Superintendent Dr. Bernal told the North Wasco County SD 21 board the district will coordinate with the city to install sidewalks and two marked crosswalks with flash signals on West Tenth Street, begin seismic retrofit work at Chenoweth Elementary and use state summer learning dollars targeted at literacy.

Dr. Bernal said district staff met with the city engineer and public works director on May 14 to finalize project understanding and timeline. He provided a tentative schedule: a pre‑construction meeting on May 29, staging beginning June 2, concrete work the week of July 24, asphalt the week of Aug. 11, slurry the week of Aug. 18, striping the week of Aug. 25 and a tentative completion date of Aug. 29 — before school starts.

The Chenoweth project includes a seismic retrofit of the gymnasium, repair of a roof leak, an office redesign, a new secure entry system for arrival and dismissal and a temporary relocation of the front office while work is under way. Dr. Bernal said weekly construction meetings are scheduled and include district staff and the Griffin construction leads, Matt Hamill and Aaron Weatherall.

On athletics, Dr. Bernal reported the district has ordered a new press box — called the “hawk nest” — with a cement pad in place and installers scheduled to arrive in mid‑July; the district intends the press box to be ready for the first football game.

Summer learning: Dr. Bernal said North Wasco is eligible for up to $415,000 in state summer learning dollars and has applied. Planned programs include a jump‑start kindergarten program, high school credit recovery, a K–8 literacy‑focused program (invitation only) and migrant‑specific offerings coordinated with Columbia Gorge ESD. He said the literacy program this year is invitation‑only and targets students identified as deficient in literacy; participating students must take pre‑ and post‑assessments required by the state. Dr. Bernal clarified that when invited students decline, the district will fill slots from its list to maximize participation.

Dr. Bernal also recapped a recent Resilience Rally focused on student mental health and community supports; he said more than 30 community partners attended and over 400 high school students from Innovations Academy and Dallas High School participated. He thanked Jessica Catolier of Mid Columbia Center for Living, who leads the rally.

No formal board action was required on these updates; Dr. Bernal asked whether board members had questions and provided dates for end‑of‑year ceremonies and graduations.