Superintendent briefed board on preschool RFP, solar installations and emergency sheltering use of district fields

During the superintendent report, district staff described three items of operational and community significance: a preliminary RFP for an additional preschool site, completion of solar installations with planned battery backups, and immediate use of district fields for emergency response.

Tiffany (presenter identified in the transcript) said the district included a request for proposals for an additional preschool site at Oak Ridge Elementary. The RFP was described as preliminary; staff named Kelly Sooner as the person better positioned to answer precise counts on demand, and the district noted that Southern Oregon Head Start’s Orchard Hill location has a lengthy waiting list. The RFP was included in the board packet for review and slated to return for further discussion at a subsequent meeting if the district releases it.

Tiffany also briefed the board on technology and facilities work. The district replaced older OEM classroom panels at the high school with new active panels that match other brands across the district; the maintenance and IT departments performed the installations one unit at a time. Tiffany referenced the Amaresco solar report and noted the value of solar panels and battery backups for powering seismically retrofitted buildings in the event of an earthquake or wildfire.

Board members and staff discussed emergency use of facilities. Tiffany said the Red Cross contacted the district asking whether its buildings could be used for congregate sheltering related to an active Ashland-area fire; the district agreed. In addition, the Oregon Department of Forestry arranged to set up a fire camp on short notice at Colburn Fields (the multi-purpose field between the baseball field and the cross-country area). District staff toured the site with the Department of Forestry; the facility was judged suitable because it is off the main road and allows large vehicles to enter and exit without backing. Tiffany said district maintenance and facilities crews prepared the site quickly and coordinated with coaches and bus staff so school activities could continue around emergency operations.

Board members praised staff responsiveness. The district said it would notify stakeholders and provide updates if the camp footprint expanded; the report said the district’s seismically retrofitted buildings and the planned battery backups contributed to the district’s ability to support emergency sheltering.