Tuesday, January 03, 2023

Dear Neah-Kah-Nie School District Staff, Students, Parents, and Community:
The Neah-Kah-Nie School District will join the other 196 school districts throughout Oregon to celebrate
January as, School Board Recognition Month.
Our seven school board members spend countless hours volunteering to provide the highest level of
education for our students and a quality work environment for staff. Before making a decision, NKN
School District’s Board of Directors ask, “What is best for students?” The NKN school board, with forty-
four years of accumulative service as board members, make important decisions based on the very best
for students. Board members attend monthly school board meetings, participate in trainings, serve on
committees, negotiate with employee groups, partner with the superintendent during “Coffee &
Conversation” opportunities, and constantly engage with parents, students, and staff.
This school year, in addition to the daily responsibilities of board members, the Board is actively engaged
in the Integrated Guidance work, the writing of a long-range Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP), and
the new superintendent search.
School board members represent their fellow citizens’ views and priorities in the complex enterprise of
maintaining and operating the Neah-Kah-Nie School District. Each board member is elected to a four-
year term by registered voters. They also reinforce the principle of local control over public education,
which is an important, highly valued aspect of education in Oregon.
The Key Work of the NKN School Board is:
Vision
 Create district and community consensus on achievement objectives
 Clearly define expectations for what students should know and be able to do
Standards
 Establish clear standards for student performance
 Base standards on an external source that has credibility in the community
Assessment
 Tie assessments to established standards
 Use multiple, ongoing assessment measures

Accountability
 Measure the performance of all school staff members, administrators and the school board itself
against student achievement objectives
 Continually track progress and publicize the results
Alignment
 Align resources to ensure students meet standards
 Include the community in the review of the district’s budget and management process
Climate
 Create a climate that supports the philosophy that all children can learn at high levels
 Empower staff to meet the needs of all students
Collaborative relationships
 Build collaborative relationships with employee groups and political/business leaders to develop a
coalition that advocates for student success
Continuous Improvement
 Commit to continuous education and training on issues related to achievement
 Use data on student achievement to set priorities for allocating resources
 Adjust the strategic plan on the basis of data and community input
Neah-Kah-Nie School District has an active, well trained, and highly effective board who give of their time
for the betterment of our students and staff. Neah-Kah-Nie School District’s proud School Board
members are: Board Chair, Sandy Tyrer, five years of board service at NKN and ten years prior board
service; Kari Fleisher, Vice Chair, four years; Carol Mahoney eight years; Michele Aeder, seven years;
Landon Myers, six years; Renae Scalabrin and Mike Wantland, two years of volunteer service.
Board of Education meetings are the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
Please go to the School Board website for additional information about NKN board members.
We honor our board members during January to show appreciation; however, we recognize their
contributions reflect a year-round effort. The next time you see a Neah-Kah-Nie School Board member,
please express your gratitude by saying, THANK YOU!
Sincerely,

Paul Erlebach, Superintendent
Neah-Kah-Nie School District
paule@nknsd.org
503-355-3501

https://nknsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/School-Board-Recognition-Month-2023.pdf