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AGENDA: Salem-Keizer board to consider reaffirming “safe and welcoming schools” policy

The Salem-Keizer School Board at a July 16, 2019 meeting (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

The seven members of the Salem-Keizer School Board will spend a few hours Tuesday night learning more about their roles and the district before a brief business meeting.

After a daylong work session in early August ran over time, board members will hear from Superintendent Christy Perry and district administrators about several topics they didn’t cover, including board governance policies and updates on Student Success Act funding.

Then, board members will reconvene at 7 p.m. to vote on a resolution reaffirming Salem-Keizer’s safe and welcoming schools policy. That policy directs the district not to collect or maintain any information on students’ immigration status and not to allow federal immigration officials to speak to students unless required by a warrant.

That policy has been in place since 2016, with the board voting to reaffirm it each year.

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Board members will hear a proposed amendment to the district’s contract with Valley Inquiry Charter School. Charter schools are publicly-funded, privately-run schools that operate under a charter from a public school district.

Currently, Valley Inquiry’s charter allows the school to hire four non-district employees: a music teacher, Spanish teacher, PE teacher and art teacher. The school’s board is seeking to hire more employees, like a counselor and instructional support staff, as charter employees, meaning they wouldn’t be subject to Salem-Keizer’s union contracts.

The Salem-Keizer board won’t vote on the proposal Tuesday night.

Board members will also meet in executive session to discuss labor negotiations and property transactions. An executive session is not open to the public.

Meeting details: Work session 5 p.m. and business session 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27 at the district’s Support Services Center, 2575 Commercial Street SE.

Board members: Marty Heyen, Jesse Lippold, Kathy Goss, Sheronne Blasi, Paul Kyllo, Satya Chandragiri and Danielle Bethell.

Reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.