School board

The Odessa School Board held a budget workshop in the district office at 6:30 p.m. on September 28 to review policies and procedures, followed by a regularly scheduled monthly meeting in the high school library at 7 p.m. Attending were board chaiman Ed Deife; board members Heather Valverde, Roland Singer, Janie Steward and Chris Crossley; superintendent Dan Read and business manager Juli Weishaar. Also present were operations supervisor Justin Parr, FBLA advisor and business teacher Terri King, student Zoe Clark, special education teacher Danielle Vesneske and Terrie Schmidt-Crosby of The Odessa Record. Principal Jamie Nelson was absent because she was attending a conference in Spokane.

Clark and King thanked the board members and administration for their continued support of the FBLA program. King said students, parents, school staff, administration, board members and the entire community all play a part in making the school’s FBLA program so successful.

The board approved the consent agenda which included the minutes of the August 23, 2016 regular meeting, September payroll warrants #609179-609201 and direct deposit warrants #900005002-900005059 for $243,975.08, transportation vehicle fund warrant #609202 for $98,012.19, general fund A/P warrants #609203-609274 for $139,195.23, ASB fund A/P warrants #609275-609291 for $14,571.30, general fund comp tax wire for $670.06, the resignation of Larry Moffet as junior-high head boys basketball coach, the volunteer coaching positions of Chris Shafer for assisting with high-school girls basketball and Troy and Denise Kissler for cross country, longevity supplemental contracts for 2016-2017 and travel for sixth-graders to attend Camp Wooten September 20-27, 2016.

Superintendent’s report

Read reported an enrollment of 226 full-time equivalent students for the first reporting period of the new school year.

He announced that Odessa High School was named a 2016 School of Distinction for sustained improvement in English language arts and math over a five-year period. English teacher Laura Caler and math teacher Travis Schuh will attend a recognition ceremony at ESD 101 on October 21.

Read reported that the legislative session that begins in January will have many implications for all school districts. He encouraged board members to attend the legislative conference in Olympia next February.

Read concluded by requesting that the board discuss and set the November and December board meeting dates now in order to accommodate holiday schedules.

Principal’s report

Nelson was attending a conference and provided no report.

Athletic Director’s report

Athletic director Bruce Todd was attending Harrington’s board meeting, so Read delivered his report. The report included an update on participant numbers for fall sports, WIAA rule changes regarding eighth-graders playing on high school teams and sixth-graders playing on junior high teams, updates on winter cheer and high school girls basketball coaching positions, rules regarding parents signing their child off co-op buses and safety concerns/facility improvements.

Todd concluded his report by recommending the board approve the resignation of Larry Moffet as the junior high head boys basketball coach and the hiring of LaRee Kuchenbuch as the high school assistant girls basketball coach.

Board reports

Deife requested that the board discuss the district’s state report card, found on the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website, at the next board workshop.

Legislative report

Read shared with the board his concerns with unfunded legislative mandates and changes being discussed to the state levy structure for schools.

Facilities report

Parr said the newly purchased bus will be put into service by mid-October.

Parr reported that the transformer switch which failed the night of the first home football game has been replaced by Avista. Repairs to the football scoreboard have also been completed.

Parr reported that damage was done to the softball field by the larger RVs over Fest weekend and that grass on the football field had helicopter rotor burn marks. Read said the ride operator had been warned not to land on the football field. The district will be reimbursed for damage incurred by the helicopter ride operator.

Financial report

Read presented the ASB balance sheet for August, as well as the financial activity reports for the general fund for August showing revenue at $350,126 and expenditures at $277,848 for an ending balance of $701,099.

Meeting dates

The next regular board meeting will be held Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the high school library, with a workshop scheduled at 6:30 p.m. before the regular meeting.

Per the board’s earlier discussion, the next two month’s meetings will take place Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at 7 p.m., with a workshop at 6:30 p.m. before the regular meeting and Wednesday, December 14, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. prior to the joint athletic co-op meeting in Harrington at 7 p.m. No board workshop is scheduled for the December meeting.

New business

The board approved Kelly Weber as a volunteer athletic trainer.

A donation to the Odessa FBLA chapter by the Stumpjumpers Motorcycle Club of $1,300 for services provided during the annual Stumpjumpers Desert 100 held in Odessa this past spring was accepted by the board.

The board approved Read’s report that the district is in compliance with the number of hours of educational offerings and graduation requirements stipulated by the State Board of Education.

Read informed the board that due to personal circumstances, Dr. Jerry Schwab had requested that his counseling services contract for the 2016-2017 school year be rescinded. Read said Kimberly Ryan will work additional hours to provide social and emotional counseling, in addition to academic counseling, to students in grades PK-12 as needed.

Read presented Policy #2410 on High School Graduation Requirements for first and second reading, noting that one minor change was made to the civics requirement.

The board approved the hiring of LaRee Kuchenbuch as the HS assistant girls basketball coach as recommended by athletic director Bruce Todd.