Superintendent Kim told the board the district has hired James Ries to serve as principal for Central Howell and Pratham; Ries is a former district assistant principal who will begin formally on the district start date. "James Ries is back... he will report to the district on the third fourteenth officially," Kim said, noting Ries brings prior experience in the district and has children in Silver Falls schools.

Kim gave a brief professional development calendar for fall: administrator first‑aid/CPR/Narcan training (Aug. 8), K–2 language arts curriculum training (Aug. 26), 3–5 95% ELA training (Aug. 27), and K–5 i‑Ready math training (Sept. 24). She said Title I funds will help pay for some training and that the district will use targeted training for English‑learner strategies (constructing meaning) and multi‑tiered systems of support.

On early‑learning, Kim said the district ran a short, grant‑funded Kinder Jumpstart program that served 34 children free to families; she described it as a successful pilot supported by an Oregon Department of Education grant.

Facilities emerged as a substantive concern. Kim told the board a chiller at the high school is roughly 30 years old and, if it completely failed, replacement could cost in the range of $500,000 to $1 million. She proposed holding some work sessions at school sites to tour facilities, review recent facility assessments and help the board see condition and budget priorities firsthand.

Kim also updated the board on a new hybrid middle/high school program (about 46 students reported earlier), and on a planned cell‑phone policy: the district must have a policy by Oct. 31 and the program in place by Jan. 1, and administrators are working on an approach to reduce classroom phone use while preserving access for health or programmatic needs.

Board members welcomed Ries's hire and thanked staff for Kinder Jumpstart and the training calendar; they asked for follow‑up reports on facilities costs and on implementation details for the hybrid program and the cell‑phone policy.