Youth camp cuts would be huge

The possible Naselle Youth Camp closure was the main issue at the Naselle-Grays River School Board meeting January 20. Superintendent Alan Bennett said if the camp were to close, there would be a major change in staff in the district.

At a recent superintendents' meeting, Bennett reported all districts are facing cuts, “but I can tell you, no one is going to have to deal with the level of cuts we will have to deal with if the youth camp closes.”

The closure would be a huge change in staffing, with 1/3 of the teachers gone; there would be issues with seniority and qualifications. The federal law now requires districts to have “highly qualified” teachers. The whole issue is very complex, he said.

The principals, Bennett continued, will have a say in who they think is qualified. “The boot is on the ground. They know who can teach what. But on the other hand, you’ve got the legal qualifications and all the questions that may come up.”

Legislators Dean Takko and Brian Blake are doing what they can to convince their fellow legislators to keep the youth camp open, Bennett said. He added that it is important for the people to make their voices heard to those other than Blake and Takko. “They are already fully convinced this (the closure) is going to be a bad thing for the community.”

In other business, Chris Eros of XH Industries presented the board with an idea for a wind farm, similar to the one in the Radar Ridge area. XH Industries, based in Long Beach, manufactures wind turbines.

The plan is to build a small 5-6 megawatt wind farm for the Ocean Beach and NGRV Districts. The way it would be funded would be through private, state and federal grants. “There would be no out of pocket cost to the community or the school,” he said.

Eros said his company is not wind farm builders, but turbine manufacturers. He said he believes the farm could generate $1 million per year for the districts. "Five hundred thousand for each district," he said, “that’s money injected directly into the school districts!” The estimated cost for a 6 mw wind farm would be $9.5 million.

The wind farms could also be used for vocational purposes. Students could go into the turbines, which would be 100 feet tall, to learn the science, math and physics of how the farms work. It will also expose students, kindergarten through grade 12 to concepts about renewable energy.

School board Chair Deanna Gjovik commented that the plan sounded great but she had concerns. “Where is our responsibility?” she asked. “What is the school’s responsibility? Who is in charge? Gjovik told Eros the board is in the business of educating kids, not being PUD people.

Eros said that the life span of a wind farm is about 20 years. They do need to be maintained, and XH provides a maintenance contract to take care of that. The school, however, would need to negotiate a price, he said.

K-12 Principal Karen Wirkkala reported the make up days for those missed due to the storm events in December and January are March 3, 4, 5, 20, and June 17. Graduation is set for June 13. The days are set in stone, added Gjovik.

High School Principal Jon Tienhaara reported Naselle High School was one of seven schools in the state nominated to apply for the 2008-09 Blue Ribbon School Award. NHS met two of three criterion for the award. The final selection of the award will be made by the Department of Education in September 2009.

The next meeting of the NGRV School Board is February 18 at 7 p.m. in the middle school commons.