Board Members Present: Chair Blake Petersen, Heather Coleman-Cox, Shawn Farrens, Kris Howatt, David Ligatich, Brenna Puderbaugh, and Holly Riegelmann
Recognitions
Sam Barlow High School Softball
The school board honored the Sam Barlow High School softball team for the following league honors:
Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year - Charliann Renner
Mt. Hood Conference Pitcher of the Year - Kaylee Pokorny
Mt. Hood Conference Co-Coach of the Year - Coach Rob Gehrke
Sam Barlow High School Boys Tennis
The school board recognized the Sam Barlow High School boys' doubles teams for finishing 1st, 2nd, and 4th at the district tournament. Doubles partners Kaden Forrar and Camden Pate were the Mt. Hood Conference League Champions.
Sam Barlow High School Girls Tennis
The school board honored the Sam Barlow High School girls' doubles teams, who finished 1st and 4th at the district tournament. The doubles team of Gianna Molony and Lizzy Weber was the Mt. Hood Conference League Champions.
Sam Barlow High School Track and Field
The school board recognized the Sam Barlow High School track & field Team, which had the following league winners and state podium finishers:
Giovanni Bogarin, 400 meters, 1st in Mt. Hood Conference and 6th at the state meet
Caleb Perry, Javelin, 1st in Mt. Hood Conference and 2nd at the state meet
Alithia Lam Tiang, discus, 1st in the Mt. Hood Conference and 2nd at the state meet. She also was 6th place at the state meet in shot put.
Esme Acevedo, Javelin, 1st in the Mt. Hood Conference and 4th at the state meet.
Sam Barlow High School Girls Flag Football
The school board honored the Sam Barlow High School girls' flag football team, which finished 1st in their special district and then won four consecutive playoff games to be crowned Oregon State Girls Flag Football Champions!
Superintendent and District Leadership Team Update
Superintendent Klinger shared that the all-staff convocation celebration was a huge success. Staff members enjoyed the event which featured a performance from the district’s performing arts teachers and student speakers.
The start of the 2025-26 school year is going smoothly. GBSD welcomed nearly 10,000 students back to class. Athletics and activities are also in full swing.
The District is implementing an electronic device management plan in response to Governor Kotek’s executive order. There will be some challenges to navigate. School leaders and staff are working to build consistency across schools. The change will result in fewer distractions in classrooms.
The District is monitoring Oregon’s quarterly revenue forecasts, as there may be some budget uncertainty ahead. The District is also watching student enrollment.
Superintendent Klinger shared that Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall joined her to welcome students back to school on September 2 at Hollydale Elementary. Students and families were excited to see their teachers and friends.
Citizens’ Requests of the Board
Former teacher and co-director of PocketForests NW Anne Neese shared information about the work they do. The nonprofit creates small native forests that can be used as outdoor classrooms.
APPROVED, nominating Kris Howatt for Position 18 on the OSBA Board of Directors, or declare that the board has no candidates to nominate.
APPROVED, nominating Heather Coleman-Cox for Position 17 on the Legislative Policy Committee (LPC)
APPROVED, adopting the Thursday proposed board meeting schedule brought forward to the July business meeting
This change means school board meetings will now take place on Thursday evenings. Calendars will be updated.
Information Items
Integrated Programs Annual Report
Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Heidi Lasher and Director of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Michele Cook presented an The District is required to provide an annual report on the Integrated Programs, which include funding from various grant resources, including Student Investment Account Funds (SIA), High School Success, Perkins, Early Indicator & Intervention System (EIIS), and Targeted Support & Improvement (TSI). In future years, this will also include our Early Literacy funding.
Monthly Financial Report of 7/31/25
Finance Director Pete Bejarano shared there has been no significant change in the District’s financial status since the prior month. The books for fiscal year 2024-2025 are closed, but we won't have finalized numbers for many more months until the financial audit is complete. While the ending fund balance is not finalized, we do not expect significant changes to the ending fund balance for the year ended June 30, 2025. July revenues and expenses reflected in this report do not predict enough of the coming year accurately. A fuller, more accurate picture of year-long payroll expenses (the majority of the District's expense), will not be known with acceptable levels of clarity until September's payroll run and encumbrance calculation, after open enrollment choices have been recorded and the first payroll of a full month of school has been processed.
Monthly Financial Report as of 07.31.2025
Upcoming Meetings
September 18, 2025
Board Work Session
6 pm
Council Chambers Conference Room
District Office
October 2, 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.
