Update on the Baker School District Board Meeting from Superintendent Witty
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Monday, February 21st, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – Baker School Superintendent Mark Witty sat down with Elkhorn Media Group Staff late last week to give an update on what took place during the recent Baker School Board meeting.
Below is the Q&A session.
(EMG) Thank you for joining me, Mr. Witty. There was a school board meeting recently. Would you please share some highlights with us?
(MW) Thanks for having me, Shannon. · We started out the meeting by recognizing a Promise Student of the Month: Anne Hindman from Haines Elementary. Anne is regarded so highly by those who know and interact with her on a daily basis. It was great to be able to recognize her at the meeting.
We also received an Annual Report on Bond Projects from representatives of the Bond Oversight Committee, Deon Strommer and Loran Joseph. The report covered the current schedule, budget, and design updates for our bond projects, among other things; and it can be found on our bond website: bakersdbond.org
The bond website also includes the details for our Community Open House next week – on Tuesday, February 22nd at 5:30pm – to review the proposed design for the new Middle School Cafeteria/Multi-Purpose Building.
Related to the bond projects, the school board also approved a change to the 2021-22 and 2022-23 District Calendars last night to give staff dedicated time to pack and unpack around construction. This year, that will mean two fewer instructional days at Brooklyn Primary; and next year, it will mean two fewer instructional days at the Baker Early Learning Center, Haines Elementary, and South Baker Intermediate.
(EMG) I heard there was also an exciting announcement related to the new Superintendent Search.
(MW) Yes, the school board announced their top three candidates for the new Superintendent last night: Erin Lair, the current InterMountain ESD Director of School Improvement; David Marshall, the current Superintendent of Brookings-Harbor School District; and William Schildbach, the current Principal of Tikigaq School, a PreK-12 school located in Point Hope, Alaska.
There will be a Community Meet & Greet on Thursday, February 24th, at 5:00pm in the Baker High School Library – where community members can meet all three candidates while they are in town for a second set of interviews.
(EMG) Another hot topic is the Oregon Health Authority’s lifting of the current mask rule as of March 31. Are there any local updates from the board meeting?
(MW) We did discuss the OHA announcement at the school board meeting, and we have been in discussions with the local health department this past week to fully understand the new OHA guidelines.
I have also been in on-going discussions at the state level to address the nuances of the new guidelines.
I expect the mask rule to be lifted in our schools on March 31, but we are still working on the details tied to that action. And we would certainly be supportive of those who wish to continue to wear masks in school.(EMG) Thank you Mr. Witty for taking the time to speak with us.
