The Silver Falls School District Board approved five-year contracts for Bethany Charter School and Community Roots Charter School, voting to ratify the district'charter agreements during the meeting.

For Bethany Charter School, district staff described several clarifying edits adopted into the new contract. Those include a requirement that Bethany notify the district within five business days of any decision to hire, terminate, nonrenew or discipline a BCS employee; the contract also requires that related employee records be provided to the district within 72 hours when requested. The contract clarifies that, where Bethany and district policies conflict, Silver Falls School District policy will control. The agenda packet also adds a clause stating that if Bethany and the district enter an agreement for Bethany to purchase the real property at 11824 Hazel Green Road, Silverton, that purchase could require a new MOU or contract changes addressing fiscal or payroll responsibilities.

Community Roots's contract was presented as a standard five-year term with several operational clarifications. The contract directs the charter to follow the district calendar "if possible," clarifies that the district is not responsible for food service or transportation on days that do not match the district calendar, and gives Community Roots authority to set makeup days for inclement weather independently while transportation will follow the district schedule. District staff also noted that Community Roots must adopt an ODE-approved ELA curriculum to qualify for certain literacy grants.

The board moved and seconded approval of both contracts and passed each unanimously.

District staff said both contracts were reviewed by the district attorney and were adjusted after meetings with charter representatives to fix ambiguous language and align operational expectations.