Eugene School District 4J

November 20, 2019
School Board Work Session and Regular Meeting

On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, the school board held a work session followed by a regular board meeting.

Latinx parents were invited to speak to the board to discuss their students’ needs, including additional support services. A group of high school students discussed concerns about cyberbullying, large class sizes, and a lack of tutoring and teachers of color at schools. The board read into the record a letter from local pediatricians about their concern about increasingly high levels of anxiety, depression and behavioral problems among their young patients.

The school board’s regular meeting followed the work session.

Information Items (no board action is expected to be taken)

• Received information on student walkout protests: The discussion was prompted by a student walkout during the September global climate strike. Eugene School District 4J has a long-established and consistent response to student walkout demonstrations, regardless of the purpose or the viewpoints being expressed. No matter what the topic, the district does not condone walkouts or other demonstrations that disrupt the learning environment. However, students are not prevented from leaving their high school or middle school to participate in a demonstration, and there are no school-based disciplinary consequences for simply participating in a peaceful walkout protest. Students’ attendance is recorded accurately with an unexcused absence, as it would be if they chose to be absent for other reasons. 
• Received an update on the design of the new Edison Elementary School: Edison, 4J’s oldest school building, is one of three schools that will be rebuilt thanks for the $319 million bond measure that local voters approved in November 2018. Design work is ongoing. While the new school will be larger than the old building, community input has favored preserving as much green space as possible and providing community gathering space in the limited space available on the school site. 
• Received an update on the planning process for local implementation of the Student Success Act: 4J is projected to receive about $12–13 million in new revenue starting in the 2020–21 school year from the Student Success Act, a new business tax that Oregon lawmakers approved in 2019. The funds must be targeted to increase academic achievement, close gaps between groups of students and meet students’ mental and behavioral health needs. The district is completing a needs assessment—including identifying gaps in educating and serving students of color, students with disabilities and students navigating poverty, homelessness and other challenges—before seeking additional community input and developing the plan for use of these new funds.
• Received quarterly financial update

Board Actions

• Approved board policy update to provide free menstrual products in school bathrooms: The board unanimously approved a policy revision to reflect that the district will provide free menstrual products in all girls’ and gender-neutral bathrooms in middle and high schools.
• Determined board vote for OSBA Board: Board of Directors (Regional Representative) and Legislative Policy Committee
• Approved items on the consent agenda: The board unanimously approved meeting minutes and three other items on the consent agenda: Purchase of classroom audio systems, ratification of contract award for Willard Swing School demolition project, and approval of state revenue request from Lane Education Services District

Items for Future Action (board action is expected at a later meeting)

• Considered resolution adopting supplemental budget for the 2019–20 fiscal year: State law allows school districts to adjust their current-year budget to reflect unanticipated revenues and expenses.

Public Input

32 people provided public comment to the board, including comments regarding:

• Scheduling to facilitate student observance of Jewish holidays
• Free menstrual products at schools
• Inclusive classrooms
• Standardized testing
• Co-location of Yujin Gakuen Elementary School at Kelly Middle School
• Vandalism at Churchill High School baseball facilities
• Supporting high school baseball in south Eugene
• Student safety
• Promoting music education

Agenda and Materials

Nov. 20 work session recording

Nov. 20 board meeting recording

NOTE:  This is a quick summary of the topics and actions at a meeting of the school board. It is NOT the official minutes of the school board. Official minutes are posted after they are drafted by the minutes recorder, reviewed and approved by the board at a following meeting. Recordings of meetings are posted within two days after the meeting. 

School Board Meeting Schedule & Information

Summaries of Other School Board Meetings