A surprise audit by the Oregon Department of Education’s Transportation Department has pressured the Enterprise school district to come into compliance with state standards on their buses. Enterprise superintendent Brad Royse complained to the surveyor’s superiors about the attitude of those making the audit.

Basically Moffit Bros. buses for school children were grounded for part of a day and the school’s mini buses had to be brought up to new state standards. Royse said that Moffit Bros were quick to make the required updates and did not miss any school route runs. Some mini bus improvements were made, allowing the smaller buses to remain in use, while other improvements have 30 days to come into compliance.

Royse explained these things to the Enterprise School Board at Monday night’s regularly scheduled meeting.

To date teachers and coaches have often been driving the smaller buses. The transportation auditors, said Royse, will now require drivers to be properly trained and undergo both written and driving tests.

“They were very difficult to deal with,” said Royse of his complaint to their supervisors.

Royse informed the board of the new federally motivated No Child Left Behind Act which, he said, “will radically change education in this nation.” He anticipates “huge changes in special education, including more paperwork” and “basically more unfunded mandates.” Hopefully there will be some money coming with the new program, but he did not foresee economic improvements at the small school level, if at all. “Accountability and assessments are going to be the keys of the federal program,” he said.

Chelcee Noland, Emily Maasdam and Andy Marcum spoke to the board of their recent trip to Louisville, Ky. as members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA). From Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 ten EHS students and chaperones were at the National FFA Convention. They were part of the 75th anniversary of FFA and among 49,500 students in attendance.

Royse informed the board that work on the school’s gymnasium had been completed. The gym had been found with a broken truss which had closed it to the public since Oct. 9. “We are very pleased that the repairs got done so quickly,” said school board chairman Randal Anderson. The work was done by Mark Heuett Contractors of Enterprise with help from Stangel Industries.

After emerging from executive session the board voted unanimously to hire Mike Rose as the boys junior varsity basketball coach.

The parking lot across from the school where the school’s old house used to stand has been completed by Moffit Bros., said Royse.

At the recommendation of the superintendent the board voted to discontinue personal dial up network services through the school. Certain liability concerns prompted the decision. Royse recommended that a letter be sent out to all personal users and that the stoppage become effective Jan. 1, 2003.

Mike Wiedeman of the Enterprise Education Foundation reported that the foundation has purchased a new digital video camera for Mr. Osterloh’s class at a price of $750. He also said that work is continuing on the grant application to the Ford Family Foundation which is due this week. Optimistic about their chances, Wiedeman said the three year grant would be for $330,000; $100,000 per year from the Ford Family Foundation and $10,000 per year from the Enterprise Education Foundation. The grant will be awarded in February, he said.

A preliminary bond meeting between Todd Turner from the school’s architectural firm of Barber Barrett Turner Architects, Inc., project director Ed Jensen and the school board was set for next Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. They preferred not to advertise the work session as a public meeting because the work is in such a preliminary stage.