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Board directs superintendent to convene 20-member bond oversight committee
Summary
The Molalla River SD 35 board instructed Superintendent Mann to convene a 20-member citizen bond oversight committee to monitor middle-school bond expenditures and report regularly to the board; the committee will be advisory to the superintendent, not a board appointment.
The Molalla River School District board on a voice vote directed Superintendent Mann to convene a citizen bond oversight committee charged with reviewing bond plans, monitoring expenditures and reporting to the district and community. The committee was advertised with a cap of 20 members and is intended to provide transparency on how voter-approved bond funds are spent.
Superintendent Mann said the group would operate as a superintendent’s advisory committee with a charter projected in the board packet and that the committee would provide regular reports — potentially quarterly — to the board. He emphasized the committee’s role is oversight and information-sharing rather than making formal board decisions. "We advertised that committee, capped it at 20, and lo and behold, we got on the nose, 20 interested citizens," Mann said.
Board members asked several procedural questions: whether the committee would be a board committee requiring public meeting notices (the superintendent and trustees clarified it would be convened under the superintendent’s authority and not be an official board appointment), how members would be selected, and what referral protocols would be used if committee members perceived waste or noncompliance. Mann said concerns would be reported under the district’s board policy (KL) and, if concerns involved his office, they would be escalated directly to the board.
Director Cummings pressed for clarity on authority and decision-making. Mann reiterated the committee would "review the plan and expenditures of bond funds," ensure funds are used for purposes approved by voters and provide information to the community; the committee would not have decision-making power over spending.
The board moved and seconded a motion to direct the superintendent to convene the oversight committee and approved it during the meeting. Trustees were invited to observe committee meetings so long as their attendance did not create a quorum that would trigger public-meeting advertising requirements.
Next steps: the superintendent will begin convening the committee and schedule its first meeting. The board packet materials include the committee charter and job description for members; applicants who applied early were informed of an October start date for initial meetings.
