News & Events

High Desert Education Service District brings partners together to Re-Confirm Commitment to Safe School Alliance.

On Wednesday, January 18th, school district officials from Deschutes and Crook Counties joined local law enforcement and community representatives to re-sign the Safe School Alliance (SSA) Memo of Support and Participation.

“By continuing to join forces, we make our central Oregon schools safer and these groups are making a very powerful statement,” said Dennis Dempsey, superintendent for the High Desert Education Service District, the agency that facilitates the collaborative effort. “We are all working together to reduce crime, prevent bullying and create a better environment for students and we can accomplish more as a collaborative group than we could individually,” he added.

The SSA started in September 1998 under the leadership of Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan and was called C.R.A.S.H. (Crime Reduction At School Houses). The impetus for developing the CRASH program was the increasing frequency of violence at schools or on school property across the country. The CRASH program was designed to enhance safety within school environments, protect students & teachers and provide immediate accountability for crimes committed at schools.

The network of regional school districts and agencies that meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month to share information, discuss items of common interest and concern, advise member agencies on the adoption of policy and explore curriculum and programs to prevent bullying and cyber bullying in the regional schools.

SSA partners include:

School Districts:
Bend–La Pine Schools, Crook County School District, Culver School District, Redmond School District, Sisters School District, High Desert Education Service District

Law Enforcement Agencies:
City of Bend Police Department, City of Prineville Police Department, City of Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office

Agencies / Organizations:
Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, Deschutes County Juvenile Justice, Deschutes County Behavioral Health Services, Oregon Youth Authority, Commission on Children & Families, KIDS Center, Serendipity West Foundation

For more information on SSA, contact Peter Miller at peter.miller@hdesd.org

Over 90 Teachers, Instructional Coaches and Administrators from Central Oregon attended the “Common Core State Standards – Moving Oregon to Action” conference sponsored by High Desert Education Service District and the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) on Friday, November 4, 2011.

Shannon McCaw, Mathematics Consultant provided an overview on the new mathematics standards and how they directly affect teachers and students. Penny Plavala, Literacy Specialist, presented the new standards and highlighted the increased level of rigor required for reading and writing at all grade levels.

The High Desert Education Service District’s long-time Superintendent Dr. Dennis Dempsey will be retiring in June after having served in education for more than 36 years. Transition planning discussions are taking place to determine next steps.

“My world has always revolved around children, classrooms, student activities and education and it’s been a remarkable experience,” said Dempsey. “I’ve reached a point at which I need to focus on my health and family and I’m ready to pass the torch to a new superintendent with a fresh perspective,” he added.

As superintendent for the HDESD since 2000, Dempsey has worked to improve education by providing cost-efficient, regional services to several of Central Oregon’s school districts, including Bend La Pine, Sisters, Crook County and Redmond. In addition to his work within the local school districts, he has been an advocate for students and education through his appointments and leadership on several state boards and organizations including: Oregon Association of Educational Service Districts, State of Oregon Education Enterprise Steering Committee, Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators and the Oregon Virtual School District.

During the last 12 years Dempsey was also the superintendent of the Brothers School District from 2000-2006 and was superintendent for the Black Butte School District in 2008-2009 and twice has was interim superintendent in Sisters. “When you are an ESD superintendent you get to wear a lot of different hats depending on the needs of your local school districts.”

As a champion for Education Service Districts, Dempsey has focused his career on ensuring that all school districts – regardless of size -- have access to quality special education, information technology, financial and administrative support services that are affordable and allow teachers to focus on classroom instruction.

“The role of Education Service Districts in Oregon has become increasingly important over the past several years,” said Dempsey. “As education funding continues to decrease, ESD’s have to find creative ways to support our schools and we believe we can do that by consolidating certain services and sharing resources among multiple school districts,” he added.

Dempsey, who is currently working closely with the HDESD’s board of directors to create a leadership transition plan, believes that the biggest challenge for the next superintendent will be to position ESDs for future funding and infrastructure changes.

“We’ve been working to help legislators and community members understand how regional education services can save money for schools and relieve district staff of some of the administrative tasks that distract from teaching,” said Dempsey.

When asked to share the highlight of his career in education, Dempsey said he’s had the opportunity to know thousands of great students and hundreds of extraordinary educators.

“The highlight has been the opportunity to work with amazing students and people who were and are passionate about the children they serve,” said Dempsey.
 

Interested in learning Sign Language?  Classes will take place each Monday for 10 weeks.  Learn more about deaf culture as you build confidence letting your fingers do the talking. For more information, contact Kim Gunderson-Moore at 541.815.1234 or km_gunderson@yahoo.com

Location:

Alyce Hatch Center
1406 Juniper Street
Bend OR

Teachers and leaders from the High Desert were featured in the Lewis and Clark College’s publication, the Chronicle. Clay Warburton, Gail Greaney, Garrett Gladden and Bill Rexford were interviewed for the article, as well as Dr. Janet Bixby for Lewis and Clark. Read the full article to find out more about what the grant is doing for teachers in the High Desert!

To learn more, check out the Teach American History site.

The High Desert Education Service District is working to transition out of its role as administrator of General Educational Development (GED) testing for Central Oregon. The transition, scheduled to take place in July of this year, is a direct result of the recent education budget shortfall in the state of Oregon.

"We've hit a crossroads because the GED program has become too expensive for HDESD to manage effectively given the recent budget cuts in education," said Paul Andrews, Executive Director of Children's Programs for HDESD. "We've had to make some significant changes to our programs to keep funding focused on our students and classrooms," added Andrews.

GED testing enables adults and people 16 and 17 years of age to obtain a high school equivalency certificate. Testing includes a group of five subject areas which, when passed, certify that an individual has high school-level academic skills. GED testing is an unfunded service that costs approximately $78,000 per year to administer in much of Central Oregon and the $135 fee collected from participants generates approximately $58,000 leaving a $20,000+ deficit. In addition, the state of Oregon plans to move to a computer-based testing system by 2013 which will require computer labs in multiple communities.

HDESD was asked by the state to take on the role as test administrator when Central Oregon Community College was no longer able to provide the service. Since that time, 5,566 individuals in Central Oregon have obtained their GED certificate through HDESD (not including parts of Jefferson County which administers testing through their local Jefferson County Education Service District).

"We've been working closely with The Department of Community Colleges, Workforce Development and Central Oregon Community College to find the right home for GED testing," said Andrews. "It's a very important component of our education system and we want to ensure that Central Oregon residents have access to it," he added.

GED testing helps provide a stepping stone for Associate's Degree studies and is generally administered through community colleges in the United States. COCC is currently exploring the funding and resources needed to take back management of the GED program.

As HDESD works to help find a home for GED testing, there may be a transition period during which Central Oregon residents have limited access to testing services. Some testing may be available through the Jefferson County Education Service District. For more information, contact JCESD at 541.306.9271.

For more information about current GED testing through HDESD, visit http://www.hdesd.org/services/GED. To schedule interviews with representatives from the HDESD, please contact Linda Quon at 541.610.4317 or lquon@quondc.com.
 

Redmond SD Title 1 Reading teachers are piloting the use of iPods to increase reading fluency. Coined the ‘Reading Buddies’ program, 5 schools are using iPod Shuffles to have students listen to teacher created recordings which will helps kids with vocabulary, fluency, alphabetic principle, rhyming, phoneme segmentation and literature. Test scores related to fluency will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this innovative use of technology.
 

Our philosophy at Westside Village Preschool begins with a deep commitment and belief in inclusive education. The High Desert Education Service and the Bend-La Pine School Districts have collaborated to provide a setting where children of all abilities can play and learn side-by-side.

The High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) Board of Directors has appointed John Rexford as the new superintendent to replace Dr. Dennis Dempsey, who will be retiring in June. Rexford was selected by the board following a rigorous series of interviews and evaluations and an open house for community members and HDESD staff members.

“John’s experience and track record in education will be a tremendous asset to the High Desert Education Service District,” said HDESD Board Chair Terry Rahmsdorff. “He brings a high level of respect and credibility to his new role and we are confident that he will continue and expand upon the important work to bring regional services to the local school districts.”

Rexford will replace Dr. Dennis Dempsey who is retiring in June after 36 years of service in education.

“Dennis has been a champion for local schools and districts for many years,” said Rahmsdorff. “His leadership has been instrumental in guiding the work of the HDESD and we believe we have found an excellent successor to take on the challenge moving forward.”

Rexford currently serves as deputy superintendent for Bend-La Pine Schools, where he oversees overall organization and leadership of operations and special education for the district. Rexford has worked in education for 27 years, 23 of which have been with Bend-La Pine Schools.

“This new role allows me the opportunity to reach beyond Bend-La Pine to enhance education for students in Central Oregon,” said Rexford. “Finding cost-effective ways to bring high-quality services and programs to multiple school districts is critical during these economic times. We want to make sure families in all of our school districts have access to programs like special education.”

According to Rahmsdorff, the HDESD board of directors received feedback from more than 100 community and HDESD team members.

“We were glad to receive such thoughtful responses from so many people who care about education,” said Rahmsdorff. “We put a great deal of thought and care into this important leadership decision and it was helpful to have input from staff and community members.”

After several interviews, review of external feedback and hours of discussion and deliberation, Rahmsdorff explained that the board selected Rexford for the superintendent position.

“In the end, we narrowed the search down to two exceptional candidates. We believe John is the right person to take over the long-term leadership of our organization, said Rahmsdorff.

The HDESD is a regional support system that links school districts in Central Oregon to local, state and national education resources. The ESD works to help districts minimize duplication of services preserve local budgets and deliver special programs that might otherwise be unavailable to them. The High Desert Education Service District partners primarily with the school districts of Bend/LaPine, Crook County, Redmond and Sisters but also provides specialized services in seven counties in Central and Eastern Oregon.
 

The High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) Board of Directors has selected three finalist candidates in the search for a new superintendent to replace Dr. Dennis Dempsey, who will be retiring in June after having served in education for more than 36 years. An open house will be held on Wednesday, February 8th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the HDESD offices at 145 SE Salmon Ave, Redmond. Community members and staff will have the opportunity to meet the candidates and provide feedback to the HDESD Board of Directors.

Pictured from Left to Right: Dr. Paul Andrews, John Rexford and Michael Lasher

“This group of finalists brings a high level of experience and talent to the table in our search for a new superintendent,” said HDESD Board Chair Terry Rahmsdorff. “This is an important decision that will impact our local school districts and our board has taken it very seriously. We are looking forward to getting feedback from community members and HDESD staff as well,” added Rahmsdorff.

The HDESD is a regional support system that links school districts in Central Oregon to local, state and national education resources. The ESD works to help districts minimize duplication of services, preserve local budgets and deliver special programs that might otherwise be unavailable to them. The High Desert Education Service District partners primarily with the school districts of Bend/LaPine, Crook County, Redmond and Sisters but also provides specialized services in seven counties in Central and Eastern Oregon.

The finalists for the superintendent position include:

Dr. Paul Andrews, executive director for the HDESD’s School Improvement Program where he oversees professional development opportunities for teachers and programs such as Career and Technical Education and Migrant Education. Andrews has worked in K-12 education for more than 20 years, 12 of which have been with HDESD, where he also served as director of special programs from 2003-2010. John Rexford, deputy superintendent for Bend-La Pine Schools, where he oversees overall organization and leadership of operations and special education for the district. Rexford has worked in education for 27 years, 23 of which have been with Bend-La Pine Schools. Michael Lasher, deputy superintendent for the Intermountain Education Service District where he oversees human resources, early intervention/early childhood special education and serves as chief operations officer. Lasher has worked in education for 25 years, 15 of which have been with the Intermountain Education Service District.

In addition to the open house for community members and staff, the candidates are scheduled for interviews, tours and meetings throughout the district on February 8th and 9th.

“Our board is passionate about bringing high quality, regional services to local school districts and students,” said Rahmsdorff. “Our primary goals are to ensure that families have access to special education services and that teachers have more time in the classroom because of the administrative support we are able to provide.”
 

High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) received a Teaching American History (TAH) grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the fall of 2009. HDESD partnered with Lewis and Clark College of Education and developed a professional project titled “Path Through History.”

The goal is to support teachers at all grade levels emphasizing grades 4-12 to acquire both knowledge and innovative ideas related to the teaching and learning of American History. The Teaching American History Grant is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to enrich their understanding of American history and increase their abilities to teach it. The professional development project focuses on five themes throughout American history including: American Dreams; Growth of Democracy; Expanding Borders and Influence; Cultural Contact and Conflict; and Industrial and Technological Change.

Currently there are 31 teachers participating from Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson County. The next two-day workshop is scheduled for February 24 & 25, 2012 in Redmond, Oregon. For more information on the grant, contact Bill.Rexford@sisters.k12.or.us