Transitioning Into The Summer
While the school year has officially come to a close for our students and staff, the pace is only picking up for many of our operational teams. Summer is when our departments shift into high gear—executing projects, catching up on deferred work, and laying the groundwork for the year ahead. It’s a season of opportunity, urgency, and impact—and one that often goes unseen by much of our system.
Before we dive too far into what’s next, I want to pause and reflect on the year behind us. This team—across custodial, maintenance, safety, transportation, IT, and facilities—showed what it means to serve with professionalism, flexibility, and a shared sense of purpose. Whether it was problem-solving in real time or planning long-range improvements, the work you’ve done this year has mattered. Many thanks for your teams’ collective efforts in enthusiastically supporting our students, staff and families!
From Lisa Birk – Deputy Superintendent
As a reminder, our Leadership Team End-of-Year lunch will be on June 16th from 11:30-1:00 in Ed Center boardroom. At this time, we will be honoring those who are retiring and celebrate the closing of our year.
At the end of May, I let you know that we would be cancelling our June 4th meeting and would reschedule later in June due to graduations. Our new training will be on JUNE 23rd (8-12). This training will be 4 hours in the morning and then teams will be able to continue the work after lunch if they choose. Please complete this form so that we can plan accordingly! June 23rd SIGN UP SHEET
From Ryan in Human Resources:
New Hiring Practices
A new Administrator Hiring Guide and a full suite of updated hiring documents are now available in the Administrator/Office Manager box on your UKG home screen. These resources reflect a year-long review of legal requirements, federal EEOC guidance, HR best practices, and our district’s commitment to equity, transparency, and excellence in every hire we make.
The Hiring Guide is designed to bring greater clarity and consistency to each step of the hiring process. It outlines clear expectations for all hiring actions and supports leaders in making decisions that reflect our shared values. You can find it in UKG under the “Recruitment” tab, labeled Administrator Hiring Guide (see below) or by clicking here for the google doc link. I recommend saving this document to your bookmarks
Beginning July 1, 2025, the use of these updated documents will be required for all hiring actions. Requests submitted using outdated forms will be returned for correction. We encourage you to begin using the new materials immediately to ensure a smooth transition.
Thank you for your continued partnership in aligning our hiring practices with the standards we strive for. If you have questions or need support, please reach out to [email protected]. The HR team is here to assist you—whether you’re working through a complex situation or looking to strengthen your team with the right hire.
2025-26 Classified Work Calendars
The classified work calendars for the 2025-26 school year are now available and posted on the Portal here. You will notice that we have added a new document for our trimester schools.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
From Tami Pike Re: CPR/First Aid Course
BLS Health Services is pleased to offer two CPR/First Aid training sessions this August for BLS administrators who need to obtain initial certification or wish to renew their certification before the school year begins.
Training Session 1:
📅 Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Caldera High School
Training Session 2:
📅 Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Three Rivers School
👉 To register, please sign up using this link.
Due to limited capacity, early registration is strongly advised.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Celebrations
Walt Norris
Congratulations, Walt, on your upcoming retirement and the incredible department you’ve built.
You transformed custodial services in Bend-La Pine Schools through visionary leadership, unwavering dedication, and a deep commitment to excellence. You took on the challenge of building a centralized custodial department, and brought consistency, high standards, and a customer-focused approach to every school site. Your efforts led to district-wide improvements in cleanliness, staff training, efficiency, sustainability, and cost savings—all while managing a team of over 100 employees across more than 35 locations. Walt, your legacy is one of impact, integrity, and innovation.
Excellence In Education
On May 20 at Mountain View High School, BLS recognized 76 staff members from across the district who have distinguished themselves this school year with their leadership, innovation, outstanding professional practice, and positive contributions at work and in the community.
Congrats to our staff who were honored!!
- Becky Taylor-Negus – Maintenance
- Jason McGuire – Custodial Department
- Ted Helton – Information Technology
- Jacob Stieg – La Pine Transportation
- Justin Kohler – Bend Transportation
Transportation
Congratulations to our bus drivers who brought back trophies from the statewide bus safety exercises
- 1st Place – Kandice Schwartz – Mini Bus
2nd Place – Kandice Schwartz & Lauren Webber– SPED Event
2nd Place – Kevin Webber – Conventional (Novice)
2nd Place – Brenden Burge – Conventional (Novice)
3rd Place – Garr Harrel – Conventional (Novice)
4th Place – TEAM: Tyler King, Brenda Martindale, Kevin Webber
4th Place – Gabriel Veliz – General Conventional
4th Place – Kim Miller – Conventional (Novice)
5th Place – Warren Baxley – General Transit
5th Place – TEAM: Warren Baxley, Brenden Burge, Dustin Lempke
Upcoming Events & Links
BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
June 16: Leadership End of Year Luncheon 11:30 – 1:00 at Education Center
June 23: All ADMIN training