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GBSD Graphic that says "Gresham-Barlow Board Report"

November 6, 2025 Meeting

Board Members Present: Chair Blake Petersen, Heather Coleman-Cox, Shawn Farrens, Kris Howatt, David Ligatich, and Holly Riegelmann


Superintendent and District Leadership Team Update

Superintendent Klinger shared that the district has had a busy and productive fall, completing our first grading periods for secondary schools, hosting various student activities and family engagement events and conducting essential professional development for staff. Parent-teacher conferences are right around the corner!

She also shared that there is heightened fear and uncertainty for our students, families, and staff due to an increase in immigration enforcement activities. She shared that the District is working to support our community during this challenging time.

Superintendent Klinger discussed the district’s financial outlook and shared that more details on the District's budget challenges will be shared in the coming weeks.

Dr. Klinger will soon honor staff members nominated for the district’s “What’s

Going Well” celebration. She said it has been inspiring to hear the stories

about the positive impacts staff have on our students.

 

 


Citizens’ Requests of the Board

Several individuals provided public comment for the school board. Topics included effects of behavior incidents on all students, reading comprehension, copy counts, and funding for Gresham Arthur Academy. Their comments are available online.

View the November Public Comments


Presentations

Nutrition Services Annual Report

Chartwells Nutrition Services Manager, Mazen Najiar shared the program’s annual reports. The report included highlights from last year’s program.

board action graphic with gbsd logo

DELAYED, voting on the Oregon School Boards Association’s (OSBA) Board of Directors Position 18, and Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) Representative Positions 17, 18, and 19

This will take place at a subsequent meeting

 

APPROVED, accepting the Physical Restraint and Seclusion Review for the 2024-25 school year


APPROVED, declaring Positions 6 and 7 on the Gresham-Barlow School District Budget Committee as vacant, and approving the appointment process as outlined

Information Items

Fall 2025 Academic Data

The District shared the fall 2025 iReady and STAR reading and math assessment results. All students in kindergarten through eighth grade are assessed during benchmark windows, including fall, winter, and spring.

 

Financial Update

The District shared a financial update with the school board. September payroll and associated benefits costs have been recorded, and are higher per-month than anticipated. Without another month to compare to, they provide some indicators but are not as robust as a multi-month analysis of payroll trends. If current expenses and revenues remain at the pace of September, the District will end the year with less Ending Fund Balance than was budgeted.

Monthly Financial Report as of September 30, 2025

Future Board Agenda Topics

At the Strategic Planning Retreat in August, board members generated a list of topics they would like to discuss at board meetings throughout the year. Board leadership and the Superintendent are working through this list of topics. Some topics need additional clarification on what type of report or information needs to be presented. These include:

  • Co-Use IGA with the City and County
  • Grants Overview
  • High or Low Performing Schools; program cuts and adds
  • Special Education Curriculum
  • Textbook Adoption Follow-Up (Implementation Update)

 


 

Upcoming Meetings

November 20, 2025

Board Work Session

6 pm

Council Chambers Conference Room

District Office

 

December 11, 2025

Regular Board Business Meeting

7 pm

Council Chambers 

District Office

 


Can't Attend Board Meetings?

You can watch regular school board meetings LIVE on the GBSD Website. Look for the link on the homepage in the District News section!

You can also watch regular school board meetings LIVE on Comcast cable channel 27 and Frontier cable channel 35. MetroEast Community Media replays the board meeting at the following times:

Second Showing-Monday at 7 pm.

Third Showing-The following Thursday at 4 pm.

If you live in Damascus-

Board meetings are shown on Willamette Falls TV for patrons in the Damascus area. They are scheduled for cablecast on channel 23 every Saturday at 1 pm.