District hears annual Miwa report and First Student transportation update; staff present winter academic data

The Gresham‑Barlow School Board received three substantive information reports on March 5: Metro East Web Academy (Miwa) presented its annual report, First Student provided the district’s transportation update, and district staff reviewed winter academic assessment and graduation‑rate data.

Miwa (Metro East Web Academy) presenters described the program’s seventeenth year, enrollment of about 1,058 students with high mobility (~52.3%), credit‑attainment efforts for students entering far behind, and work on an AI guidance/policy team. Financially, Miwa reported cash deposits of about $6,800,000, 306 days cash on hand, a debt‑service coverage ratio of 3.65, and a fund‑balance increase of roughly $1,162,000 as of June 30, 2025; staff said funding follows the student and that the school receives approximately 80% of funding for K–8 and 95% for grades 9–12 for students it enrolls.

First Student outlined operational metrics and technology deployments. Tom Cardelli (First Student) reported the contractor transports 8,105 students daily, maintains 98.6% on‑time performance year‑to‑date, and is at 100% compliance on preventive maintenance. Sean McCormack, First Student’s chief information officer, described Samsara AI cameras and vehicle telematics being installed at no cost to the district; the FirstView parent app has 2,112 registered users. First Student also announced deployment of electric buses (three new EVs rolled out this week, five EVs total serving the district).

District assessment staff presented midyear I‑Ready and STAR results showing fall‑to‑winter gains in many elementary grades and modest cohort improvements at the secondary level. Staff cautioned that Miwa’s enrollment growth and the shrinking early‑college program affected overall district graduation-rate trends; with Miwa included, the district’s composite graduation rate is below the state average. Staff recommended deeper, interactive analysis and offered a follow‑up work session for the board to examine disaggregated results and parent‑facing displays.

Board members asked for additional context on funding flows when students enroll from other districts, details on behavior and safety partnerships with First Student, and follow-up data on STAR alignment and subgroup graduation rates; staff agreed to provide additional comparisons and an interactive work session.