September 2, 2026 Meeting
Board Members Present: Chair Holly Riegelmann, Heather Coleman-Cox, Dr. Shawn Farrens, Kris Howatt, Brenna Puderbaugh, Erasto Sedda

Recognitions

There were no recognitions.

Superintendent and District Leadership Team Update


Superintendent Klinger shared the start-of-school schedule and told the school board that the district was excited to welcome students back to class. She shared that our summer programming benefited students throughout the district. High School Credit Recovery, funded through Measure 98, helped students stay on track for graduation. Early Kindergarten Transition helped incoming kindergarteners become familiar with the school environment. The county made the program possible through grant funding for our SUN schools.
Through a strategic partnership with the city of Gresham, the district hired 61 student interns as part of a local youth violence prevention strategy. These students worked across multiple district departments, including Facilities, the District Office, Communications, SUN programs, and Technology.

Citizens’ Requests of the Board


Student Mark Spolitak dedicated his testimony as a prayer for GBSD schools in this new season. 
Educator Karen Applegate shared her concerns about class sizes.
To view their remarks, please click on the link below, which will take you to the board meeting agenda.
Citizens' Requests of the Board
board action graphic
Approved, declaring Positions 4 and 5 on the Gresham-Barlow School District Budget Committee as vacant, and approving the appointment process as outlined

Approved,
nominating Kris Howatt for Position 17 on the OSBA Board of Directors

Approved, accepting the Safe Routes to School Grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation in the amount of $150,000
Approved, postponing the adoption of high school social science curriculum

Information Items


Integrated Programs Annual Report

The school district shared its annual report on the Integrated Programs, which includes funding from a variety of grant resources, including Student Investment Account Funds (SIA), High School Success, Perkins, Early Indicator & Intervention System (EIIS), and Targeted Support & Improvement (TSI). In future years, this will also include our Early Literacy funding.

The report consists of three narrative questions. It will be submitted to the Oregon Department of Education and posted to the Gresham-Barlow Website.



Monthly Financial Report of 8/24/26

Finance Director Pete Bejarano shared that the projected year appears within tolerable margins, but stated that it’s too early to tell. The books for fiscal year 2025-2026 are not yet closed, and finalized numbers won't be available for many more months until the Financial Audit is complete. The 25-26 Ending Fund Balance is not finalized, but it is expected to be less than the budgeted Beginning Fund Balance for the 26-27 fiscal year, due in part to increases in transportation costs, summer learning costs, and unexpected insurance costs. July revenues and expenses reflected in this report do not predict enough of the coming year accurately. A fuller, more accurate picture of year-long payroll expenses (the majority of the District's expense), will not be known with acceptable levels of clarity until September's payroll run and encumbrance calculation, after open enrollment choices have been recorded and the first payroll of a full month of open school has been processed.

Monthly Financial Report as of August 24, 2026

Upcoming Meetings


September 16, 2026
Board Work Session - 6 pm
Council Chambers Conference Room
District Office

October 7, 2026
Regular Board Meeting
6 pm (New start time for 2026-27)
District Office

Can't Attend Board Meetings?

You can watch regular school board meetings via Zoom. You can access the link through the Board Book section of the District website.

Meeting recordings are posted to the Gresham-Barlow School District Youtube Channel.
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