The Canyon Weekly June 6, 2012
Volume 3, Issue 23
News and Life - For Our Side of the Mountain! Serving the communities of Lyons, Mehama, Elkhorn, Mill City, Gates, Niagra, Detroit, Breitenbush, Idanha and Marion Forks
School district reverses middle school closure, will close Gates Elementary
Store Copy Check us out online for free! www.TheCanyonWeekly.com Please leave this copy in the location you found.. Thanks for helping us grow the North Santiam Canyon! Historic Gates Elementary, now scheduled to close for the 2012-13 school year, once housed the area high school.
In a vote of 4:1, the Santiam Canyon School District Board of Directors, in a special budget meeting Tuesday evening, reversed their decision to close Mill City Middle School (MCMS), and voted to close Gates Elementary School instead. The middle school will now house grades K-6, and Santiam High School will house grades 7-12 for the 201213 school year. On May 22, the school board voted 3:2 to close the middle school. After multiple letters of concern and the opportunity to study the matters more closely, the board agreed to revisit their decision. Last Thursday, the board was presented a letter signed by the majority of the staff from the middle school and the high school, contending that not enough time was given for such a monumental decision. This week, school board members Keri Sanders, Greg Grenbemer and Rick Posekany toured the middle school grounds with
staff to better see how the K-6 students might possibly fit. At Tuesday’s meeting, in an atmosphere openly rift with emotions, proponents of the middle school choice pointed out the positive aspects of the newer building and giving the older children the opportunity to mentor the younger - while opponents noted the lack of private toilets for the kindergarteners, and projected “death” of Gates Elementary. “If the Gates school closes it will never, ever, ever open again,” said kindergarten teacher Judy Hugenberger in an impassioned plea. “No one in this room wants to see Gates Elementary close, we all love it. But Gates will always be a 90 year old school, with a 50 year old addition, failing electricity and lack of ADA compliance. Closing a school is hard,” said Rosanna Juhola of Gates.
“It’s not a one sided story. This is a very difficult decision, and when its a 49:51, it’s not hard to change your mind,” said board member Keri Sanders, whose vote changed from favoring Gates to MCMS. The plan is to move the playground equipment from Gates to Mill City. Donations are being accepted at US Bank to help with the playground move from the Gates to the Mill City campus, Needs include concrete, new poles and fencing. To volunteer call Alicia at 503-877-0395 or alicia4350@gmail.com.
The resignation of Santiam Canyon School District Superintendent Brad Yates, effective June 1, was accepted by the school board unanimously in a special open board meeting May 30. Yates had been accused of on-the-job sexual harassment of two women who worked with him at Gates Elementary where he held the position of both superintendent of schools and principal Both women agreed to come forward and let their names be known. JJ Aerni, a single mother of four from Mill
City (who works at Gates Elementary as an aid for special needs kids) states, “I want people to know who I am, in hopes that others will not be afraid to stand up for themselves if wronged.” Aerni said that she silently endured unwanted attention that was physical in nature since 2008. “I was afraid no one would believe me,” she said. “I’m really thankful to Shelly Baughman for filing a complaint. Her actions helped me find the strength to come forward.” Shelly Baughman, a secretary at who
worked in an adjoining office to Yates at Gates Elementary, was the first woman to file a complaint of sexual harassment. “I’m glad to know that no other employees of the school district ever have to be victims of him again,” Baughman said, upon hearing the school board’s decision to accept Yates resignation. A letter from the school district to Aerni dated May 16 read, in part, “The District has substantiated your complaint and has found that Superintendent Yates has violated the District’s sexual harass- (cont’d on page 20)
Santiam Canyon School District superintendent resigns under allegations of sexual harassment
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