CC Minutes - 05/26/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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controls. Mr. Fart said that there were other efforts underway to augment available funding, such as Bethel's alternative school for troubled and disruptive students. Mr. Lee asked if the Police Commission could examine the Safer Schools Program and recommend other programs that could provide direct services to schools to create a safe school environment. He noted that on Friday, the anniversary of the Thurston High School shooting, 50 percent of students had not attended school out of fear of being shot. He hoped the Police Commission would work collaboratively with the districts on the issue in a way that produced results. Regarding Ms. Garcia's remarks on runaways, Mr. Lee noted the work of the Council Committee on Homelessness and Youth, and suggested that Ms. Garcia attend the next committee meeting to offer input. He asked that Ms. Garcia's telephone number be forwarded to Richie Weinman of Planning and Development Department so he could notify her of the meeting. He asked Ms. Garcia to involve other New Roads students as well. Ms. Taylor emphasized the importance of smaller class sizes and more teachers. She noted her own experience with schools increasing the number of administrative staff while reducing the number of teachers. She suggested the students also go the school board with their concerns. Regarding the issue of discrimination, Ms. Taylor agreed that it was a problem with both students and teachers, but she did not have answers to offer for it. She thanked the students for their presentation. Mr. Torrey thanked all the students, and in particular the students who were seniors, for their participation, and assured them that the council found the information they shared very helpful. He indicated he passed the information on to the districts. Mr. Torrey said that as important as adequate counseling was to high school students, it was equally important for grade school children to have access to counselors so they can avoid some of the problems faced by older youth. Regarding the dropout rate, Mr. Torrey said that the council could have an impact on the school boards and should "knock the walls" down with the other jurisdictions to discuss how to provide services to citizens, particularly youth. He said that the community does not provide training alternatives for students who were not college-bound, and noted that on his recent trip to Russia he had learned of the technical training provided to Russian youth who did not intend to seek higher education. 3.Ratification of Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations Actions of May 5, 1999, and May 17, 1999 Mr. Meisner moved, seconded by Ms. Nathanson, to approve the actions of the Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations as set forth in the meeting minutes. MINUTES-Eugene City Council May 26, 1999 Page 5 5:30 p.m.