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Superintendent reports on bargaining and budget outreach; teacher urges board to protect student supports
Summary
Superintendent Tracy Klinger updated the board on career-pathway work, classified bargaining and a community budget forum; a classroom teacher, Matt Wallace, warned of growing classroom disruptions, staff burnout and urged the board to prioritize students' basic needs ahead of upcoming cuts.
Superintendent Tracy Klinger told the board the district is pursuing partnerships and advocacy to expand student career pathways and to address budget challenges. Klinger said a visit to an Amazon facility in Troutdale opened avenues for internships and local career connections and that classified bargaining has begun under an interest-based process the district described as collaborative.
"This week marked the beginning of our classified bargaining sessions," Klinger said, noting the district completed the first intensive week of a two-week process and will reconvene in April. She also described a recent community budget forum — the first of two planned events — intended to increase transparency about financial challenges and gather priorities from families and staff.
During an association/teacher report, classroom teacher Matt Wallace described worsening learning environments and staff strain. He said the district faces growing class sizes, rolling caseloads and frequent disruptive behavior that is taking a toll on students' and educators' mental well-being. "Please put our students' basic needs first," Wallace said, urging the board to consider how proposed cuts could reduce supports that students rely on.
Wallace also asked the board to recognize colleagues who had recently protested, saying union members were gassed during what he described as a peaceful protest; the meeting transcript records the allegation but includes no response or verification from district staff or law enforcement during the session.
Board members and staff acknowledged the difficulty of budget conversations and thanked classified employees for their work. Finance staff later reported a projected ending fund balance of about 6.2% and said several cost-saving measures were having a modest positive effect on cash-flow projections.
Next steps: The board will continue budget deliberations at upcoming meetings and staff said they will return with follow-up information on specific services (for example, outdoor school) and procurement updates as needed. The next regular board business meeting is scheduled for March 5, 2026.
