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Eight school days cut By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland School Board members focused on balancing the current budget while keeping an eye on future finances. At the board meeting Monday night, members unanimously approved the Youth Activity Levy to be proposed to the city in addition to the revised 2002-2003 school calendar which depicts an eight-day reduction to address a $540,000 gap left by Measure 28's failure. The board voted to follow Superintendent Juli Di Chiro and Business Manager Loren Luman's recommendation to keep the Youth Activity Levy at $1.38 per $1,000 assessed property value and to extend the levy to encompass the next five years as opposed to the standard three-year increment. School board members also approved changes to the academic calendar. Under the new schedule, spring break will be extended, April will have one long weekend and summer release will be implemented four days early. "We did have a desire to coordinate with all the districts in Southern Oregon," Di Chiro said. "From a curriculum standpoint, it just didn't work for us." Educators previously had discussed eliminating the last eight Mondays from the school year, valleywide. Alterations to the schedule include: Changing March 7 and March 14 from spring conference days to instructional days at the elementary and middle school levels; extending spring break from March 21 through March 31 with March 20 becoming a non-instructional day for teacher in-service at the high school and a professional development day for Kindergarten through eighth grades; no school on April 25 and April 28; no school May 23 - a day previously cut; June 4 is a half day and the last day of school for Kindergarten through eighth grades; June 5 and June 6 will be used as in-service days; June 5 will be a half day at the high school; and there will be no school June 9, 10, 11, or 12 for all grade levels. The eight-day reduction will affect both instructional and professional days and will eliminate spring conferences for parents, according to school officials. However, the new schedule will not affect graduation - to be held June 6 - and will not alter accreditation status. Turning from the immediate to the future, school board members addressed the Youth Activity Levy set to go before voters in the May 20 election. The levy was originally designed to be a temporary response to the 1990 passage of Measure 5, which cut property taxes impacting the support state schools received. The levy - which generates an approximate $1.7 million per year for the district - has now become an important part of the district's budget. "Every three years we ask for a renewal because we're not receiving adequate funding from Salem," Vice Chair Amy Amrhein said. The levy does not support core curriculum. However, it does allow students to take part in activities like sports and the arts. "The activities that are funded through the levy, they would not be able to happen without it," member Terry Littleton said. Board member Chuck Keil supported the levy but said asking for more money would be an error especially in a double majority election which requires at least a 50 percent turnout for the levy to pass. "I think we can continue asking them (the voters) to do what they've been doing. But to ask for more, I couldn't do that in good conscience," Keil said. The board approved the levy rate as it stands but voted to extend the standard three-year levy increment to a five-year increment. The decision was based on the amount of resources and preparation it takes to run a campaign in addition to a conflict with a construction bond that will come up in three years. In other business the board: adopted Southern Oregon Education Service District resolutions; adopted criteria for the evaluation of the superintendent; passed a memorandum of understanding between the Southern Oregon Bargaining Council and Ashland Public Schools regarding early retirement options; approved a $32,000 bid to resurface the Ashland High School track, noting that safety issues prompted the decision; and, approved science curriculum development. The board announced that zone transfer requests were reviewed and that area families will receive notice this week of which school their child will attend. A workshop for community members interested in serving on the school board is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 3 in the District Office located at 885 Siskiyou Boulevard. Positions 2 and 5 - held by Chair John Maurer and board member Curt Bacon respectively - will be on the May 20 ballot. A board retreat will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21 at Maurer's house. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 10 in the Ashland Council Chambers located at 1175 East Main St. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -