Woodburn board readopts budget-committee timeline, approves consent items and maps community talking points

The Woodburn School District board unanimously approved routine confirmation items and readopted a revised timeline to fill a budget committee vacancy during the meeting this evening.

Why it matters: The board’s actions set dates and procedures that will determine when the vacancy is publicly noticed, when applications close, and when the board interviews and appoints a new budget committee member — steps needed for the district’s budget process to stay on schedule.

Confirmation items: The board accepted several confirmation items as presented by staff, including the Dec. 9, 2025 meeting minutes, personnel actions, a surplus property disposal report, acceptance of gifts and donations, and funding proposals such as the Brady Fund and a high-dosage tutoring early-literacy grant. A board member moved to accept the confirmation items; the motion passed 5-0.

Budget committee vacancy timeline: Staff explained the short revised timeline: notice and application collection would begin immediately, applications would close on Feb. 20, the board would interview and appoint a candidate at the Feb. 24 meeting, and the appointee would begin March 3 for budget committee training and listening sessions. A board member moved to readopt the timeline and the board approved the motion 5-0.

Community engagement and talking points: Board members discussed a new worksheet to generate up to five monthly talking points for outreach. The board identified initial talking points to promote the budget committee vacancy, publicize the student representative application (open through April 15), summarize volunteer opportunities, highlight the upcoming Russian/Slavic festival, and surface school success stories from Valor and Heritage. Superintendent Juan Larios suggested soliciting concise bullet points from school principals during scheduled school visits so board members have consistent language for community outreach.

Calendar and next steps: The board confirmed upcoming meetings: a Feb. 10 work session at 5:45 p.m., a Feb. 24 regular meeting at 5:45 p.m., and March 3 budget committee training and listening session at 5:45 p.m. Staff said they will post application materials and a web page with instructions and deadlines.

What this does not do: The motions at this meeting were procedural (timeline and consent items); the board did not make binding policy changes or hire candidates at this session. Action items set the schedule for future selection and onboarding of the budget committee member.