Board tables CBE name change

West Valley school board members debated Wednesday whether to change the name of the Contract Based Education school, before deciding to table the issue because none of the proposed names struck their fancy.

CBE, as it is called, is an alternative school co-op that includes the Central Valley, East Valley and Freeman school districts.

Students at the school gave the most votes to Appleway Community High School. Other options given were Mid Valley High School and Valley View High School. Board president Pam McLeod pointed out that there is already a Valley View High School in Vancouver, Wash.

“I’m just not certain we need to make a change just to make a change,” said board member Jim Williams.

The name change has been discussed for over a year, said Superintendent Polly Crowley, and now is seen as a good time to do it because the school will be moving to a new location at Sprague and University next week. The school is no longer contract based, either. Students now attend classes on site several times a week.

“They feel that their program has changed a great deal in the last 20 years,” she said. “They’re not what they were in 1988.”

In the end none of the proposed names drew much enthusiasm. “None of these names jump out,” said board member Debbie Hjortedal.

A previous effort to pick a new name came up with Opportunity High School, which both students and board members liked, but the name couldn’t be used because there is an Opportunity Elementary nearby in the Central Valley district.

In other business, the board voted to purchase three new buses as part of a plan to keep a steady supply of new vehicles coming in so buses that are more than 13 years old can be retired. This year’s low bidder came in at just over $99,000 per bus, said transportation director Brian Liberg, an increase of $6,000 per bus over last year’s prices. “Next year they’re going up a lot more,” he said.

The board also voted to solicit bids from companies willing to supply the district with bread, and willing to lease 15 new copiers on a five-year contract.