School board swears in two new members

The Naselle/Grays River Valley school board added Robert Torppa and Natasha Crater to the board at their most recent meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Even though Torppa won the election, he applied for appointment and could therefore start in November instead of December when new Board members are sworn in.

Crater was the only volunteer from the Parpala Road area who stepped forward to serve in the position Amy Chadwick filled before she resigned at the September meeting. The board now has members from all the school district’s areas. Prior to the swearing in, the board had only three members, so a quorum was barely present when they met in October and, again, when they voted in November to add new members.

The agenda was long and busy. It began with a long discussion regarding policy 1440 regarding board member resignation. The current adopted policy states that “the board shall appoint one of the candidates to serve until the next regularly scheduled board election, at which time a director will be appointed for the unexpired term, if any.” Two changes were suggested in the first reading in October. The first states that the board “may” appoint someone (over shall or will). The second adds that a board member’s resignation is effective immediately without it having to be announced at the next regular board meeting.

After the various options were considered, the board voted to revise only the wording regarding the timeline of the resignation and make no other changes.

In new business, the board approved a resolution to replace an educational programs levy that is set to expire. The resolution authorizes the district to propose a measure on the February 13, 2024, ballot. The levy amounts to $651,000 for each year 2025-2027 and represents a current rate of approximately $1.27 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The board also voted to approve travel for out of area and overnight travel for winter sports and activities. This request occurs four times per year as students attend various school and sports events. This approval is a request from risk management that the board approve activities away from the school.

An executive session was held to review Superintendent Nelson’s mid-year evaluation.

The next meeting of the school board will be Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Grays River Fire Hall, on Hull Road, in Grays River. Attending by Zoom is possible. Information for using Zoom can be found on the school’s website. (Enter Naselle Grays River School District, then scroll down the page on the right hand side to “Current News,” then to “School Board Meeting.” All the documents for the next meeting should be there by the Friday before the next scheduled meeting.) You can also listen by phone; look below the Zoom information for the phone number.