November 16, 2022
School Board Regular Meeting
On Wednesday, November 16, the school board held a regular meeting. The sessions were open to the public via live video on Zoom, live audio stream, and radio broadcast on KRVM 1280-AM and 98.7-FM.
Superintendent Andy Dey discussed the safety and well-being of students and staff, one of his top priorities for the school year. He noted 4J’s initiatives to assign teams of teachers and administrators to some schools as well as bring in newly hired educational assistants with additional training to support students. He also discussed programs to support students’ mental health in partnership with community providers and the work to make 4J’s schools and other buildings more secure (watch).
• Received update on equity trainer selection process (watch): Nine individuals or firms have applied to be 4J’s new equity trainer. Board members will score the candidates. The three candidates who receive the most points will be invited for interviews on December 14. District staff presented information about the selection process and next steps.
• Received update on library pilot project (watch): Last May, board members added money to the budget this school year for a five-year pilot program to hire and place three full-time teacher-librarians at three of 4J’s highest-need elementary schools to support student literacy. District staff provided an update on the initiative.
• Received update on Student Investment Account spending (watch): District staff provided a report on how 4J is using SIA revenues, which are funded through the Student Success Act. State lawmaker approved the legislation in 2019 to provide additional money for K–12 schools in Oregon to support student learning and well-being.
• Discussed board working agreements (watch): Board members annually review, affirm and revise board working agreements, which spell out the guidelines and expectations among and between the individual board members, the superintendent, and district staff for carrying out their duties. Board Chair Maya Rabasa provided information about which portions of the working agreements are mandates rather than guidelines to assist the upcoming discussions about the document.
• Approved items on the consent agenda (watch): The board approved a new three-year labor agreement with the union representing 4J’s classified employees, the purchase of new network infrastructure, and the official minutes of the November 2 board meeting. The vote was unanimous.
• Approve resolution on measures to address security and disruption in board meetings (watch): Board resolution 2023-05 ensures that in-person public meetings of the board are held in a manner that that is healthy and safe for community members, students, staff. Under the resolution, the board chair may order additional safety measures necessary for in-person public meetings, and they may choose to recess the meeting, go to a virtual meeting format, or adjourn and reschedule for another date, depending on the safety and health concerns present. The resolution takes effect immediately and expires on June 30, 2023 unless rescinded or extended further. Board members unanimously approved the resolution after changing the resolution’s title to replace “safety” with “security.”
• Approved legislative priorities from the Oregon School Boards Association’s legislative committee (watch): OSBA’s Legislative Policy Committee develops the association’s legislative priorities and principles ahead of legislative sessions. The priorities and principles are subject to approval by the association’s members including 4J. The vote approving the legislative priorities and principles was 6–1, with board member Laural O’Rourke voting no.
• Approved resolution to board complaint (watch): The board earlier discussed in executive, or nonpublic session, a complaint filed against three people identified as Person 1, Person 2 and Person 3. The complaint was filed using 4J’s uniform complaint procedure outlined in Board Policy KL–AR.
The board voted to pull out Person 1 from the complaint because it had no jurisdiction to take action. The vote was unanimous.
Secondly, the board voted to dismiss Person 2 and Person 3 from the complaint, as well as take the following actions: commit to review its adopted policies to ensure rules related to addressing harassment and racism at board meetings are adequate and clear; continue its work anti-racism work; and define when free speech crosses the line into speech that advocates for hate and/or violence. The vote was 6-1, with board members Laural O’Rourke voting no.
Earlier, the board voted to act on the motions with two separate votes rather than a single vote. The vote to separate the motions was 5–2, with board members Maya Rabasa and Gordon Lafer voting no.
• Discussed superintendent performance evaluation goals (watch): Superintendent Andy Dey outlined his proposed goals for consideration by the board during its upcoming work to evaluate his job performance.
• Discuss Oregon School Board Association anti-racist resolution (watch): The board recently voted unanimous to submit an anti-racist resolution to OSBA. The resolution notes OSBA’s staff does not reflect the racial diversity of 4J’s board, boards across the state and, more importantly, the students and families 4J serves. Board members are asking OSBA to commit to diversifying its workforce in general and their executive team in particular.
• Discussed OSBA legislative priorities (watch): Board members discussed the priorities they’d like to focus on when the legislative session in Salem begins in January.
• Discussed a return to in-person board meetings (watch): Board members have been meeting virtually since last spring, and Board Chair Maya Rabasa outlined a proposal for a return to in-person board meetings. The board plans to follow a hybrid model, where board members, staff and community members can choose to attend the meetings in-person or virtually, following in the footsteps of school boards in other communities in Oregon.
The board heard live public comment virtually via Zoom (watch). Five people spoke about student behavior, student safety, parental involvement and special education programs. To request to provide public comment to the school board, community members may complete an online request form by the Monday before the next regular board meeting. Community members also may send comments via email to board@4j.lane.edu.
November 16 regular board meeting materials
November 16 board meeting audio recording
November 16 board meeting video recording
NOTE: This is a quick summary of the topics and actions at a meeting of the school board. This document is NOT the official minutes of the school board. Official minutes are posted after they are drafted, reviewed and approved by the board. Audio recordings of meetings are typically posted within two days after the meeting.
El superintendente Andy Dey habló sobre la seguridad y el bienestar de los estudiantes y el personal, una de sus principales prioridades para el año escolar. Señaló las iniciativas de 4J para asignar equipos de maestros y administradores a algunas escuelas, así como traer asistentes educativos recién contratados con capacitación adicional para apoyar a los estudiantes. También habló sobre los programas para apoyar la salud mental de los estudiantes en asociación con los proveedores de la comunidad y el trabajo para hacer que las escuelas y otros edificios del 4J sean más seguros (ver).
La junta votó para sacar a la Persona 1 de la denuncia porque no tenía jurisdicción para tomar medidas. La votación fue unánime.
En segundo lugar, la junta votó para desestimar a la Persona 2 y a la Persona 3 de la denuncia, así como a tomar las siguientes medidas: comprometerse a revisar sus normas adoptadas para garantizar que las reglas relacionadas con el abordaje del acoso y el racismo en las reuniones de la junta sean adecuadas y claras; continuar su trabajo contra el racismo; y definir cuándo la libertad de expresión cruza la línea y se convierte en un discurso que aboga por el odio y/o la violencia. La votación fue 6-1, con los miembros de la junta Laural O’Rourke votando no.
Anteriormente, la junta votó para actuar sobre las mociones con dos votos separados en lugar de un solo voto. La votación para separar las mociones fue de 5 a 2, los miembros de la junta Maya Rabasa y Gordon Lafer votaron no.
La junta escuchó comentarios públicos en vivo virtualmente a través de Zoom (ver). Cinco personas hablaron sobre el comportamiento de los estudiantes, la seguridad de los estudiantes, la participación de los padres y los programas de educación especial. Para solicitar proporcionar comentarios públicos a la junta escolar, los miembros de la comunidad pueden completar un formulario de solicitud en línea antes del lunes anterior a la próxima reunión ordinaria de la junta. Los miembros de la comunidad también pueden enviar comentarios por correo electrónico a board@4j.lane.edu.
Materiales de la reunión regular de la junta del 16 de noviembre
Grabación de audio de la reunión de la junta del 16 de noviembre
Video de la reunión de la junta del 16 de noviembre
NOTA: Este es un breve resumen de los temas y acciones en una reunión de la junta escolar. Este documento NO es el acta oficial de la junta escolar. Las actas oficiales se publican después de que son redactadas, revisadas y aprobadas por la junta. Las grabaciones de audio de las reuniones generalmente se publican dentro de los dos días posteriores a la reunión.