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Residents urge board to support Measure 379 bond and weigh charter, meal and childcare impacts
Summary
Public commenters at the Siuslaw board meeting urged board members to back the Measure 379 bond campaign and argued both for and against the new Whitmore charter school curriculum; speakers repeatedly raised concerns about meals, childcare and the timing of decisions amid the bond campaign.
Public comment was a prominent portion of the March 11 meeting, with residents addressing both the proposed four-day week and the charter school curriculum and urging board support for a local bond measure.
Katie Snedden, a facilities-committee member working on the Measure 379 bond campaign, asked board members to provide written testimonials, photos and volunteer support to help pass the measure and outlined outreach efforts (signs, radio, mailers). Several residents and charter proponents spoke in favor of Whitmore Classical Academy’s model: Donna Heinan (charter board member) described the classical approach and said the charter will use a written scope and sequence and Singapore math; Abby Kimball and Lori Olson offered personal endorsements, citing school choice and academic focus.
Other commenters raised concerns. One resident and several directors asked how food-insecure students would be supported on a four-day schedule and questioned whether working parents could find childcare on off days. The board emphasized the difference between procedural calendar adoption and policy decisions, and encouraged additional community input and a neutral materials review for Whitmore.
The board accepted public comment and used the input to frame follow-up tasks (research on four-day impacts and an independent curriculum review).
