Saint Helens School Board adopts 2025‑26 budget after public commenters urge vote on Plymouth High School closure

The Saint Helens School District board adopted three resolutions to finalize the 2025‑26 budget, make appropriations and categorize the tax at its June 24 meeting following a public budget hearing and short public‑comment period. The board moved and seconded the package of resolutions and a roll call recorded the attending directors voting in the affirmative.

The budget hearing drew multiple public comments. Mr. Preheim told the board he did not necessarily oppose the substance of the district’s decision regarding Plymouth High School but objected to how the decision was made, saying the superintendent had "overstepped" and urging the board to send the school‑closure question to voters to avoid litigation. He also pressed the board for disclosure about the final disposition of its finance director position, saying Oregon law requires certain public personnel information not be withheld from the public. Patrick Berkeley, a resident and member of the budget committee, said the budget committee followed the law and supported the budget. A district staff member, Linda, noted a small number of technical corrections from the budget‑committee version and said she appended the public Q&A to the budget materials for transparency, including a $500,000 contingency shift noted in the documents.

Board action: The board adopted the budget package (motion moved and seconded) and recorded the vote by roll call; the resolutions were adopted as presented. The meeting minutes show the board also approved a memorandum of understanding with the City of Columbia City related to a reunification process and delegated to the board chair authority to draft responses related to a personnel complaint and grievance discussed in executive session. Those actions were moved and seconded and recorded as approved in the meeting.

Why it matters: Adopting the budget sets the district’s spending plan and tax categorization for the fiscal year; public commenters used the hearing to press for procedural transparency and for a voter referendum on a contested school‑closure decision. The MoU and the executive‑session delegation are procedural outcomes that affect short‑term district operations.

What’s next: The superintendent and finance staff said the district is completing interim audit work and will review final June accounting before closing the books. The district also signed an engagement letter to receive pooled financing/bond scenarios in July as part of contingency planning for an anticipated fiscal "cliff." The board listed upcoming meetings on July 15 (regular), Aug. 12 (organizational) and Sept. 9 (regular); the first day of school was listed as Sept. 8 on the district calendar.