Shared with the Corvallis School Board during the June 20, 2019 meeting
School Safety
School safety is a never-ending process including planning, risk assessment, staff training, safety drills, and effective emergency communications. Our new Assistant Superintendent Melissa Harder will assume safety leadership duties for the District in July.
We work closely with our community partners including the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Corvallis Police Department. This Saturday, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office will hold a full-scale, emergency training exercise for active threats response at Crescent Valley High School.
In order to avoid any confusion, the public is being notified ahead of time. The exercise is closed to staff and to the public. Traffic warning signs will be placed in the area of the closed roads. Local residents will be able to get to their homes. Other people are asked to avoid the area.
Local agencies participating in the training include the Corvallis Police Department, Corvallis Fire Department, Albany Police Department, the Philomath Police Department, Philomath Fire Department and the Oregon State Police.
Advancing Sustainability in Our Schools
The District’s Sustainability Management Plan is now complete and we have started the process to hire a full-time Sustainability Specialist to put our plan into action. Our bond program is closely integrated with our sustainability goals and I wanted to share an example of the work that’s happening already. Our bond team is currently working on the development of a solar power project in collaboration with the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition.
Oregon statute requires an investment of 1.5% of the cost of certain bond projects in renewable energy installations. As part of the entire bond program, the installation of rooftop solar arrays will be included in the design of a number of school buildings. A solar feasibility study is being completed to determine which sites are suitable for solar arrays.
The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition has offered to leverage the bond program investments with their Solarize our Schools initiative to maximize solar potential. An RFP for a ground mounted solar array on the Adams/District Office site was issued last month and the project is in early development. The funding model being explored includes a combination of District bond funds, Energy Trust of Oregon incentives, community contributions, and investor contributions to capitalize on tax credit opportunities. This is similar to the CHS solar project completed earlier this year. More information about this project and collaboration with the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition will be shared in a bond report later this summer.
Year in Review on Twitter
As superintendent, I love spending time in our schools. What I see inspires me. Our students are engaged in real-world learning and collaborative projects, and they are learning how to treat each other with kindness and respect. I wanted to share a quick year in review on Twitter and if you want to keep up in real time, please follow me on Twitter @suptnoss