SFSD election results – Three new faces, one incumbent, win seats

May 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on SFSD election results – Three new faces, one incumbent, win seats

By Stephen Floyd Four winners have emerged in the May 16 election for the Silver Falls School District Board, though one contest was still close as of the most recent election results. Eight contenders ran for four open seats.The uncertified May 24 ...

It’s a winner – Mt. Angel school bond passes

May 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on It’s a winner – Mt. Angel school bond passes

A $7 million facilities bond for the Mt. Angel School District passed with overwhelming support during the May 16 election, which also secured an attached $4 million state grant. Measure 24-482 passed with 64% voter support out of 869 total votes, ...

Salmon science – Learning about fish taken to a deeper level

May 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Salmon science – Learning about fish taken to a deeper level

By Melissa Wagoner When Alyssa Burge discovered an empty aquarium labeled “ODFW Salmon Release,” at the Community Roots School in Silverton, where she had just taken on the role of Garden Specialist in 2019, she knew she had to learn more. “So, ...

Community Roots cuts middle school program

May 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Community Roots cuts middle school program

By Stephen Floyd Community Roots School is discontinuing its middle school program due to low enrollment and will change to a K-6 format beginning this fall. During an April meeting of the Silver Falls School District Board, School Administrator Christen Kelly said ...

It’s official SFSD Board ratifies teacher contract

May 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on It’s official SFSD Board ratifies teacher contract

    By Stephen Floyd   The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board has ratified a contract with the district teachers’ union, officially closing a long and sometimes-contentious round of collective bargaining. During its May 8 meeting, the board unanimously ratified a contract with the ...

Class size compromise – SFSD, SFEA reach negotiated solution

May 2023 Posted in Business, School | Comments Off on Class size compromise – SFSD, SFEA reach negotiated solution

By Stephen Floyd Teachers won their class size targets and administrators kept their management flexibility in a tentative contract approved April 18 between The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) and Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA). The tentative contract was the result of ...

SFSD introduces class size dashboard

May 2023 Posted in Business, School | Comments Off on SFSD introduces class size dashboard

By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has published a new Class Size Dashboard to increase transparency regarding teacher workloads. The dashboard went live April 11 and the district expects to update classroom figures weekly. Assistant Superintendent Dan Busch told the ...

Public engagement – Candidates chime in on guns, school safety

May 2023 Posted in Community, School | Comments Off on Public engagement – Candidates chime in on guns, school safety

By James Day The eight candidates for positions on the Silver Falls School District Board participated in a lively and informative two-hour forum April 23 at the Silverton Grange Hall. On hand were Zone 7 incumbent Tom Buchholz and his opponent, Jesse ...

Welding room – Private donors fund vocational workspace for Kennedy

May 2023 Posted in Community, School | Comments Off on Welding room – Private donors fund vocational workspace for Kennedy

By James Day Kennedy High School in Mount Angel will have a new welding room in the fall, courtesy of a private fundraising campaign led by the Mt. Angel Community Foundation. The project, which broke ground on April 26, is not related ...

Mount Angel mayor endorses school bond

May 2023 Posted in Columnists & Opinion, School | Comments Off on Mount Angel mayor endorses school bond

Dear Mount Angel Citizens: As your Mayor, I would like to share my thoughts on the upcoming bond election for the Mt. Angel School District. I have reviewed the projects that would be funded by the proceeds of the bond sale. ...

SFSD Board candidates share motivations, perspectives

April 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on SFSD Board candidates share motivations, perspectives

By Stephen Floyd Eight candidates are running for four seats on the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board this May, with a variety of perspectives and priorities for each contender. Our Town asked each candidate about why they are running and the ...

Silverton Grange hosting SFSD candidate forum

April 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on Silverton Grange hosting SFSD candidate forum

The Silverton Grange is hosting a candidate forum Sunday, April 23, for those running for the Silver Falls School District Board and the public is invited to attend. The forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall, 201 Division ...

On the ballot: For Mt. Angel $7M bond gets $11M in school repairs if passed

April 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on On the ballot: For Mt. Angel $7M bond gets $11M in school repairs if passed

By Stephen Floyd Officials with the Mt. Angel School District say a $7 million bond measure is about improving critical infrastructure rather than giving buildings a facelift. It’s about needs, not wants, plus a one-time state-sponsored opportunity to get $11 million in ...

Sign of the times – SFEA marches downtown

April 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Sign of the times – SFEA marches downtown

By Stephen Floyd It was an unprecedented week for the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA), between a rally in Downtown Silverton and a meeting directly with the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board. The district and union continue to negotiate a contract ...

Corrections

April 2023 Posted in Other, School | Comments Off on Corrections

In the April 1 issue of Our Town, the article titled “In the ring – Eight file for four seats on SFSD Board” should have referred to Jo Tucker by the personal pronoun “she.”  The article should have also included a brief ...

The path forward – Candidates weigh in on Silver Falls negotiation woes

April 2023 Posted in Community, School | Comments Off on The path forward – Candidates weigh in on Silver Falls negotiation woes

By Stephen Floyd Eight candidates are running for four seats on the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board at a time when labor negotiations have soured and teachers are ready to strike. Our Town reached out to each candidate for their perspective ...

Top class – Butte Creek social studies teacher receives statewide recognition

April 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Top class – Butte Creek social studies teacher receives statewide recognition

By Melissa Wagoner When Emily Rau received an email from KPTV FOX 12 Oregon informing her that her classroom at Butte Creek Elementary School was being named Classroom of the Month for March 2023 she couldn’t believe her eyes. “I thought it ...

Three SFSD Board incumbents step aside

March 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on Three SFSD Board incumbents step aside

Three incumbents on the Silver Falls School District Board have declined to seek re-election during the May 16 primary for reasons ranging from personal obligations to concerns over district leadership. March 16 was the filing deadline for primary candidates. Board members ...

Impasse – Silver Falls School District Board optimistic about negotiations

March 2023 Posted in Briefs, School | Comments Off on Impasse – Silver Falls School District Board optimistic about negotiations

By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board is hopeful they can compromise with the teacher’s union after an impasse was declared March 17, though administrators say there is little ground left to give. During a special meeting of the ...

‘Best Fox Ever’ – Popular mock-pageant gets new name, keeps commitment

March 2023 Posted in Events & Holidays, School | Comments Off on ‘Best Fox Ever’ – Popular mock-pageant gets new name, keeps commitment

By Melissa Wagoner Many may remember Silverton High School’s annual spring mock-pageant and fundraiser, Mr. SHS. But what they might not know is that in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools, the contest was renamed, The Best Fox ...

Local robotics standouts advance to international event

March 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Local robotics standouts advance to international event

Two members of the Think Robots Club will be moving on to international competition in Dallas, Texas, next month. An elementary school team of Derek Schaefer and Zane Davis named the Splitbotters qualified for the May 2-4 event. The Splitbotters qualified with ...

SFEA declares impasse, authorizes potential strike

March 2023 Posted in News, School | Comments Off on SFEA declares impasse, authorizes potential strike

By Stephen Floyd Note: This article has been updated to reflect corrections and a statement from SFSD. Teachers with the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) have declared an impasse and authorized a potential strike after nearly a year of contract negotiations. SFEA made ...

Bond benefit – MASD pitches $7M bond, $4M grant

March 2023 Posted in Business, School | Comments Off on Bond benefit – MASD pitches $7M bond, $4M grant

By Stephen Floyd The Mt. Angel School District has placed a $7 million facilities bond on the May 16 ballot, with a $4 million state grant attached if the bond passes. The district board unanimously approved a resolution Feb. 13 to send ...

Silverton students honored with state FFA degrees

March 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Silverton students honored with state FFA degrees

The Silverton High FFA program continues to shine in producing students who earn their state degrees. A total of 13 Silverton FFA students will receive their state degrees March 18 at the Oregon FFA Convention at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in ...

Silverton, Mount Angel schools focus on equity gaps

March 2023 Posted in School | Comments Off on Silverton, Mount Angel schools focus on equity gaps

By Stephen Floyd School districts in Silverton and Mount Angel have identified racial and cultural inequity as areas that need greater focus, based on student performance rates published by the state last year. On Oct. 20, 2022, the Oregon Department of Education ...
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