaks Park on the Magic Food Service Bus. He had a great time handing out lunches, water, and popsicles to students, calling it a fun and memorable experience.  He also spoke with parents and staff from other districts who were impressed by McMinnville’s food service bus and curious about how it was created. He highlighted how meaningful it was to offer hot, prepared meals instead of basic sack lunches and called it one of his favorite volunteer experiences this year. He thanked everyone who encouraged him to participate.

  Director Anderson shared her joy in attending the Parade of Graduates, visiting both elementary and  middle schools.  She especially enjoyed a creative video from Wascher Elementary showing young students entering and seniors exiting. She highlighted the happiness on the younger students’ faces and a touching moment when a graduate proudly wore a handmade sign from an elementary student. She praised the graduation ceremony as wonderful from start to finish.  She congratulated the retirees, sharing that she had the pleasure of working with some of them and wished everyone a joyful and restful summer.

  Director Bader shared that there is so much going on and so much fun in the last couple of weeks. She attended the Patton summer send-off, the MEF Mini Grant celebration. The  AVID banquet,  she met authors  at Wascher and Willamette. She gave a special shout-out to the Dunaway Middle School team for earning a meritorious designation in an International Math Competition. She also shared important information from Unidos, urging families to attend a “Know Your Rights” training in Newberg on June 18 and to be aware of their immigration support hotline, especially in light of recent ICE detentions in Yamhill County. She stressed the urgency of getting legal help quickly in such situations. Finally, she thanked all staff and volunteers who helped make graduation and grad night successful, noting how much effort goes into wrapping up the school year.

  Director Partida thanked Steffanie Frost for stepping back into an important role, wishing her good luck and expressing appreciation for her contributions. He also praised Principal Scott Murphy and the program at Wascher Elementary, sharing how impressed he was that students could clearly explain their goals and progress, showing real growth and excitement. Lastly, he complimented the graduation ceremony, calling it beautiful and well-organized, with great weather and an overall improved experience compared to past years, despite a few small distractions.

  Vice Chair Warmbier expressed disappointment in the lack of progress at the State level for education funding, despite earlier hopes and calls to stop unfunded mandates. She noted a current proposal for unemployment for striking workers that could further strain school budgets and encouraged public comment before it’s voted on. She praised the Parade of Graduates as a favorite event, especially watching high schoolers return to inspire younger students. She also enjoyed attending the MEF Awards, recognizing how teachers use extra funding to enhance learning. A highlight for her was helping with a cow eye dissection, a fun and educational moment with curious fourth graders. She thanked Director Frost for her 10 years of service and leadership, and Chair Bizon for two years of effective board guidance.

  Chair Bizon highlighted the vital role the community plays in supporting district events like graduation, grad night, and the downtown parade. He emphasized that none of these celebrations would be possible without the financial generosity and involvement of local businesses and community members. He also pointed out several generous donations listed in the board’s consent agenda and encouraged everyone to thank those donors whenever they get the chance.

  8.0  Future Agenda Items
  None.  Chair Bizon informed the Board to send any future agenda items to the Acting Superintendent, Steffanie Frost, the Board Secretary, Cherice Bowden or to himself.

   9.0  ANNOUNCEMENTS
  There were no announcements

  The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.  

  The Board took a five minute break and entered into an executive session meeting.