Olivia Meyers Buch
The start of summer has signaled a huge amount of work throughout the Fern Ridge School District, thanks to the $26.7 million bond measure approved by voters in May 2014. Below are some of the projects now underway:
Veneta Elementary School is undergoing a transformation focused on safety and meeting needs due to growth. Classrooms are being added to the north side of the building and a new commons and kitchen are being added adjacent to the gymnasium. Getting out of remote portables, separating the bus loop from the parking lot, enclosing the library, and reconfiguring the office to face the street will also improve safety at the school.
Fern Ridge Middle School is undergoing an interior transformation as areas inside of the building are being reconfigured to better meet the needs of students and programs. The main office is being relocated to the west side of the building and will face the parking lot to provide better supervision and security, and the classrooms being displaced by this move are being relocated to where the main office used to be. In addition, the library will be enclosed to create a more suitable environment for learning.
For more information about bond activities, click here.
A ground breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction at Veneta Elementary School will take place on Tuesday, June 9th at 12:30 pm. The building’s contractor, architects, elected officials, staff and students will help mark the start of construction. After the dirt has been ceremonially turned, the big equipment will be ready to move in and start construction of the renovations and new additions.
The District’s number one goal during construction is to maintain the safety of the public, students, staff, and the construction crews. As such, the building’s contractor will have dedicated access to the north portion of the property and the south portion of the parking lot starting June 15th. Temporary chain link fence will be installed in those areas to prevent any interaction between construction traffic and non-construction traffic. The south portion of the parking lot will be turned back over to the District prior to school starting in September, but the north portion of the property will remain closed until the classroom addition is completed in December.
A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the Fern Ridge School District 28J, Lane County, State of Oregon, to discuss the budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, will be held at the District Administration Office at 88834 Territorial Rd in Elmira, Oregon. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comments from the public on the budget. This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Any person may appear at the meeting and discuss the proposed programs with the Budget Committee. A copy of the budget document may be inspected or obtained on or after May 13, 2015 at the District Administration Office, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The school board has approved the academic calendar for 2015–2016.
The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 8. Winter break will be December 21–January 4. Spring break will be March 21–25. The last day of school will be Friday, June 17, unless there are inclement days to make up at the end of the year.
The Oregon Legislature is currently discussing a State School Fund appropriation of $7.235 billion for the 2015-2017 biennium. This level of funding is significantly inadequate and would do nothing to restore previously reduced staff or programs, or to reverse the effect that less instructional time and large class sizes have on student achievement.
Per Oregon Department of Education estimates, Fern Ridge Schools will receive $96 less per student next year then what we are currently receiving. We will continue to operate at a deficit, and shifting more of our already limited resources to implement full-day kindergarten will come at the expense of all our students. When combined with increased costs and the addition of full-day kindergarten, the scenario being considered by the Legislature means we are facing more lost school days, higher class sizes, and further reduction of what few programs we have left. In the last twelve years we have eliminated all music and PE programs at our elementary schools, and over 20 course offerings at the middle school and high school.
Below is a link to a one page handout describing what a $7.235 billion funding level means for our district. Also provided is information on what a $7.5 billion and a $7.875 billion funding level means for our district, some facts about Oregon’s education system, and contact information for the senator and representative that represent our district. Superintendents from across the state are asking their staff, parents, community leaders and school board members to contact legislators and advocate for better school funding. Please consider reaching out to our legislators; our students deserve stable and adequate funding. Thank you for your support and action!
LCG Pence Construction of Salem, OR has been awarded the contract to provide Construction Manager / General Contractor (CMGC) services for the construction projects at Elmira Elementary and Veneta Elementary. The District received proposals from six firms, which were evaluated by District staff and members of the Citizens Oversight Committee. Ground breaking for the projects will take place in late spring 2015. For more information about the bond projects, click here.
The Fern Ridge School District is progressing through the design process and would like input from our community at any of three different forums:
Elmira Elementary School Replacement
Community Share Meeting – Thursday, November 6, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, District Office Board Room
Veneta Elementary School Additions & Renovations
Community Share Meeting – Monday, November 10, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, District Office Board Room
District-Wide Sustainability Workshop – How Green Do We Want To Be? – Wednesday, November 12, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, District Office Board Room
Due to a power outage, the regular board meeting scheduled for October 20, 2014 at 6:30 PM at Elmira Elementary School has been canceled. Patrons who planned to make public comment at this meeting may e-mail board members. All agenda items will be pushed to the next scheduled board meeting on Monday, November 3, 2014 at 6:30 PM at the District Administration Office.
The District’s Food Service Program is now accepting payments for meal purchases through My School Bucks, an online payment service that allows the ability to securely pay for school meals online using a credit or debit card. Sign up today to access your student’s meal account balances and meal purchases, schedule automatic payments or create low-balance alerts. There is a fixed $1.95 fee per transaction. For more information, click here.
The District is currently soliciting proposals from qualified Contractors to provide Construction Manager / General Contractor (CMGC) services for the construction of two projects under the recently approved bond measure: Replacement of Elmira Elementary School, and Addition and Renovation of Veneta Elementary School. For more information, click here.