Harney County School District No. 3 will be in search of three new administrators for the 2018-2019 school year.

At its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 13, the school board accepted the resignations of Burns High School Principal Dave Goetz, Hines Middle School Principal Dave Robinson, and Monroe School Principal Chandra Ferguson.

The board also accepted the resignation of Ben Holtby in his position as yearbook advisor and photographer.

The board approved the certified contract renewals with the exception of the previously mentioned resignations.

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Regarding school safety, the board discussed the possibility of providing office space in the schools for local law enforcement to do paperwork. The police would then have a presence in the schools along with providing added security for students and staff.

Board member Lori Cheek stated that law enforcement had conducted “active shooter” training for courthouse employees that was very well done, and she suggested that training could also be done in the schools.

Board member Doug Gunderson said he wouldn’t be opposed to teachers being armed in the schools, if those teachers had received proper training.

Superintendent Steve Quick noted that if teachers were armed, that would affect liability and insurance rates for the district.

Quick added that the district has been working with law enforcement about the additional training a teacher would take if they wanted to be armed, and he emphasized that no teacher would be required to be carry a firearm.

Oregon School Employees (OSEA) President Monica McCanna pointed out that in the contract for classified employees, a job description for a campus security position is already in place.

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During his superintendent’s report, Quick stated they are continuing to work on updating the facilities, including the heating problems at Slater Elementary School.

He presented the proposed school calendar for the next school year that was approved by the board. Quick explained that there were originally five proposed calendars open to vote on, then the top two vote-getters were voted on again. He said the calendar that was proposed to the board, that has school starting on Aug. 27 and ending June 13, 2019, received more than 60 percent of the vote. The calendar includes a Christmas break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, and spring break March 25-29.

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Mike Mitchell, mechanics teacher at Burns High School (BHS), reported he has been utilizing the knowledge and assistance of Merle Saunders, a former teacher at Vale High School, to build the program at BHS.

Mitchell said he has received a lot of support from the community as well as a number of welcome donations, including a generous donation from Les Schwab.

One of Mitchell’s goals is to get students interested in automotive competition, and recently took students to a competition in Redmond to experience the event.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at the district office building.