Public Notices & Agency Updates

For Immediate Release

April 22, 2015

Contact: Laura Conroy
503-257-1516
[email protected]
www.mesd.k12.or.us

MESD hosts public forum for MESD Board Candidates

(Portland, OR) – Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a public forum for MESD Board candidates on Tuesday April 28th between 5:30 and 6:30pm at the Ainsworth building 11611 NE Ainsworth Circle, Portland OR 97220. The forum will be moderated by Vance Tong, Managing Editor of the Portland Tribune. Three board positions are open for the May 19th special election. Ballots will be mailed to voters the day after the forum, on April 29th. Audience members will be provided with writing materials and may submit questions to the moderator. All are welcome.

For Immediate Release

April 22, 2015

Contact: Laura Conroy
503-257-1516
[email protected]
www.mesd.k12.or.us

MESD actions to reinstate teacher consistent with fair dismissal laws

(Portland, OR) – MESD today confirmed that it had reinstated Brett Bigham as an employee, placed him on administrative leave, and provided him with notice of the interim Superintendent’s recommendation to terminate his contract to the MESD Board of Directors, in accordance with fair dismissal laws. The Board will review the interim Superintendent’s recommendation at a date no sooner than May 13, 2015.

MESD spokeswoman Laura Conroy commented that “MESD strives to ensure that all employees are treated with respect and receive fair and legal process in employment matters. The actions taken by the MESD to reinstate Mr. Bigham, provide him with notice of the interim Superintendent’s recommendation of termination and an opportunity for a hearing on the recommendation with the MESD Board at a date no sooner than May 13, is consistent with our commitment to providing respect and fair and legal process to employees.”

For Immediate Release

April 13, 2015

Contact: Laura Conroy
503-257-1516
[email protected]
www.mesd.k12.or.us

MESD hosts County Regional Spelling Bee Competition

(Portland, OR) - MESD is hosting a County Regional spelling bee competition on May 11, 2015. The event is being offered in partnership with Oregon Spellers, an all-volunteer entity sponsored by Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted (OATAG). (OATAG) conducts an annual region-wide spelling competition to determine the top speller of three age-determined divisions in the participating counties. These winners are recommended to participate in the Oregon Statewide Spelling Championship held September 5, at the Oregon State Fair in Salem.

Students may participate through one of two processes: a) a district conducts a cross-school competition and recommends one student from each division or b) a student may participate individually. All students must provide their own transportation to the event.

When: May 11, 2015 1:00 -3:00 pm
Who: Interested spellers in the following grades:
Division 1: Grades 1-5
Division 2: Grades 6-8
Division 3: Grades 9-12.
How: Register at http://www.mesd.k12.or.us/Page/501

Additional resources are found on: www.oregonspellers.org

For Immediate Release

April 10, 2015

Contact: Laura Conroy
503-257-1516
[email protected]
www.mesd.k12.or.us

(Portland, OR) - MESD invites public participation in Superintendent search process

MESD has announced additional details about the multi-step process it will use to select its’ next Superintendent. With the help of the AFSCME and MESDEA union presidents, the search firm Northwest Leadership Associates (NLA) was selected to assist in the hiring process. The next step in the process is to gather information from the MESD community about the attributes the next Superintendent should possess through a community survey to create the candidate profile. During the weeks of March 30th and April 6th NLA held listening sessions with small groups including component district superintendents and staff, partners, community members, and MESD staff. NLA is now seeking input from the entire MESD community through a 9 question survey.

Everyone is invited to participate in creating the candidate profile by completing the 9 question survey. It is important and necessary to gather input from everyone to help guide NLA’s work as it seeks out appropriate candidates for the next Superintendent. A link to the 9 question survey is provided below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MESDsupt

Upcoming key dates and activities of the process are as follows:
April 13 – MESD Board Superintendent Search Sub-Committee Meeting
April 17 – Position announcement is advertised
May 15 – Applications due to Northwest Leadership Associates
May 19 – Candidate screening report given to Board
Questions about the search selection process and this schedule can be directed to Laura Conroy, Public Information Officer at [email protected]

For Immediate Release

April 3, 2015

Contact: Laura Conroy
503-257-1516
[email protected]
www.mesd.k12.or.us

Multnomah Education Service District parting ways with 2014 Teacher of the Year

(PORTLAND, OR) MESD announced today, that it has terminated former Teacher of the Year Brett Bigham. “It was a difficult decision and not what we hoped for” said Interim Superintendent Jim Rose. “Brett is a great teacher. Unfortunately, it became clear over time that Brett’s focus was no longer his classroom and students, as evidenced by excessive time away and distraction during class time,” explained Rose, “Brett was no longer giving his students his best efforts.”

MESD saw great potential in Mr. Bigham and nominated him for the 2014 National Teacher of the Year award in recognition of his skills and passion for empowering special needs children through the functional living skills classroom. During 2014, MESD was proud to support the Teacher of the Year honor by granting Mr. Bigham over two months of paid leave to speak at and attend Teacher of the Year events. MESD also covered costs related to travel, meals and substitute teachers, arising from these activities.

MESD supported Mr. Bigham as Teacher of the Year after receiving the award, and looked forward to his re-engagement and full focus in the classroom when he returned in the fall to start the 2014-15 school year. We were disappointed when Mr. Bigham continued to miss class time and prioritize outside activities. Concerns about the impact of these issues were expressed in meetings and via formal communications. In March, the district placed Mr. Bigham on paid administrative leave and requested mediation to resolve concerns and find a way forward together. Mr. Bigham declined mediation.

MESD has determined that it is in the best interests of its students, staff and mission to part ways with Mr. Bigham. We applaud Mr. Bigham’s skills and talents in serving special education students in the classroom. We acknowledge and continue to stand by our decision to nominate and support him as the Teacher of the Year. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.