Brought to you by the “Vote Yes for schools measure” Vernonia school bond committee
Look for the complete design of our new schools in the upcoming July issue of the paper.

Just eighteen months after the worst natural disaster most of us have experienced, we’re faced with one of the biggest opportunities Vernonia has ever seen. A school system to replace our three damaged schools, increased viability for our town and the potential 250%-300% return on community invest-ment.

Passing the bond will demonstrate Vernonian’s commitment to this community, lining Vernonia up for even more grant consideration, to include govern-ment stimulus funds, for much needed infrastructure upgrades such as our sewer and water system and the opportunity thru bio fuel to reduce our electrical rates.

We hope the following Q & A will address many top-of-mind questions about this most critical decision. We hope you will vote YES for the bond, not only for the children of this community, but for the future and prosperity of the entire community.

Q: Why do we have to pass a bond if we are getting stimulus money?
A: Basically two reasons: One, projected insurance payment to the district and FEMA funds have never been enough to repair, replace and bring up to code everything that was destroyed or lost to the flood. A bond was always going to be needed regardless of whether we moved the schools to a new site or stayed at the current location. The second part is that stimulus money will be awarded in part, in the form of matching grants.

Q: How is stimulus money given to Vernonia?
A: The Governor chose Vernonia as one of three major projects statewide and will act as our “sponsor” when we apply for the stimulus funds. These funds will come in the form of grant monies awarded for specific projects for sity and school renewal opportunities.

Q: Does the government give us one big check?
A: We will not be getting one lump sum, rather each project gets paid for as it is approved.

Q: How does stimulus money help the City of Vernonia and the School District?
A: The stimulus funds will help in enabling the City and the School District to repair, upgrade and replace systems and facilities that otherwise would remain outdated, unhealthy and damaged unless a major tax bond burden was placed upon the community. The stimulus money will allow Vernonian’s to pick up only a fraction of the tab of these recovery costs and has our town becoming an example of how rural communities cannot only survive but can get ahead of the curve and thrive.

Q: How much will a $13 Million bond cost me? (Note here that figures given are estimated because the loan rate is locked on the day the bond sells, actual $/1000 can be slightly lower or higher on that day)
A: The estimated cost of the bond is $1.90 per $1,000.00 of Real Market Value (RMV) of your real estate. See examples below:
If your assessed value is $150,000.00 then you can expect your property taxes to rise by approximately $23.75 per month or $285.00 per year
If your assessed value is $200,000.00 then you can expect your property taxes to rise by approximately $3l.67 per month or $380.00 per year
If your assessed value is $300,000.00 then you can expect your property taxes to rise by approximately $47.50 per month or $570.00 per year
If your assessed value is $400,000.00 then you can expect your property taxes to rise by approximately $63.30 per month or $760.00 per year

Q: Why should I vote to pass a school bond? What will it do for me?
A: Schools keep a community vital, including attracting new tax payers, businesses and adequate healthcare. Our schools also act as the social hub of the community with many sporting and social events which are particularly important for a rural community. Without an adequate population all of these things can go away. The pas-sage of the bond is also a signal to those other parties willing to support Vernonia’s recovery that we are willing to pay our share and “do the work:. If you value living in Vernonia, and revitalizing your town with better infrastructure, safe, modern schools, better roads, better planning and design for the future then you will benefit.

The facts: The school district is the largest employer in Vernonia. It is also a fact that when people look in to moving to an area the look at the schools as a major “livability factor” which in turn affect property values. It is no secret that our enrollment in the school district is down from September of 2007 when the enrollment was 67 students and now post flood our enrollment is at 620 students as of April of 2009. The district is given $5,999.00 per student enrolled from the Federal Government wich translates to a projected lo9ss of revenue of nearly $462,0900.00 or about 7% of next years budget.

Schools are a mirror of the community, if we are shrinking and unwilling to invest to revitalize the “heart” of the town then who will be left to rejuvenate the rest? The return on our investment is a one time opportunity for our community, stimulus funds are a ONE SHOT DEAL. If you want to invest a dollar in your city and schools and have a $2—$3 return then this is the time!

Q: What does green mean?
A: For our schools, green means designing the building around the site and it’s specific uses to maximize the buildings functions, minimize the costs of heating, lighting, utilities and lower daily operating and overall maintenance costs. Basically “Vernonia School’s Green” means building facilities that use the surroundings and the most cost effective design and methods to save our natural resources and money both today and over the next 200 years. This is an important investment by the community in the community and everyone at the district and the City take the stewardship of our public monies very seriously.

Q: What happens to the existing school site?
A: Our current site is needed for classes and sports events until the entire school district can be moved out of harms way. When new facilities are secured, then the current property/facilities will be looked at as any other realty asset that the district owns. Part of moving the schools to the boot site may include a partial land swap with the City for some ball parks. The schools may need to maintain some or all of the current sports fields at the Bridge Street location. There are several buildings that can be sold or leased that can generate income for the district and help put money back into the budget. Once the schools are relocated a serious discussion of what is best financially for the district and in the best interest for the future planning of the town will occur.

Q: What will happen to Spencer Park?
A: Spencer Park is currently slated to come into the new school site; in exchange, some of the current Bridge Street site will be made into community ball fields.

Q: What happens if a bond for schools does not pass? Is there a plan B?
A: The gravity of the situation is that we are currently living plan B. The financial reality after insurance payout and FEMA funds is that the school district has been left with a gaping visible hole in our facilities and our finances. We also are currently paying an annual tab of $170,000.00 for the rental of the modules which now house our jr. and sr. high students and the cost to insure our current schools against flood will be astronomical if not impossible to obtain. If this bond does not pass then tax payers will be faced with another and unfortunately larger proposed bond in each of the next election cycles until the schools are rebuilt. If the bond fails, we can also say goodbye to any additional stimulus funds, donations, earmarks or grant monies that so many wonderful people have been fighting to get us over the past 17 months.

VERNONIA SCHOOL DISTRICT 47J


March 12, 2009

Maintenance Supervisor Position

Tom Ramsey was hired as our new Maintenance Supervisor. He began work on February 23rd.

Vernonia Education Foundation (VEF)

We are still working on finalizing the paperwork for tax exempt status. Once we have that taken care of we plan on transferring the remaining donated funds to the VEF account. Those funds will then be available next year to staff through a mini-grant application process.

Legislative Lobbyist
Last week I had a conference call with Jim Johnson from the city, Tony Hyde from the county, and our lobbyist in DC. We discussed his activities and began establishing priorities for him to work on. The President yesterday signed the federal budget which included $381,000 for Vernonia Schools replacement equipment.


Oregon Solutions Team

Once the Board makes a school site decision one of the purposes of the Oregon Solutions Team will have been met. The Team will then complete the agreements and paperwork signifying the end of the project. They will then reform themselves around the next phase, finding funding to help Vernonia build new schools and may even address some of the other issues facing our community. At the last meeting it was pointed out that the financial ‘landscape’ has changed considerably since the Team was formed and it may need to reorganize and refocus.

Negotiations Team

I met with three board members who will be negotiating with the licensed staff this year and shared with them a contract analysis that we received from our attorney. We will be meeting again soon to discuss possible changes and a timeline. We will keep you informed of that process once it begins.

Legislative Activities

There have been two bills submitted in the legislature that may have an impact on our State School Fund (SSF) allocation. If successful, the legislation would freeze our SSF allocation at last year’s level, which could mean about $140,000 next year. Passage is in doubt because the legislature is generally reluctant to tamper with the SSF formula.

Project Management RFP

We will be developing an RFP for Project Management Services for the new schools in the next couple of weeks. It is important for us to establish a team that will be able to work with architects and contractors on our behalf, so I can devote my time to the district.
Reminders

 Columbia County Town Hall with Senator Wyden, Sunday Mar. 15th 4:30 p.m. VHS Gym

 Spring Break March 23-27th

 Next Board Meeting April 9th - Winter Sports Summary

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!

It seems like at least once a week for the past month there has been good news for the Vernonia School District. The first came when the Governor chose Vernonia as one of only three projects that the state would focus competitive stimulus fund applications. This choice came about as the direct result of the Transportation Growth Management Study that was presented at last month’s school board meeting and our ability to start on our new schools project in the next few months.

In response to the Governor’s confidence in our community project, when I met with representatives from sixteen different architectural firms, I told them we wanted the greenest school in the nation. In response, last Friday we received ten proposals from different firms interested in helping with the Vernonia Schools Project.

Another piece of good news came last week when Senator Ron Wyden’s office contacted me and let me know that a bill in congress sponsored by him and Congressman Wu was passed by the House and went to the Senate this week that would provide $381,000 for equipment that would come to the district in the next few months.

Last Monday the District sponsored a Town Hall Meeting where we began gathering information from the community concerning the location of our new schools. We will continue to seek your input and have made it possible for you to share your comments and opinion with us through a blog on our website. You can access the blog by going to www.vernoniaschools.org and selecting the ‘Looking Forward’ link near the top of the page. There is also a link to it on our district homepage at www.vernonia.k12.or.us. All comments posted prior to March 10 will be shared with the school board prior to their board meeting on the 12th.

We want to hear from you! Please let your voice be heard.

Timeline for New Schools

FEBRUARY

Site information presented to Oregon Solutions and School Board
Architect selection based on Request for Proposal (RFP) Presentations

MARCH

Town Hall Meeting to review site selection Information 3/2 @ 7 pm
Architectural Firm Presentations to Selection Committee
School Board Meeting to select site and Architectural Firm 3/12 @ 6 pm
Property Acquisition begins
Request for Proposal (RFP) for new school Project Manager begins

APRIL

Land Use Permitting Process begins, which will include public hearings
Facilities Committee begins work with Architect on new schools design
Public Input meetings on new schools design and the school bond process

School Site Selection

Town Hall Meeting!

On Monday, March 2nd at 7 pm in the VHS Cafeteria we will have a community meeting to review the information compiled in the Transportation Growth Management Study about potential school sites. This date was chosen because all of the architectural and engineering firms involved in the study could be present. The School Board will also be seeking public input on the different proposed sites.

Please join us for an opportunity to be informed and to provide your input into this very important decision!

Facilities Committee Visits Other Schools!

Last month members of the District Facilities Committee visited 11 different schools to get a chance to look at some of the latest in architectural design, sustainability, and facility functionality. They took pictures of each facility and gathered information that will help us avoid mistakes made by other districts and provide effective input to the architects during the design phase of the new schools. Here is a list of the schools that were visited:
• Jewell (K-12), Clatskanie MS/HS (7-12), St. Helen’s HS (9-12)
• Rosa Parks Elementary (Portland), Bonnie Slope Elementary (Beaverton), and Imlay Elementary (Hillsboro)
• West Salem High School, Ash Creek Elementary (Monmouth)
• West Linn HS, Liberty HS (Hillsboro), Forest Grove HS

Town Hall meeting at 7 pm on Monday, March 2nd - VHS Cafeteria - Written by Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Cox

In light of recent economic activities we are still searching for the light at the end of the tunnel. We will know more this Friday when the next economic forecast comes out, but it will mean at least $328,000 in cuts to the district this year. The Board has chosen to offset some of this year’s shortfall through the use of capital reserves, but we do need to keep as much of that as possible for our new schools. And while the federal stimulus package will provide additional funding, that may not come until next year.

As we look forward to next year we estimate that we will need to make as much as $750,000 in cuts. This can only be done through reducing staff, since 80-85% of our budget is used for salaries and benefits. We have already announced some cuts and will continue to make more to bring us to a balanced budget as we work through the budget process over the next few weeks.

You may have heard that the Governor has named our community as one of three priorities for the state in applying for stimulus block grants. To capitalize on this opportunity we will need to move forward quickly in the design of our new schools. To address this need and to specifically discuss where they should be located, the District will be sponsoring a Town Hall meeting at 7 pm on Monday, March 2nd in the VHS cafeteria.

The Oregon Solutions School Site Committee and the engineering firms that conducted the Transportation Growth Management (TGM) study will be there to present their findings. The community will then be given a chance to weigh-in and share their opinions on the site location for our new schools. The information gathered from the public at this meeting will then be reviewed by the school board at their regular March 12th board meeting, where they will either make a decision or determine what additional information they need.

We encourage everyone to attend the Vernonia School District Town Hall meeting on the 2nd at 7 pm in the cafeteria.

VERNONIA SCHOOL DISTRICT 47J

Superintendent’s Report
February 12, 2009

Maintenance Supervisor Position
We have received fourteen applications for our Maintenance Supervisor position. We have different staff members reviewing the applications this week and will have interviews next week.

Vernonia Education Foundation (VEF)
The VEF Board met for the first time this week. At the meeting Dr. Christopher Scheuerman was elected as the Board Chair and Dawn Plews was appointed Treasurer. The next meeting will be held February 23rd at 1 pm.

Insurance Report
Our current Fund 101 account balance is $1,217,009. We are currently reviewing a loss statement that indicates the final balance owed us is $516,980.63. When we receive this check it would bring our total flood fund balance to $1,733,989. We need to protect this fund as much as possible to provide capital as we begin planning our new schools.

Oregon Solutions Team
The Siting Committee and the Executive Committee met last week with SERA Architects to review the findings of the Transportation Growth Management study. Copies of their summary report were sent in your packet. We will get a preview of that same information tonight. It will also be presented at the next Oregon Solutions Team meeting at 1 pm at PSU on Friday, February 20th. The information will also be presented at a District sponsored Town Hall meeting on Monday, March 2nd at 7 pm. (See attached Oregon Solutions Report to the Governor)

District Facilities Committee
District Facilities Committee members visited many schools around the region. Earlier this week they presented PowerPoint presentations about their visits to other committee members. They did a fantastic job of looking for design elements that would make our new schools better for our students. We will meet again once an architectural firm is selected to help guide further efforts.

Legislative Activities
In January I was able to meet with Representatives Boone, Huffman, and Komp about a concept for making adjustments to the state school fund for districts that have suffered significant enrollment loss due to a natural catastrophe (see attached State School Fund Emergency Adjustment Concept). This was presented to the Legislative Council and is being written as a bill. I will be checking on the status of this next week. On Sunday I will be attending the Oregon Small Schools Association Legislative Summit in Salem to discuss this concept.

Vernonia Prevention Coalition
When I came to Vernonia I became involved with the Vernonia Prevention Coalition and have represented the District in that coalition for the past two and half years. The purpose of the Coalition is to help students resist the temptations of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Last fall the Coalition received a federal grant for $125,000 per year for the next five years. Over the past two months the Coalition has determined that providing the District with the services of a Prevention Intervention Specialist would be a good use of some of those funds. This person (Officer Sean Carnihan) will begin working with our school counselors in getting students involved in starting a Students Against Dangerous Drugs (SADD) group at VMS and VHS over the next few weeks. I will provide regular updates on these activities.

Budget Status 2008-09 (see attached Budget Status Report – February 2009)
Last month the Board chose to address the $115,000 shortfall (the Governor’s 1.3% budget reduction) by using some of the District’s Capital Reserve Fund. However, the latest estimate from Salem (based on a 5% budget reduction) would mean a $328,000 shortfall for the District this year (an additional $213,000). I would recommend that the Board wait and see what happens, as there has been some indication that the federal stimulus package to the state may be able to cut this amount in half. The next state economic forecast, February 20th, will provide more information with ODE estimates to follow.
It has been recommended that the Board write a letter to all Oregon legislators advocating the use of the Education Stability Fund to reduce the level of cuts that must be made this year. A sample will be shared at the Regional Superintendent’s meeting tomorrow.

Budget Status 2009-10 (see attached Budget Status Report – February 2009)
As we move into the budget process for next year we are looking at ways that we can meet the currently projected $750,000 shortfall for next year. We have already made some staffing announcements and hope to move forward in suggesting other cuts after I attend each building’s staff meeting. We will also begin meeting with Budget Assistance Team (BAT) members in March. The administration team will then take BAT suggestions and develop a balanced budget before the first Budget Committee meeting in May (see attached Draft Budget Calendar). Hopefully, by then we will have a more accurate revenue estimate.

Current Projects in Process
• Negotiations Preparations
• Budget Considerations for 2009-2010

Reminders
 OSBA Legislative Conference in Salem – February 15-16 in Salem
 Oregon Solutions Team Meeting – February 20, 1pm at PSU
 Oregon Solutions Joint Budget/Development Subcommittee Meeting 4:30 pm in Salem
 Vernonia School District Town Hall Meeting – Monday, March 2, 7 pm in Cafeteria
 Next Regular Board Meeting – March12: Budget Process & Calendar Review; Executive Session – Teacher/Admin Evaluations

$75,000 Grant Received!

The Ford Family Foundation Fund of the Oregon Commmunity Foundation granted the District $75,000 toward our gym repairs. These funds will be used to pay for the removable floolr, its installation, and a number of other repairs that were needed to make our gym usable.

Oregon Solutions Meeting

On February 20th the Oregon Solutions Team will meet in Portland to review a draft of the information compiled in the Transportation Growth Management Study (TGMS) about potential school sites. The District will be coordinating a date with TGM Program staff for a Town Hall meeting in early March. Keep your eye on the reader board and watech for the next Update Newsletter!

We Were Prepared!

Earlier this month when flood waters were threatening our schools we took the following precautions to protect your investment in our schools:
· We sandbagged the cafeteria building (with the help of supervised inmates).
· We had four 26’ U-Haul trucks and two semi trailers on standby, three of which we filled with classroom and our new wood and metal shop equipment.
· We loaded a refrigerator/freezer semi with all our perishable and frozen food.
· We had a number of sump pumps on hand ready to be installed if necessary.
· We had contractors on site at 7 am on January 8th in case the gym floor needed to be removed.

New Schools Timeline

January
Facilities Committee visits 12-16 other school sites

District hires DC Firm to assist in obtaining federal funding

February
Site information presented to Oregon Solutions and School Board

Architect selection based on Request for Proposal (RFP) Presentations

March
Town Hall Meeting to review site selection Information

School Board Meeting to select site

Request for Proposal (RFP) for new school Project Manager begins

April
Facilities Committee begins work with Architect on new schools design

Public Input meetings on new schools design and the school bond process

VERNONIA HIGH SCHOOL: East Wing Demolition

(see video below)
Dr. Cox was offered the opportunity to take the first swings at the high school building the day the demolition began, and no one had to ask him twice. Relieved to finally be moving forward with repairs, the demolition was a welcome sight to all in attendance.

Next Steps:
To ensure the stability of the building, the wall across from the old VHS office will be reinforced with anchors and a fence is being installed for the safety of students and staff. Once completed a sidewalk from the new gravel parking lot to the front door will be installed.

Gym Repairs:
The gym is almost complete! We used the locker rooms for much of the football season. The new gym floor has been installed, painted with Logger colors and will soon be ready for basketball practice. In addition the old music room is being readied to house our wrestlers for the upcoming wrestling season.

VHS Alumni Meet:
A group of VHS alums from 1982 to 2003 convened earlier this month to coordinate their efforts in raising funds and awareness of our current school situation. For more information on how you can get involved and when they will meet again please contact either Ronda Lennen 429-7941 (weekdays) or Sandy Welch 429-9602.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Why did it take so long to start work on VHS? At first we hoped that we would get enough insurance money to cover rebuilding the school elsewhere then we looked into building a ‘floodable’ building. When we realized that there would not be enough insurance funds for either option we began working on what we could.

2. Why was the East Wing of VHS demolished? We are committed to moving our schools out of the flood plain. We did not want to put funds into repairing these classrooms because of the age of the building.

3. Why was the gym portion of VHS repaired? We need a place for our students to have physical education classes as well as extra curricular and sports activities. We installed a removable floor that can be moved to a new location to protect our investment.

4. Why were the old modular classrooms demolished? It was determined that repairing them would be more expensive than replacing them.

5. Why have we repaired the WGS basement? The boys and girls locker rooms in WGS are used by middle school sports students. We did only those repairs required by the fire marshal to allow us to have students in the basement.

6. Why were the wood shop and weight room repaired? The costs to repair these rooms were less expensive because of the concrete walls in the shop.

7. Why was so much furniture thrown away and will it be replaced? It was an insurance company decision to dispose of these items. We have been very careful in our replacement purchases to ensure that everything we purchase now will be able to be moved to new facilities.

8. How long will students have to attend school in modular classrooms? The short answer is at least this year and next. With the help of the Oregon Solutions Team we hope to procure enough funding that with the passage of a bond in November of 2009 we will be able to start building our new schools. We will be looking for your input over the next few months to help us determine what will best meet the needs of our students.

NEW SCHOOLS TIMELINE

NOVEMBER
VHS gym repair completed

DECEMBER
TGM Study completed
Site Recommendation to Oregon Solutions and School Board
Begin Architect selection process

JANUARY
Architect selection based on Concept Presentations
Public Input Meetings on new schools design

UPCOMING EVENTS

FIRST HOME GAME
First Home Game in the repaired VHS Gym: Come and check out the gym at our first home game against Banks. Junior Varsity starts at 5 pm, followed by the Varsity game at 7:00 pm on December 3rd.

TOWN HALL MEETING
Before you go to the game, why not stop by the Vernonia High School Cafeteria and join in an informal but informative Town Hall Meeting beginning at 6:00 pm. Come find out everything we know about the progress toward new schools and other projects in the community.

OREGON SOLUTIONS PROJECT
In April the Governor authorized an Oregon Solutions Project for Vernonia Schools. The primary focus was to help determine a site for new schools and find ways to fund them. The Oregon Solutions process has brought experts from around the state together to address these two concerns. The Oregon Solutions Team will be meeting in December to review the results of a Transportation Growth Management (TGM) study of potential school sites. The study, originally slated to be completed by now, was delayed because of contractual issues resulting from the scope of the work to be performed. We asked for a number of items to be included that normally are not in such a study. They were included however, saving the district considerable funds by not having to pay for this work.

If you come to the Town Hall Meeting you get a Free Pass to the Varsity Basketball Game (that evening).

NEW SCHOOLS, NEW LOGO

With so many changes on the horizon, the Vernonia School Board decided we needed an image that conveys our goals, expectations, and hopes for the future of Vernonia Schools. The result is the logo below. The school building symbolizes our community focus on education, with a strong foundation in “High Educational Standards,” which will help our kids be “Prepared for the Future,” and develop a sense of life-long “School Pride.” None of which would be possible without “Safe Secure Facilities.” We all feel it is our duty to provide these things for our students because “Our kids are worth it!”

Vernonia School Board Members