Summer is the season for construction and work in the North Bend School District is on schedule.

Board member Bill Richardson updated the North Bend School Board Monday night on the progress construction crews have made since school let out. Richardson said the new ceilings were being installed at North Bend High School and the expansion of the library was going well.

"Things are rolling right along there," he said.

Crews also are making a lot of progress on Hillcrest Elementary. The school's new office and plumbing and new ceilings were being installed at North Bay Elementary School.

"We are progressing well," added Superintendent Jim Howard. "Our schools will be really ready for our students."

Howard said the district's technology building also is progressing nicely. The building will be utilized by North Bend's middle school and high school students, as well as those students who choose to be part of the Oregon Coast Technology School.

North Bend will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new technology building at 11 a.m. on Sept. 10.

The board also appointed six community members to its seven-member ORCO Tech School Board. Board member Karen Helland, who will represent the board, said the district received 13 applications for the open positions. The new board will comprise Helland, Diana Schab, Pat Varga, Shelley Johnson, Tim Stampfli, John Berman and Nola Riley.

The School Board also unanimously finalized Howard's decision to appoint John Franzen North Bend High School's new principal and have Bill Lucero take over the middle school principalship.

District officials began looking for a new high school principal when Jan Ophus tendered his resignation on June 30.

Franzen, who retired at the end of the school year, was one of four administrators who agreed to return to the district for an additional year. Having been with the district for 30 years as a teacher and principal at the elementary and middle school levels, Franzen said he is looking forward to the challenge the high school will bring.

In other business, the board:

€ approved a temporary, one-year contract for Judy Reichert to teach two periods of English at North Bend Middle School for this year;

€ granted extra-duty coaching contracts to new teachers Dustin Hood (assistant volleyball) and Nunzio Lagattuta (assistant football). Contracts were also issued to Marvin Jones (assistant girls soccer), Beverly Pettengill (assistant volleyball) and Jade Wright (assistant volleyball).

€ approved issuing a contract to Kristin Wolfe, who will serve as the district's Indian Education coordinator for six hours per day; and

€ rescinded the district's interim standards for the state's Certificate of Initial Mastery Art and Second Language requirements. The Legislature recently passed House Bill 2744, which makes the standards optional and holds the state responsible for setting the standards.

- by Patti Richter, staff writer