Sherwood School Board Recap | September 14, 2026
School board gets summer, back-to-school updates
SHERWOOD, Ore. — The Sherwood School Board met Monday, September 14, for its first meeting of the new school year.
Board Chair Matt Kaufman, Board Vice Chair Hans Moller, and directors Harmony Carson, Abby Hawkins, and Matt Thornton were all present.
Sherwood High School History teacher Aurora Richardson was awarded the Oregon History Teacher of the Year award from the Oregon Department of Education.
“This position was selected from a pool of applicants from all across the state of Oregon through the Oregon Department of Education and a very rigorous application and review process, and I cannot think of anyone who is more deserving of this award.” said Sherwood High School Principal Josh Pratt. “Richardson is one of our most involved and dedicated teachers at the high school. She's one of our founders of our AP Government program.”
There was no public comment. The next Sherwood School Board meeting is slated for October 12.
Back-to-school update
Directors of curriculum and instruction Mili Wilkinson and Greg Bordering gave a back-to-school update on the elementary and secondary schools.
“You'll see a lot of little things, little interactions and actions that are actually probably the most meaningful things that are happening in the first week of school,” Wilkinson said, sharing anecdotes from the local elementary schools. “When our staff demonstrates that unconditional warmth, our students pick up on that and they learn that's what we do, and they mirror that.”
Bordering said he is new to the Sherwood School District.
“Middle school and high school (are) two completely different atmospheres, but both require a lot of attention and care with kids,” Bordering said. “We need to be kid magnets when we're in each of our schools to make sure that we bring our best self forward and they have the best experience they possibly can. And that's what we saw happening at Sherwood Middle School.”
Upcoming high school events
Associated Student Body President Ava Ruef said Club Rush Week is coming up September 21, giving students the opportunity to learn more about all the clubs and activities available at Sherwood High School. Cancer Awareness Week is scheduled for October 5-9, and the first student athletes’ breakfast is scheduled for September 25.
The annual powder puff game is slated for October 3 at 3 p.m., and is open to the community.
Clue is the Bowmen Theatre’s fall play, scheduled for November 5, 7, and 12-14.
Superintendent and district goals
Superintendent Aaron Downs said his team is prioritizing connection and relationships this year, and reviewed shared commitments between the superintendent and board as a team.
He said goals for the year include strengthening student achievement in early literacy and math by focusing on effective instruction, aligned curriculum, and timely support for elementary students; strengthening team effectiveness and unification by maintaining clear communication, shared expectation, and consistent collaboration; and prioritizing development of student agency by expanding middle and high school learning environments to empower students to shape their learning, contribute to their communities, and navigate their futures with purpose and confidence.
Patrick Shuckerow, director of curriculum and instruction, also presented on the district’s values and approach to instruction technology. The philosophy includes learning first and tools second, purposeful design, and digital wellness. This includes multi-layered safeguards and accessibility, with approaches for all levels with best practices and guardrails.
“We use technology for specific purposes, it's not just simply about saying let's balance the use of screen time. If your screen is on for no good reason, (that’s) not a good use of screens,” Shuckerow said. “(In careers,) you're going to be on a computer a lot, and that's just what it is. It’s purposeful design. How do we set our students up to independently be well in an online space? Some of that is certainly social media, some of that is privacy, some of that is just like wellness and screen time, some of it is the opportunities lost to connect in person with real people.”
Facilities summer accomplishments
Sherwood School District COO Brady Strutz gave the board an update on the bond money at work.
Over the summer, the facilities team installed a new playground at Archer Glen, replacing aging equipment with modern, accessible structure. They expanded the Middleton playground area with versatility and accessibility, reseeding and restoring the field after pipe installation. At Hawks View, sound panels were installed to reduce echo in the cafeteria. Ridges also saw an expansion of playground choices, like a giant chess board painted on the asphalt.
There was also tree removal and care, bioswale maintenance, and safety curb paint refreshes across campuses and pickup/dropoff zones.
Strutz updated the board on emergency preparedness and facility safety standards, mechanical care, and fresh paint at Sherwood Middle School, as well as deferred maintenance, long-range planning, and facilities strategic goals.
The next Bowmen House property, at 15431 S.W. Sunset Blvd., has been purchased. The final elements of excavation and foundation prep work are ongoing in preparation for student construction to begin onsite this fall.
Staff said SHS won a CTE grant for its career and technical education training, which was announced on September 14.
PERS and policy updates
Chief Academic Officer Gary Bennet briefed the board on the district’s PERS situation.
In 2002 and 2005 the Board sold Pension Obligation Bonds and gave the proceeds to PERS to invest, which saved the district $7.4 million over 24 years, according to Bennet. However, the PERS side account associated with these bonds is slated to expire in December 2027, and may have financial implications in the 2027-28 fiscal year and beyond, so the district is looking into initiating another Pension Obligation Bond.
Staff is seeking direction from the board on whether they would like to learn more about this topic and considering repeating this process. The board is scheduled to learn more about this topic at an October work session.
Additionally, staff presented a batch of board policy updates. The changes will affect the sections of board governance, administration, fiscal management, support services, personnel, instruction, students, and community relations. There was a first read and review of the potential policy changes.
Consent agenda
The board unanimously approved a list of resignations, leave of absence requests, retirements, terminations, and temporary employment agreements, including the resignation of Adam Mitchell, former principal of Sherwood High School, which went into effect June 30. Josh Pratt stepped into the role.
The board also approved meeting minutes from the July meeting, updated the district calendar for the 2026-27 school year, and approved a group HRA resolution and authorization to reduce insurance costs for staff and the district by a projected $350,000.
Jules Rogers
