ASD Community News - May 2024

• Superintendent's Message
• Class of 2024 Graduation - June 6 at 6:30 p.m.
• Meet Dr. Hattrick: New Superintendent Starts July 1
  
• Budget: Sustainable School Choice Options
• School Libraries
• Library Media Assistants' TOP PICKS FOR SUMMER READING
• School Resource Officer
• District Office Changes for 2024-25
  
• Assistant Superintendent Michelle Cuddeback
• Director of Student Services Dr. April Harrison
• School Safety and Security
  
• Community Bond Update: Ashland High School Construction Phase Three
• Retiring Teachers and Staff

Ashland Families, Students and Community Members,

As we wrap up this year, I want to take a moment to reflect and express my gratitude.

I began work in Ashland School District in August of 2001. It has been a privilege to serve this district throughout that time and especially as superintendent since July of 2020.

This year, we celebrate the graduating the Class of 2024 who began their high school journey under the restrictions of the pandemic and the chaos and tragedy of the Almeda fire. It has been a remarkable journey for them and for all of us who now find ourselves on a path beyond those experiences. For me, the journey was made richer by the families, students, teachers, staff, and community members of Ashland. I am honored to have served by your side.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our exceptional teachers and skilled support staff in all departments across the district. Your spirit, creativity, hard work, and commitment to our students' success is inspiring and vital to our achievements. You make our schools great places to learn and connect.

I am deeply grateful to our community for their continued support of our schools. The local YAAL levy funds numerous opportunities for students. The 2018 Bond and our community partners help create amazing new and redesigned learning spaces. The Ashland Schools Foundation continually provides crucial resources and support to enhance our educational programs. Additionally, our family and community volunteers make a significant difference, turning good schools into great ones. Your support is invaluable in helping us provide the best possible educational experiences for our students.

Looking ahead, I'm excited about the future of our district under new leadership. We are facing the challenge of declining enrollment and funding by actively working with staff and the community to re-vision our schools over the next couple of years. Our goal is to provide families with the choices they want for their students and maintain excellent programs that serve every child well. That work began with the School Board Innovation Committees more than a year ago and will continue in the future with additional opportunities for engagement with all constituents.

I am pleased to hand the leadership of the District to Dr. Joseph Hattrick who will be taking over as superintendent on July 1. Dr. Hattrick brings energy, vision, and experience to the role, and he understands the importance of relationships in building a strong, engaged school community. I am confident that under his leadership, the district will continue its work on equity and inclusion, and excellence for every student.

I want to thank Erika Bare, who is leaving her position as Assistant Superintendent to become Superintendent in the Umpqua School District. Her exceptional service to kids has been invaluable, and she will be greatly missed.

I’m excited to welcome two new leaders to our district. Long-term Helman Principal Michelle Cuddeback will be our new Assistant Superintendent, bringing her extensive experience and institutional knowledge to the team. Dr. April Harrison, joining us from the Rogue River School District, will serve as Director of Student Services. We’re thrilled to have their expertise and vision.

Thank you all for your outstanding support to our students, schools, and community. It has been an honor to serve as your superintendent, and I look forward to seeing the continued success of the Ashland School District under its new leadership.

With gratitude -

Samuel

Samuel Bogdanove

Superintendent

Ashland Public Schools

Pronouns: He, Him, His

Excellence ~ Equity ~ Connection ~ Together

Members of the Class of 2024

Con-grad-uations! Your hard work, dedication, and resilience have brought you to this momentous day. To your families and loved ones, thank you for your support and encouragement. And to the Ashland District Staff from K to 12, your guidance and commitment have been invaluable in shaping these bright young humans.

You're amazing and just what the world needs. Reach high, go far, be kind, and do the right thing.

June 5 - Graduation Rehearsal

June 6 - Senior Graduation

• Where: Lithia Park Band shell
• When: 6:30pm
  
• Parking Opens @ 5:00pm
• Bring Your Own Chairs - Britt Festival rules apply

We are excited to introduce Dr. Hattrick, who will start after July 1 as superintendent of Ashland School District! With a rich background in education and a passion for fostering student success, Dr. Hattrick brings innovative leadership and a commitment to community engagement. Under his guidance, we look forward to a bright future for our schools. To learn more about Dr. Hattrick's vision and experience, visit the

Meet Dr. Hattrick: New Superintendent Starts July 1

Since the 2018-2019 school year, we have experienced our district growing smaller by roughly 300 students. Student enrollments fund schools and it was necessary to appropriately resource our sites with the reduced enrollment going into the 2024-2025 school year. (Read the 2024-2025 ASD Budget) This year, we reduced our budget going into the 2025 -2026 school year by $2.4 million. We did this by reducing 2.14 administrative FTE, eliminating over 11 temporary teaching positions, and reducing the equivalent of 12 full time classified staff that were hired during COVID through federal relief dollars. This has not been easy work and some excellent staff will no longer be employed with the district. We feel that great loss in our schools, on our campuses, and in our hearts.

Additional work lies ahead to reach a sustainable level. The Board and the District will seek your input as they do the work of re-visioning our schools and programs to provide options and choices for students and families within a reduced budget. It will be necessary to reduce spending by approximately an additional $2.5 million over the next two years. The Board and the District have begun this foundational work of re-visioning schools through Board Innovation Committees focusing on Enrollment, School Calendar, and Re-Imagining the High School. Next year, there will be an even broader constituent engagement process around re-visioning. Details on the constituent engagement process will be forthcoming.

We have received significant feedback on our decision to reduce licensed school librarians at the middle and high school. Thank you for sharing your insights and voicing the importance of the school librarian role. Licensed librarians provide so much to the school experience and their loss was not an easy choice. As we did the critical work of reducing our budget, we focused on the value of small class size over other program elements. Smaller class sizes make a difference in the learning experience of students and the ability to develop supportive relationships with each child.

Elementary licensed librarian support remains unchanged. School Board Director Dan Ruby is working with Jackson County Libraries to explore ways that our district libraries can be further supported.

Next year, we will be adopting a common model for school libraries regionally. We have contracted with Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) for licensed librarian oversight at our middle and high school. The SOESD librarian will visit each library twice annually and meet weekly via zoom with the classified Library Media Assistants at those locations. As libraries have migrated to more digital content and video conferencing has become an easy tool, remote licensed librarian support can provide a high level of support to the classified professionals on-site in the libraries.

We are fortunate to have exceptional classified professionals in each of our school libraries that work regularly with students connecting them to reading materials that match their interest. Read on for Media Techs' TOP PICKS FOR SUMMER READING.

Our classified Media Techs are phenomenal! Here are their TOP PICKS FOR SUMMER READS

We are excited to announce the return of the School Resource Officer (SRO) program to Ashland Public Schools in Fall 2024. Funded by the generous support of the Ashland Police Department and the City of Ashland, a trained School Resource Officer will be stationed at Ashland High School, primarily serving the high school and middle schools while supporting other sites as needed. This initiative marks a significant step toward enhancing safety and fostering a supportive school environment for all students.

The reintroduction of the SRO program follows a period of thoughtful dialogue and community feedback, led by efforts from Police2Peace and active participation by Ashland High School students. These discussions have been instrumental in shaping a program that not only addresses safety but also prioritizes equity and inclusivity. To ensure the program’s alignment with our community’s values and needs, the Ashland School Board will conduct an annual review of the SRO program. This review will assess the effectiveness of the engagement strategies and and overall program, maintaining our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement. Want to know more? Please see our website here.

Michelle Cuddeback has been appointed Assistant Superintendent beginning the 24-25 school year. She will have primary areas of responsibility in instruction, student data, and human resources. Michelle brings extensive professional experience and deep institutional knowledge of Ashland Schools.

From Michelle: I am deeply grateful and humbled to assume the role of Assistant Superintendent with the Ashland School District. Throughout the past twenty-four years with the district, serving as an elementary teacher, TOSA, and principal at Helman Elementary, I’ve had the privilege of learning and growing with exceptional educators, students, caregivers, and community partners. My life-long commitment to equity and excellence for all students fuels my passion and inspires me to further my learning by serving in a broader capacity. I am excited to continue to learn with you as we uphold our mission of Inspiring Learning for Life!

In community,

Michelle

Ashland School District is proud to welcome Dr. April Harrison as Director of Student Services beginning July 1.

From April: I am honored to serve as your next director of student services. I began my educational journey right here in Ashland as a volunteer at Ashland High School. I am excited to return to the Ashland School District to support the incredible work of our families, students, staff, and community. I have experienced education through a myriad of lenses during my educational journey; I served as an educational assistant, special education teacher, professor, director of special education, and director of special programs. These experiences have helped nurture my belief that all children have the ability to learn and it is our job as educators to unlock their potential.

Thank you for this amazing opportunity,

April

Through our bond projects and adoption of the Standard Response Protocol this year, we have made significant strides in school safety and security. With the momentum of this work to build on, we will be continuing next year with staff training, the deployment of emergency resources such as “Go Buckets” and the refinement of reunification plans in the event of an emergency.

To accomplish this work, we have created a 0.25 FTE temporary administrative role from the general fund to be filled by Rebecca Bjornson who will continue as Bond Project Administrator in a bond-funded 0.75 FTE temporary role. Rebecca is an important addition to the bond project team and has made significant contributions to facility safety improvements. She has also led the process of implementing the Standard Response Protocol district-wide. As an added value, Rebecca has been a key figure in bringing in over $5M in grants over a two-year period to support a variety of work in the district.

Safety and security work is critical for schools and requires dedicated resources to do well. School safety and security ranked high among staff interests in the February Educator Budget Priorities Survey.

We are pleased to share that beginning in June, the construction for Ashland High School will enter what we call Phase Three, which will bring the AHS Construction project to completion. The summer weeks are what our construction team calls the "summer burn" which means, it is a busy place to be for construction work. Because of this work, we ask that everyone plan accordingly and avoid campus areas where construction is happening.

During these weeks, from June 10th to August 12th, it will be an intensive working period. During this final phase of the AHS construction bond projects, you will see the following happening:

1. Humanities Building: Both the first and second floors will have seismic, fire sprinkler and HVAC updates completed. This means the first and second floors of Humanities will reopen to students and teachers in August! The third floor will remain under construction and will receive the remainder of the seismic, HVAC, and fire sprinkler updates. Simultaneously, the elevator and tower work will continue, with hopes that the elevator will be fully operational by early 2025, providing accessibility for all. Additionally, the single-use restrooms will be created along the north elevator tower and the other restrooms will be renovated.
2. Science and Library Building: Significant updates will also be happening here. The Science modernization will be in full swing by June 10th! All Science rooms will receive modernization, including new polished concrete floors, and updates to cabinets, counters, and workspaces for all. HVAC, fire sprinkler, and accessibility improvements will also occur.
3. Counseling Floor: HVAC work will take place, and we are pleased to share that the roof renovation will begin in early June as well.
4. English and IVC Buildings: These buildings will receive restroom renovations and HVAC upgrades. Throughout the remainder of the campus, including the Theater Building, Gym, and other locations, additional updates will occur.

Please note, that access to the campus will be limited and granted on a case-by-case approval only. We wish to give construction teams full access to the summer break to complete their lofty workload.

Thanks to our amazing community for their support of all our school bond projects!

Bargaining updates are now online:

OSEA Bargaining Updates

AEA Bargaining Updates

Ashland School District uses the Safe Oregon tip line system.

A link to the tip line is located at the bottom of every school web page.

Who receives tips to the School Safety Tip Line? Specially trained technicians field incoming tips 24 hours- a-day, 365 days-a-year for all public schools Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Oregon State Police provides this service through a contracted vendor.

For details on how the tip line works, click here.

The Ashland School District Peachjar site

Please Note: Flyers are distributed to Ashland School District students as a courtesy to parents per board policy. Ashland School District does not endorse or sponsor community activities including any described in Peachjar. If you have questions regarding this policy, please contact your child’s Principal.

ASD Web SIte has a new look: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashlandpublicschools

The school district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs and services and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated at our school to handle inquiries and complaints regarding nondiscrimination policies and to coordinate compliance efforts:

Name: Samuel Bogdanove, Superintendent
Address: 885 Siskiyou Blvd..
Telephone: 541-482-2811
Email: Jacqueline.Schad@ashland.k12.or.us

Inquiries or complaints may also be directed to the Student Services Office at 885 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland Oregon (phone: 541-482-2811)

Complaints may also be directed to: Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue S.W., Washington D.C. 20202, or by calling (800) 421-3481 or (877) 521-2172 (TTY).