Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
A retired teacher, Anne Nessie, told the board about two "tiny forest" plantings on Walters Drive and invited board members to tour them. She described educational and environmental benefits and estimated the cost at about $2 per square foot for a 600‑square‑foot planting.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
Following several hours of discussion and a motion from Director Heather Coleman Cox, the Gresham‑Barlow School District board voted to change its regular business‑meeting schedule from Wednesdays to Thursdays; work‑session start time remained at 6 p.m. pending further board action.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
Michelle Cook and district staff presented the annual integrated grants report required by ODE. The report credited improved attendance and a third‑grade ELA target met in the prior year, while flagging persistent challenges around equitable access to career and technical education and sustaining programs amid funding constraints.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
The Gresham‑Barlow School District board nominated Director Chris Howitt for Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) director position 18 and Director Heather Coleman Cox for a seat on OSBAthe legislative policy committee position 17; both nominations were approved by the board.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
Superintendent Dr. Klinger told the board the district welcomed nearly 10,000 students at the start of the school year, has begun implementing an electronic device management plan in response to a governors executive order, and is monitoring a modest enrollment decline that will affect budget forecasts.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
At an Aug. 21 work session the Gresham‑Barlow School District board and superintendent agreed to frame annual evaluation and planning around a small set of shared goals, with quarterly progress checks and board actions tied to each goal.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
The Gresham‑Barlow board instructed staff to draft a shared‑goals‑based superintendent evaluation with quarterly check‑ins and a final evaluation targeted for March.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
District leaders told the board Aug. 21 that elementary attendance improved over recent years but middle‑ and high‑school attendance have remained flat; staff proposed a mix of messaging, targeted outreach, classroom engagement strategies and policy clarifications to increase attendance.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
District staff presented end‑of‑year I‑Ready and STAR assessment results showing flat multi‑year proficiency trends in reading and math, persistent gaps for emerging multilingual and special education students, and next steps focused on classroom routines, coaching and PLCs.
Oregon / School Districts / Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
District staff reported that roughly one‑third of students speak another language; staff outlined Dual Language Immersion expansion, newcomer services, and multilingual strategies to improve outcomes for emerging multilingual learners.