A Silverton man has pleaded guilty to vandalism after a graffiti spree last winter that saw thousands of dollars in damage to local public and private buildings. Roman L. Cunningham, 23, pleaded guilty June 29 to a felony charge of first-degree criminal mischief in Marion County Circuit Court. He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 11 and, if he complies with […]
By Stephen Floyd Supporters of a $138 million facilities bond for the Silver Falls School District are forming a Political Action Committee (PAC) to engage in voter outreach ahead of the Nov. 7 election. While as of the Our Town press deadline the PAC had yet to be registered with the state, former members of the district’s Bond Advisory Committee […]
By James Day Oregon Governor Tina Kotek visited Silverton on June 22, making two stops. One was to discuss homelessness and housing issues; the other to engage with agricultural and natural resource officials in a luncheon at The Oregon Garden. Our Town attended the homeless session. Media were not allowed at The Oregon Garden session. Kotek, 57, a first-term Democrat […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board has approved a $138 million bond measure for the Nov. 7 ballot, concluding months of planning and ushering in months of rigorous outreach. The board’s June 20 decision was unanimous and followed a recommendation from the district’s Bond Advisory Committee. If the bond passes, revenue would address deferred maintenance and […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District has dropped an appeal against a finding that it negotiated in bad faith with non-teacher employees over PERS benefits in 2020. The district was found in violation of labor laws Aug. 4, 2022, by the Oregon Employment Relations Board for negotiations in late 2020 with the Oregon School Employees Association. Parties were […]
By Naiya Brown Stacy Barker is the math teacher at Sequoia Falls Academy in Silverton, but she has other strong interests, as well as a second career in rodeo. Barker, who grew up in Oregon City and graduated from Canby High, has been breakaway roping for 32 years and competing for 30 of them after initially enrolling at the University […]
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 enrollment in 7th and 8th grades had experienced “considerable decline.” The district’s class size dashboard said ten students […]
By Melissa Wagoner Silverton Area Community Aid – or SACA, as it’s affectionately known – has always operated with the same goal, to provide food for those in the Silverton area who need it. But that doesn’t mean it’s always looked the way it does today. “It started as a much smaller organization,” Executive Assistant Erin Wilson said. In fact, […]
Here is an overview of local candidates and measures on the May 16 ballot. To have your vote count, ballots must be submitted to an official site by 8 p.m. For a list of locations go to: co.marion.or.us/CO/elections/ and click on Ballot Drop Sites. Mt. Angel School District Position 1: Irene Novichihin, a retired educator with 31 years of experience […]
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 Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA), whose membership ratified the contract beforehand. The agreement retroactively went […]
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 a year of bargaining that saw the parties split on issues of class size, teacher pay, grievances and […]
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 SFSD Board April 10 the dashboard was in direct response to recent union negotiations where class size […]
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 impact they hope to have if elected. Below are their answers in full.
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 St. N.E., Silverton. Each of the eight candidates will give an opening statement, then the audience will have an […]
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 one year after bargaining began in April of 2022. A sixth mediation session is scheduled for April 17. […]
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 biography on Eliza Torlyn. She has raised her children in the district and has served on the SFSD Bond […]
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 on the relationship between SFSD and the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA), as well as their goals as […]
By Stephen Floyd Seven challengers and one incumbent have filed for four open positions on the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board, with seats to be decided during the May 16 Primary Election. As of the March 16 filing deadline, Board Member Tom Buchholz, representing Zone 7, was the only incumbent to file for re-election. Board members Janet Allanach of […]
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 board March 23, officials said they were optimistic a negotiated contract was possible during mediation sessions scheduled for […]
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 the announcement Friday evening, March 17, after a third mediation session on March 9 did not result […]
Local special districts will have open board positions during the May 16 Primary Election, and the deadline to apply as a candidate and appear on the ballot is March 16. Districts with open positions include: Mt. Angel School District (positions 1 and 4). Mt. Angel Fire District (positions 1, 2, and 3). Silver Falls School District (positions 1, 3, 6 […]
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 released its At-A-Glance reports, breaking down enrollment, test scores and other metrics for individual schools and districts. In […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is headed to a third mediation session with its teachers’ union as collective bargaining continues nearly a year after it began. Parties are scheduled to enter mediation again March 9 after sessions Feb. 7 and 13 did not result in finalized contract proposals. Both sides are allowed to declare an impasse […]
Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is inviting the community to a series of listening sessions as a Bond Advisory Committee considers the need for infrastructure funding. Sessions are scheduled at schools throughout the district and will feature a presentation from members of the committee and opportunities for public feedback. Three listening sessions have been held so far, with additional sessions […]
Local special districts will have open board positions during the May 16 Primary Election. The deadline to apply as a candidate and appear on the ballot is March 16. Districts with open positions include: • Mt. Angel School District (positions 1 and 4). • Mt. Angel Fire District (positions 1, 2 and 3). • Silver Falls School District (positions 1, […]
