There will also be a free raffle for prizes and lots of valuable ideas and take-home information about healthy lifestyles and interesting local programs to benefit your family. I’m hoping for a great Malabon turnout. It’s free, it’s practically next door, so stop in and check it out at Pete Barn on the 25^th from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

This year the Eugene Assistance League’s Operation School Bell Program was able to provide school clothing for 1,647 students in the Eugene area at a total cost of $194,000! Of the students they helped, 544 were from Bethel. You can help them help kids by shopping at or donating to their thrift store at 1149 Willamette you can also donate directly online by clicking here.

Each week I try to share another interesting tidbit about Bethel School District. The facts show up on the BethelBlog and as a tagline on my email signature. To see the archive, click here. If you have a Bethel Fact to share, please email me at: cgill@bethel.k12.or.us.

Spanish interpretation will be available.

Afterwards enjoy our award winning Jazz Band and Topnotchers Jazz Choir. They’ll be performing in the Cafeteria at 7:00 PM. Dessert & Drinks will be provided. The fee is $5 per person, $8 for a couple, or $15 for a family. They are raising funds to go to the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho next week. They are fabulous groups!

Bethel already serve about 145 students who currently live in other districts. This latest decision is in response to legislation passed in the last session. Watch the website for information on how apply for enrollment in Bethel School District during the month of March.

Students currently on inter-district exchange and attending Bethel School District will have a priority for continued enrollment. Siblings of current Bethel students will also have a priority.

If there are are more requests for enrollment than there are spots available, an equitable lottery will be held. The district will not deny admission or give priority based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, disability, terms of individual education program, income level, proficiency in the English language, or athletic ability.

If you have questions about open enrollment contact Pat McGillivray, Community Relations.

Under a new Oregon law, Bethel will likely allow up to 350 additional students who live outside the district to enroll in Bethel Schools for the 2012-13 school year. Click here to learn more and watch the website for regular updates.

Each week I try to share another interesting tidbit about Bethel School District. The facts show up on the BethelBlog and as a tagline on my email signature. To see the archive, click here. If you have a Bethel Fact to share, please email me at: cgill@bethel.k12.or.us.

This likely means that K-12 education will not see any further cuts for next year, but it is also highly unlikely schools will see any increases that would help restore days and offset increasing costs for fuel and other goods and services. This year the district is operating at decreased levels with 8 fewer school days for students as well as many other employee compensation cutbacks.

This forecast means the district will be dealing with the same, approximately $5 million, deficit situation for next year that it faced while planning for the current school year. This year that deficit was overcome by generous compensation concessions from employees, saving the district more than $2.7 million as well as use of one-time funds. Click past the link to learn more about these issues and another threat to state school funding…

Employee Concessions

This year all employees agreed to a series of salary and benefit reductions:

• Students are losing 8 school days. Employees are losing 8-13 days of pay. Each school day cut in Bethel saves approximately $155,000
• Employees did not receive any cost-of-living pay increases, as called for in their contracts
• Employees did not receive increases for seniority movement on the salary schedule
• Employees forfeited their professional development funds
• These concessions saved the district more than $2.7 million

One Time Funds

In the early years of the current recession (2008-2010), the district used savings funds designated for textbooks, land acquisition & maintenance, and technology replacement to maintain current programs. There is about $600,000 remaining in these funds. Recently we have been spending into our fund balance, this is savings for contingency and emergency situations. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) calls for government entities of our size to maintain 1-2 months operating expense in balance (or carryover funds).

We have been able to maintain GFOA levels in past years. Bethel ended 2010-11 with a balance of $5.9 million. We are using $3.5 million of those carryover funds to operate at current levels this year. We are anticipating an ending balance this year of over $3.2 million. If we spend into these future reserves as deeply as we have this year, we will be out of alignment with GFOA standards and we may set ourselves up for drastic cuts in the 2013-14 school year.

The Result of Concessions and One-Time Spending

We have been able to maintain class sizes that are some of the best in the region, although still too high. Nearly all our students are still receiving the required number of hours of instruction for Oregon kids, still too few! We have maintained strong programs like music in every school, full-time counseling services in every school, one of the most comprehensive high school programs in the state (with AP and IB offerings, health occupations, culinary programs, business offerings, vocational technical programs second to none, sports programs, drama, award-winning music, and much more). Our kids continue to excel because we have a dedicated community and an incredibly generous, professional, and hard working staff.

Future Threats to Funding

• Title I mandate changes and reduced funding are threatening the core of Bethel’s academic program. Successfully bringing at risk readers to benchmark prepares our kids for success in middle and high school so that they can earn a rigorous Oregon Diploma and be ready for college. Changes are reducing funding for the system of interventions we have in place for struggling readers and identifying kids for special services through the RTI process.
• Yesterday the Register Guard reported on a state funding error that may impact future school funding:
• State audit finds $76 million error
• SALEM — An Oregon state agency has improperly distributed $76 million from an account that boosts school funding, auditors said.
• The money probably will be paid back from other investment earnings, so less will be available for schools in future years. Auditors blamed faulty accounting procedures at the Department of State Lands.
• The Common School Fund was created at statehood to collect revenue generated from state-owned land, and the State Land Board distributes investment earnings to schools.
• An audit by the secretary of state’s office found that from 2001 to 2007 the board paid out a portion of the principal on top of the investment earnings.
• Register-Guard and news service reports

Even though there is not a lot of time for lawmakers to work out the kinks in the bills, they are tackling some hefty education issues. Click past the link to see a few laws that are being considered…

• SB 1539   Establishes Task Force on Virtual School Governance for purpose of recommending governance structure for virtual education that is provided statewide.

• SB 1540   Education Omnibus Bill:  (1) Modifies terms of ESD Board members from Local School Districts who withdraw from ESD; (2) Requires  children five or six years of age who are enrolled in public school to maintain regular attendance at public school;  (3) Requires State Board of Education to encourage increased learning time;  (4) Modifies contents of, and process for submitting, proposal to establish public charter school;  (5) Modifies process for renewal and termination of charter for public charter school;  (6) Clarifies list of statutes and rules that applies to public charter schools;  (7) Extends deadline for implementing use of model core teaching standards in annual evaluations of teachers; and   (8) Removes authority of education service district to provide entrepreneurial services and facilities to public and private entities and to school districts that are not component school districts.

• HB 4077   Directs each school district board to adopt policy regarding teen dating Violence.

• HB 4013  Directs Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide specific information for purpose of assisting school districts and high schools in increasing availability of advanced placement courses.

• HB 4016  Adds employee or volunteer of organization providing child-related services or activities, employee of higher education institution, coach, assistant coach or trainer of child athlete and individual who provides guidance, instruction or training in youth development activity to list of public and private officials required to report child abuse.

• SB 1554  Requires instruction in Oregon Studies in middle school.

• SB 1581  Identifies positions that will be under direction and control of Chief Education Officer for matters related to design and organization of state’s education system.

• SJR 201   Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution creating State Board of Education.

• HB 4102  Establishes requirements for evaluation of teachers and administrators

• HB 4161  Requires Department of Education to collect performance report data for each school year regarding number of teachers and number of students assigned to each course offered by public educational providers.

Willamette High School’s 2010-11 Dropout rate was 1.3%. The state average was 3.3%.

Each week I try to share another interesting tidbit about Bethel School District. The facts show up on the BethelBlog and as a tagline on my email signature. To see the archive, click here. If you have a Bethel Fact to share, please email me at: cgill@bethel.k12.or.us.

Danebo Elementary has become Bethel’s fifth designated Green School. They will be presented with their Oregon Green Schools Certification on February 7^th. Way to go Danebo!

Each week I try to share another interesting tidbit about Bethel School District. The facts show up on the BethelBlog and as a tagline on my email signature. To see the archive, click here. If you have a Bethel Fact to share, please email me at: cgill@bethel.k12.or.us.

We try to share information about our budget. Click here to see a copy of our annual budget and independent audit. Click here to find answers to your school finance questions!

Each week I try to share another interesting tidbit about Bethel School District. The facts show up on the BethelBlog and as a tagline on my email signature. To see the archive, click here. If you have a Bethel Fact to share, please email me at: cgill@bethel.k12.or.us.