School Board meets in person

The school board meeting on Feb. 22 was conducted partially in-person for the first time in almost a year. This is now possible due to the relaxed health safety requirements for Chelan County in Phase 2 of the Governor’s recovery plan. Superintendent Tracey Beckendorf-Edou and board members Trey Ising, Judy Derpack, Cyndi Garza and Zach Miller met in the board room while board member Cindy Puckett and other staff and community members connected over Zoom.

During public input, Marlene Farrell, representing Cascade Medical Foundation (CMF), shared a statement of gratitude on behalf of CMF for fourth graders Amelia Morgan and Nora Bedard for their impactful fundraising of $100 for the hospital.

Brett Johnson, Special Education Director, gave an update on the Special Services department. He began by saying he was honored to represent the diverse and hardworking staff of this department. He shared that their mission revolves around the idea of “Equitable opportunity, meaningful experience.”

Special education students were the first to return to the buildings during the pandemic for needed educational support. “The staff rose to the challenge of keeping it safe for students and others,” said Johnson. He recognized the key collaboration of other staff, including transportation director Tim Bentz and facilities director Teresa Disher.

The counselors Dani Steele at IRMS and Katie Schmitten at CHS conducted universal mental health surveys of students in the fall, working hard to get a high response rate. Students whose responses showed socio/emotional or basic needs were given support right away.

Grants have been very beneficial for special services, and in particular, in the area of inclusionary practices. A lot of the funds will cover technology needs of the department, but also includes deaf education consultation and C-pen readers, which help new readers with pronunciation.

Aaron Simon serves as liaison between the City’s Parks & Recreation Service Area (PRSA) board and the school district, and he shared the latest PRSA news. The pool will be able to open this year with no change in fee schedule. They will be installing a new slide to replace the removed diving board. Local tax funds will cover triangular shade sails and more tables, umbrellas and seating. They will probably pave over the small grassy area inside the pool fence. An all-season pool dome is still part of the long-range plans. Finally, they are hiring a part-time coordinator who will help with levy planning and expanding recreational opportunities.

Next, the board approved the resignation of kindergarten teacher Caitlin Knox and the hire of PD Elementary paraprofessional Ellen Martinson.

The board had a short discussion before approving the first reading of policy 6701, which relates to wellness. Beckendorf-Edou explained that wellness falls into two policies now: 6700, which deals with guidelines from the state and mostly centers around nutrition; and 6701 for local concerns such as working toward a new greenhouse at the high school, maintaining a wellness committee and a recommendation that fundraisers aren’t food-based.

The board also approved the sale of surplus materials and furnishings, mostly from the Osborn building. Dwight Remick, executive director of finance and operations, explained that other school districts will have thirty days to purchase the surplus, and then leftovers will be available to the general public. On a separate note, Remick noted the annual audit will begin shortly, lasting about six weeks.

Before adjourning the meeting, Beckendorf-Edou and the board members expressed their deep gratitude to the community for passing both levies. The results, with over 62% approval of both levies, have been certified.