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Jefferson School District’s Old Middle School Restoration is Underway!
Dear Jefferson families and community members,
As you drive by the school district office and the empty space where the old middle school used to reside, you’ll see earth being moved and the planned restoration of that space finally taking place! It will be a park-like setting with grass covering most of the lot, and a radiused grass berm that will serve as a place for families to gather in community, to eventually attend events. The seating area inside of the radiused berm is approximately 1,600 SF which means seating can be comfortably planned for about 80 people when we are able to return someday to non-socially distanced activities.
One of the major goals and desires of the school district is to become an active partner with the Jefferson community. In the spirit of partnership, district maintenance staff will eventually be placing a cement platform to be used as a stage. Any future renting of this space to the community (and the adjacent cafeteria with its heating kitchen) for events like movies in the park, or concerts, performances, weddings, family reunions, scout ceremonies, church events, picnics, etc., will be used to support the capital improvements needed around the district, like resurfacing the track or other identified needs. It goes without saying that our schools will be able to use the space for the drama club, or band or choir concerts as well.
How are we funding this project? To begin with, when we passed a Bond to build a new middle school and a new wing at JES, we had to also demolish the existing old middle school building and then restore the ground where the old middle school sat. Our Owners Representative budgeted 150,000 for restoration of this site.
Originally, the Bond was supposed to pay for everything, including the restoration of the land. Unfortunately, no one could foresee the need to complete a necessary waterline project through town, or the need to add a left-hand turn lane on Talbot Road into the JMS/JHS parking lots. Additionally, the district purchased a property adjacent to the elementary school that turned into additional parking. All three items were unknown and unexpected costs.
Due to these unexpected costs, in order to complete the demolition and abatement of the old middle school, resurface the land, and complete a playground at the elementary school, (estimated to cost of 600,000), the Board approved taking out a loan for 600,000 to finish these projects. We were fortunate to receive some good competitive pricing on much of this work, and due to the skill of our Owner’s Representative, we saved significantly on all of our remaining projects. The restoration work being completed onsite now is contracted at just under $50,000. All of this means our loan amount will be around 200,000 paid over nine years, instead of the anticipated 600,000 amount. (The 200,000 figure includes the playground, the demolition and abatement work not covered by the bond, and the resurfacing of the ground where the building stood). In fact, restoring the land with grass costs about $35,000 and the radiused berm that will serve as a grassy amphitheater was an additional cost of approximately $15,000. The Board believes that the cost to add the radiused berm and a stage is extremely minimal especially when considering the potential it brings to the future of the district and to our community. For example, we could have grass only - that is rarely if ever used - or we can have a way to bring the community together, and a way to bring income and visitors to Jefferson to potentially help stimulate the local economy. The restoration has to be done regardless, but for a little extra investment of $15,000 the Board saw and voted on a responsible cost effective opportunity.
Why didn’t we put in a parking lot or a skate park instead? Our goal was to stay within our $150,000 budget, and not to saddle the district with too much debt. When we looked into these and other projects, they far exceeded the costs we had in mind for restoration.
Why wasn’t this money used to resurface the track or replace windows, or invest in other improvements around the district? This loan was taken out to cover the shortage of funds created by the unexpected waterline through town, Talbot Rd left hand turn lane and the Elementary School added land purchase. This was necessary so that the district could complete the playground, cover remaining demolition expenses, and pay for the restoration of the land where the old middle school used to stand. The district has a separate capital improvement plan and is budgeting each year to address the many additional needs of the district.
Can the loan be used to pay for additional capital improvements around the district? If the Board chooses to approve more expenses, then yes it can. The Board and the Superintendent need to consider the needs for capital improvement, but they also need to be aware of the amount of debt being added, and to be careful not to add too much.
Can the loan be used to pay for extracurricular activities, clubs or books? No. The loan is for capital improvements only. The district uses other funding sources to purchase supplies, or pay for extracurricular activities.
What was the timeline for this project?
All decisions were made in public meetings. The initial discussion about how to restore the land took place in August, 2019.
In November, 2019, Superintendent Capener gave a presentation that discussed the pros and cons of different ideas for that space and gave input from a survey of 92 people. The Board considered options other than an amphitheater but found them to be cost prohibitive. No decisions were made.
January 2020, the Board voted for an approved moving forward with an amphitheater as part of the restoration of that ground.
April 2020, the Board approved a resolution for a loan in the amount of 600,000 to pay for the remaining costs associated with the old middle school and the playground at JES.
July 22, 2020, the Amphitheater went out to bid. The bids came back higher than what was budgeted so the Superintendent stopped the process to see if the project could be scaled back.
October, 2020, the Board approved the restoration of the land to include a scaled down version of an amphitheater.
We hope this gives you a full picture of what is taking place where the old middle school stood. We are excited about the potential this brings to Jefferson, and we believe it is one more reason to attract visitors and potential home buyers to our area! Thank you.
Brad
Brad Capener
Superintendent
Jefferson School District
Terry
Terry Kamlade
Jefferson School District
Board Chairperson
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New route changes starting Wednesday, October 28th on routes A and C, please see attachment.
The Jefferson School District Nutrition Department will begin providing weekend meals with your Friday delivery. Weekend meals will be delivered Friday October 30th.
Meals are free to kids ages 1-18 and delivered via bus routes. If you would like to receive free meals, please call 541-327-9654 or 541-327-3337 Ext 1047
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Jefferson to Offer Limited In-Person Instruction
Schools operating in the Comprehensive Distance Learning instructional model are able to bring a limited number of students for limited hours and with specific conditions on-site. Schools can offer the opportunity for limited in-person instruction based on need. As such Jefferson 14J is in the process of identifying certain small groups of students to bring in who require additional support.
As the semester progresses, principals will identify other students who may need to come to school for short periods of time during part of the week. To ensure conditions are set to provide a safe environment for all students entering the school and for all staff, the district is beginning this process slowly and in phases.
The first phase is projected to begin on or around October 12 and will include a total of 15 students across the district. Principals are collecting data and making plans to expand the numbers of students as needed. Decisions for bringing in students will not be based solely on disability, race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Additionally, student participation in limited in-person instruction will be voluntary and will not be a required element for any course or grade.
Schools can offer the opportunity for limited in-person instruction based on educational, relational, curricular, instructional, and/or assessment needs. All students considered for limited in-person will be qualified under the following criteria:
● Address connectivity issues, including a focus on students with limited or no internet access
● Provide academic support
● Access assessment
● Provide social, emotional, or mental health support
● Build educator-to-student relationships
● Support live peer-to-peer interaction
● Support ongoing engagement and attendance
● Build school community and culture
● Ensure culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy
● Prepare for a return to in-person instruction
● Provide voluntary supplemental supports
JSD wants to bring back all of our students and we miss them dearly. Once the metrics lower to the point where we are allowed to change to a hybrid model, we will actively communicate with the community in preparation for that transition. In the meantime, we are reaching out to provide a little extra support in a very small, very limited way.
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Pandemic EBT Benefits Fact Sheet
* On September 24, 2020, Oregon was approved for a P-EBT benefit issuance totaling $35,624,870.
*To be eligible for the P-EBT August/September meal benefits, a student must:
1.) Have been reported to ODE, between July 1 – September 22, as enrolled in a school sponsoring the National School Lunch Program in School Year 2021;
2.) Be eligible for no-cost meals in School Year 2020 or 2021; and
3.) Be missing National School Lunch Program or Seamless Summer Option meals On-Site at school for at least 5 consecutive days in School Year 2021 due to COVID.
* Families can visit the Pandemic EBT webpage (https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/assistance/food-benefits/pages/p-ebt.aspx) to view the September Benefit Issuance Chart.
*Beginning on September 28, we will be issuing $100 in September P-EBT benefits to 313,342 Oregon students, totaling $31,334,200.
*Additional P-EBT benefits will vary by school district.
*Districts that are open for 100% in-person or on-site school are not eligible for September P-EBT.
*There is no application for families to submit for benefits.
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MEAL DELIVERY TIME CHANGE
Starting Monday, October 5th, meal delivery times will be changing.
Delivery times have been moved up 30 minutes 11:30-12:30
Please see the new JSD meal delivery schedule dated 10/5/2020
Meals are FREE to all kids ages 1-18. If you would like to receive meals for your student, please call 541-327-9654
