Superintendent’s Update

Shared with the Corvallis School Board during the January 10, 2019 meeting

First-time Freshmen at OSU

While graduation rates for the 2017-18 school year will not be released until later this month, I am proud of that fact that approximately 70% of our students enroll in post-secondary school the fall after graduation. Information recently shared by Oregon State University shows that for students entering OSU as freshmen between 2009 and 2011, 70% from Crescent Valley and 75% from Corvallis High School graduated in 6 years.  For both high schools, this is higher than the state average of 65%.  While this is only one of the colleges and universities our students attend, OSU is the most common institution for enrollment and this is a strong measure of our students’ success in higher education. The summary reports are available at the links below.

• Profile of First-time Freshmen – Corvallis High School
• Profile of First-time Freshmen – Crescent Valley High School

Sustainability

Last month, Garfield Elementary students and staff were presented with the Oregon Green Schools Certificate of Merit. A plaque was presented to students in the Eco-Gecko Club, the school’s Green Team Committee, as well as the entire school for their sustainability efforts. Garfield had been an Oregon Green School at the entry level for 6 years when the Green Team decided to apply for merit level status last year. This process required school audits of water, energy, and waste; goal setting in various areas of sustainability; and showcasing the school’s sustainability projects. Congratulations to Garfield!

We are continuing our strategic planning work in the area of sustainability for the entire district and will be hosting a sustainability workshop for our school sustainability leaders and other district staff next week, to be followed by a community Sustainability Summit on February 13 at 6 pm.  Details about the event will be shared next week.

Bond Program Update

We are nearing completion of the pre-design phase of the bond program with the completion of the design principles that will inform the work of our school-based design advisory committees. The design principles report will be available on the district website and will be used by the school-based Design Advisory Committees. Committees at Garfield, Lincoln, and Hoover will begin meeting this month and next.

The Bond Oversight Committee will meet later this month. This group is in charge of monitoring the planned improvements, costs, schedule, and progress of the bond program. Committee meeting notes are available on the district website. Kim Patten is the staff liaison to that committee.

2019 Legislative Session

Earlier today, I met with the Instructional Days Work group, charged with providing all student with a longer school year. This committee will be developing a recommendation for the Governor by March 1, 2019.  I will provide another update to the school board on the progress of this committee next month.

Listed below are some of the recommendations that came from the Joint Committee on Student Success which align to the Corvallis School District Board goals (JCSS recommendations are in italics):

Student Achievement

Increase learning time by adding additional days to the school year.
Provide resources so students have access to summer learning programs.  

Equitable Systems

Provide funding for grow-your-own programs in which districts partner with educator preparation programs.

Real-World Learning

Fully fund Ballot Measure 98. Ballot Measure 98 was funded at $170 million for the 2017-19 biennium, representing approximately 60 percent of the amount the state would spend if it adhered to the $800 per high school student listed in the ballot measure itself.

Health and Wellness

Joint Committee on Student Success (JCSS) recommendation: Increase access to behavioral and physical health services by increasing the number of counseling, mental health, school nurses and other staff available to students.  

Establish a funding source/formula separate from the State School Fund specifically for school physical and mental health as well as for other “wrap around” and support services.

Provide greater access and connections for students and their families to wrap around and support services that address issues that prevent a student from reaching their full potential.