4J Educator
November 2022
Key Staff Shift Focus to Address Student Needs
The instruction leadership team has developed a plan to provide additional assistance in our buildings to help strengthen and re-establish the important systems that support all students to be ready learners.
Teachers on special assignment (TOSAs) and our student services teams will be temporarily shifting their focus to assist schools in this endeavor, particularly at the elementary and middle levels. District-level administrators also will work in schools, so their building-level colleagues can focus on supporting their teams.
Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to our students. Together we will continue to make a difference in large and small ways for the students in our system.
Welcome, Collina Beard!
Collina Beard is our new Chief Administrative Officer. She will be overseeing the finance, human resources, procurement, risk management and school safety departments. For the last several years, Collina has served as the Business Services Director for Lane Transit District and held similar positions for the Roaring Fork and Birmingham Jefferson County transit authorities.
Collina is a seasoned public-sector professional who has dedicated her time and talents to building up public agencies. With an extensive background in business services and a targeted expertise in procurement, Collina has developed not only a passion for strategic thinking and creative management, but purposeful practices that support the district’s values of building relationships with diverse and non-traditional grassroots community organizations.
She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the district, has two children in 4J schools and is an involved member of our community. She will serve the district well in this Cabinet-level position. Welcome, Collina!
We need your help! We'll be asking staff, families, and the community to fill out a short survey—an important first step in evaluating communications from district offices and schools. Look for an email next week with a link to questionnaire that should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. Then, in January, we will be conducting focus groups to further define the future of district communications.
New Classified Employee Contract Coming
Negotiators with 4J and the union representing the district's classified employees have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year labor contract.
Under the new contract, 4J employees represented by the Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA) will receive cost-of-living adjustments of 12% in the current school year (retroactive to July 1), 6% in 2023–24, and 4% in 2024–25. A new minimum wage is set at $18/hour and classified staff who work in a designated bilingual position also will receive an annual stipend of $750. Other benefits include an additional personal day and a boost in the employer contribution to health insurance premiums.
The contract will be sent to classified employees for a vote, then to the school board for approval. More information is available on the 4J website or by contacting your OSEA representative.
