Board removes mentoring contract from consent agenda amid budget shortfall; former acting principal urges reinstatement

The St. Helens School District board voted to remove a personnel-services contract listed as item 6.3 from the consent agenda and directed the superintendent to review whether the agreed services could be renegotiated at a significantly reduced cost or cancelled, citing the district's ongoing budget shortfall.

A board member moved to exclude the listed personnel-services contracts from the consent agenda and ask the superintendent to determine whether they could be renegotiated or canceled because those contracts were not included in the adopted budget. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the remainder of the consent agenda passed.

During public comment, Dr. Charlotte Ellis, the district's former acting high-school principal, addressed the board and asked trustees to reconsider removing the mentoring/support contracts from the consent agenda. Ellis said the contracts had been executed and signed by the superintendent and were intended to provide mentoring and continuity for the high school during a leadership transition. She said the funding for the contracts came from Student Investment Account (SIA) funds, not the general fund, and that the contracts were important to maintain progress at the high school and support the newly installed principal. Ellis asked the board to allow the contracted work to continue to avoid disrupting student supports.

Board members acknowledged the concern and said they were not opposed to mentoring in principle but cited the need to align spending with the adopted budget and district priorities.

Ending: The board approved the consent agenda as modified (6.3 removed) and asked the superintendent to report back on renegotiation possibilities before any payment commitments were finalized.