By Jennifer Moody
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008 12:00 am
LEBANON - People Involved in Education may face termination of its charter with the Lebanon Community School District if it does not take action to register its director of operations with the state.
That's according to a recommended resolution to be discussed Monday by the Lebanon School Board.
PIE is the private, nonprofit agency that runs Sand Ridge Charter School. By law, charter school administrators are to be either licensed or registered with the state Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
Jay Jackson, PIE's director of operations, applied to TSPC for registration last year. About two months ago, the state agency denied him registration, Executive Director Vickie Chamberlain said. Jackson is appealing, and a hearing is to be scheduled before an administrative law judge.
Jackson is chairman of the PIE board and used to be known as the head administrator of the charter school. He turned in his registration paperwork this past December, with supporting material sent in March.
Also in March, the PIE board changed Jackson's title to "director of operations," a change Jackson said had been in the works for several months and better described his actual job.
Jackson said at the time he believed the change also removed any requirement to register with TSPC, but Chamberlain said the new title does no such thing.
"If he's acting as an administrator - if he's supervising employees, hiring and firing employees, evaluating employees - regardless of your title, you're administrating, and you have to be registered," she said.
Chamberlain said she cannot comment further on Jackson's registration attempts until an outcome is reached on his hearing.
A draft resolution authorized by Lebanon Superintendent Jim Robinson, to be considered at Monday's meeting of the Lebanon board, calls the failure to register "a breach of the charter agreement" and instructs the PIE board to "take immediate action to resolve the violation."
Failure to do so, it says, may result in action "up to and including the termination of the agreement between the entities."
The Lebanon School Board approved authorization of a new contract with PIE for Sand Ridge in December, but negotiators have not yet worked out the details. Sand Ridge is operating under a temporary contract extension that runs through this December to give bargainers more time.
Schools might shift attendance zones
LEBANON - The Lebanon School Board on Monday will consider a plan to reduce enrollment pressure at Riverview Elementary School by shifting some of its attendance area to Cascades Elementary School.
The proposed boundary change affects sections of Elmore, Hiatt, Jennings, Grove, Williams, Berry and Milton streets, mostly in the neighborhood of the former Queen Anne School.
Any students currently attending Riverview would not be affected. Younger siblings also will be allowed to enroll at Riverview. Families enrolling children for the first time will be assigned to Cascades.
The issue is among several business items expected to receive a vote Monday. Others include:
• Appointment of a new board member to replace Sherrie Sprenger, who resigned as of July 1.
• Approval of Rynda Gregory as principal of Riverview Elementary School. Gregory is currently an assistant principal at Corvallis High School.
• Approval of a plan to transfer ownership of the former Reed School to Brian and Michelle O'Driscoll, who want to move the historic building to their farm on Berlin Road.
• Approval of a contract for an alternative education program with the Insight School of Oregon, a statewide, online, private alternative high school.
Board members also are scheduled to hear reports on district goals and a plan to make sure all teachers meet the federal "highly qualifed" standard.