O-D Students Perform Well on ECA Tests

 The End of Course Assessment (ECA) test results at Oregon-Davis Schools have the administration excited about the progress the students are making in Math and English/Language Arts. The ECAs are taken at the end of the school year to measure student growth.

Superintendent Greg Briles boasted the efforts of the 10th grade students.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Establishes Strategic Planning Committee

Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka.  (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai
Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka. (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai

The Oregon-Davis School Board established a strategic planning committee this week.

Superintendent Greg Briles gave testing statistics to the board members and all of the initiatives made to improve education at the corporation. He suggested putting together a committee to establish priorities, a vision, a mission, and goals for what they want the students to be able to do when they walk out of the doors. He stressed that the Oregon-Davis School Corporation is a community school.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Receives Update on The Crossing Students

Starke County's Crossing campus is located next to Save a Lot on U.S. 35 south of Knox.
Starke County’s Crossing campus is located next to Save a Lot on U.S. 35 south of Knox.

Oregon-Davis Superintendent Greg Briles gave the school board an update on the students attending in The Crossing alternative school in Starke County.

There are six Oregon-Davis students that currently attend classes at The Crossing, and five more will be enrolling in two weeks. Briles stressed that when the next student count day happens in February, those students will be included toward the corporation’s Average Daily Membership, or ADM, count. The money the corporation receives for those students goes toward their enrollment at The Crossing. No additional money is spent.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Votes Against School Lunch Increase

Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka.  (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai
Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka. (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai

The Oregon-Davis School Board members discussed lunch prices, but Superintendent Greg Briles explained the item to increase prices didn’t need to be on the evening’s agenda.

Briles said he was initially looking at funds in the food service department, and he thought that the board may need to raise the price by five cents and maybe even ten cents. If the board were to consider a five cent increase, it would amount to an additional $876 per year at the elementary level.

Briles said he would be looking deeper internally with commodities and into the corporation’s work with the Northern Indiana Educational Services Center (NIESC) before increasing prices. He noted that there could be more funds to take care of what is needed in the school’s budget.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Looking Toward 2015

Oregon-Davis-Jr_Sr-BuildingThe Oregon-Davis School Board looked ahead to 2015 during their meeting this week. Superintendent Greg Briles told WKVI News that they will hold a reorganization meeting on Monday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. The board has to reorganize by Jan. 30 so that will be complete prior to the board’s regular meeting. Christopher Lawrence is the current board president. He was just re-elected to the board in the General Election.

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Oregon-Davis School Board to Consider Balanced Calendar

Oregon-Davis-Jr_Sr-BuildingThe Oregon-Davis School Board will be considering a balanced calendar during their meeting tonight.

During their last meeting, Superintendent Greg Briles gave the board a couple of different calendars to study. Briles stated that the calenders are very similar in that they have 180 days of student instruction and 184 says for staff which is outlined in their contract. The calendars would include a break in the fall and an intersession to be coordinated with the Starke County Youth Club for remediation purposes. The first day of school would be Aug. 1 and last day would be June 1.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Approves Copier Lease Agreement

Oregon-Davis-Jr_Sr-BuildingThe Oregon-Davis School Board members reviewed quotes or a copier lease during their meeting Monday night.

Superintendent Greg Briles explained that the current lease agreement is almost over and two proposals were gathered for consideration. Chris Smith from Monticello had a quote for Xerox machines and the Adams Remco company in South Bend provided a quote for Toshiba copiers.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Holds Public Hearing for 2015 Budget

 The Oregon-Davis School Board members held a public hearing for the 2015 budget during their meeting last night.

The General Fund budget was budgeted at $4.6 million. The General Fund takes care of the salaries for the staff, including coaches and extra-curricular coaches and more. Board member Lee Nagai stressed that the General Fund had a shortfall due to state budget cuts and the referendum money supplemented that fund to cover salaries.

Other funds discussed include the Capital Projects Fund, Transportation Fund, Debt Fund Plan, Retirement/Severance Bond, Debt Service Fund, Referendum/Exempt Operating, Rainy Day Fund.

Superintendent Greg Briles explained that the Average Daily Membership, or ADM, is 609 which is higher than the state-projected student count of 580. Briles added that the corporation is three students down from last year.

The tax rate will be 1.5702 which is less than 2014.

Briles said the budget will be sent to the state. The board approved a motion to authorize any cuts that are mandated by the state.

Oregon-Davis School Board Approves Firearms Policy

Oregon-Davis Jr./Sr. High School
Oregon-Davis Jr./Sr. High School

The Oregon Davis School Board members approved the revised firearms policy during Monday’s meeting.

As per state law, firearms may be in a school employee’s locked car out of the sight of the public, which Oregon Davis’s policy will reflect. School Superintendent Greg Briles said the only person or persons who would be allowed to have firearms in the buildings would be the schools resource officers or police officers.

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Oregon-Davis Invites Community Members to Review English Textbooks

 The Oregon-Davis School Board discussed English textbook recommendations this week.

Superintendent Greg Briles said the teachers and students have reviewed the proposed textbooks and now members of the public are welcome to come in and review them as well.

“They’re going to set some dates for individuals in the community to come in, look at the textbooks that they’re planning on adopting,” said Briles. “If community members are unable to come in, they can email Mr. Pletcher, the high school principal, any concerns or comments or things they would like to see in those textbooks moving forward. He would be more than happy to include those in the conversations as they bring in a recommendation to the school board at our May board meeting.”