Oakdale Joint Unified School District wrapped up its final board meeting of the 2015 calendar year with a bit of general business, some new assignments and recognitions on Monday, Dec. 14.
The meeting began promptly with the Pledge of Allegiance being led by Sierra View Elementary students Daniel Campbell, Yamary Carillo and Tori Blanc.
Following the pledge, the Administration of Oath of Office was given to new board of trustees member Larry Betschart and re-elected member Tina Shatswell. Both members will serve a four-year term ending Nov. 30, 2019.
Election of Board President, Clerk and Board Representative was also assigned at this time. Tina Shatswell was elected President, board member Barbara Shook was named Clerk and Mike House named as Board Representative.
Special recognition was made of OHS alum and Future Farmer of America member Logan Douglas for his recent award as the FFA National Ag Proficiency winner. Douglas spoke to the board about his experience at the National Convention and he was later joined by OHS Agriculture teacher Isaac Robles and two additional FFA members, Kevin Snyder and Breanna Davis.
“Every FFA member is required and really encouraged to have a project,” Robles said. “Some have a very small project and some take it to a point where it can be a career. Logan is a prime example of that. We talk about the whole idea of college and career and Logan is really an example of exactly how that works.
“Taking skills that he’s learned in a classroom and learned in FFA, applying them in a work base setting,” he continued, “and really doing an excellent job of it. He’s one of only two people from the whole state of California that was actually awarded that recognition this year.”
The four shared highlights from the FFA trip to Louisville, Kentucky as well as Washington D.C. earlier this school year, which was attended by a group of OHS FFA members.
The board was presented with donations by Oakdale Education Foundation which awarded close to $110,000 in grants to OJUSD teachers and a $7,500 donation from Oakdale Sunrise Rotary. The $7,500 donation was made toward the Drive to Survive program.
Oakdale Teachers Association Representative Lance Campbell shared that he was proud of the OTA negotiators and that, per their reports to him, ‘significant progress is being made.’
“The climate at the table has been excellent,” he stated of their reports on contract negotiations, “and so we’re feeling very optimistic and looking forward to completing the process.”
Chief Business Officer Susan Dyke reported on the only Action item reporting to the board on the First Interim Financial Report for the Fiscal year of 2015-2016. The board unanimously approved the report with no questions raised.
Oakdale Joint Unified will be closed for Winter Break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2016. Classes will resume on Monday, Jan. 4. Oakdale Junior High and High School will be on a minimum day schedule from Wednesday, Dec. 16 to Friday, Dec. 18 for Winter Finals.
The next OJUSD Board meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 with Open Session beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be conducted at Oakdale City Council Chambers, 277 N. Second Ave., Oakdale. It is open to the public.
