After ten years as superintendent and 31 years at SOESD serving children, students, districts, families, and our communities, Superintendent Scott Beveridge has announced his plan to retire at the end of the school year.Ā We are proud of the key initiatives and important milestones achieved under Superintendent Beveridgeās leadership, and we thank him for his service and commitment to the SOESD mission.
Carruth Compliance Consulting (Carruth) provides third-party administrative services for 403(b) and 457(b) retirement plans and monitors contribution compliance for employees of public schools and non-profit organizations, including Southern Oregon Education Service District. On January 13, 2025, SOESD was notified by Carruth that it experienced a data security incident. Carruth reported that upon learning of the Incident, they began working with third-party specialists to investigate the activity, and then notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation. An investigation revealed that unauthorized access to Carruthās network had occurred resulting in a compromise of sensitive employee data for Carruthās clients, including SOESD.
This data breach potentially impacts all employees who have been employed by SOESD between 2014 and December of 2024.Ā While Carruth provided third party administrative services for SOESDās 403(b) and 457(b) retirement savings plan, the Districtās original contract with Carruth included options for Carruth to provide services monitoring the Districtās compliance with IRS regulations for all employees. To be on the safe side, we are assuming that all SOESD employees during this time frame have been impacted by this breach, and we encourage everyone to take the steps listed below.
The compromised information at Carruth may include employeesā name, Social Security number, dates of birth, and financial account information. In some cases, it could also include driver’s license number, and for those who may have applied for a hardship loan it could include W-2 information, medical billing information (but not medical records), and tax filings. Carruth reported that if you or others provided them with the personal information of your beneficiaries, their information may also have been affected in this Incident.
SOESD isĀ working with legal counsel and Carruth to understand the full scope of the breach and to ensure they are taking appropriate steps to mitigate the impact on our employees.
We are providing this FAQ and will continue to update it with the latest information as it becomes available.
Since Carruth has refused to send individual notifications to present and former employees, SOESD is working with data privacy experts to send out individual notifications via mail, which is the preferred method to notify impacted staff.Ā Those letters should be sent as soon as possible.
Since Carruth was unable to process employee contributions to 403(b) and 457(b) accounts in January, they are returning all funds, and SOESD is working to then distribute the funding to employee 403(b) and 457(b) accounts.
Enroll in Credit Monitoring and Identity Restoration Services: Carruth is offering free credit monitoring and identity restoration services through IDX. To enroll, please call IDX at 877-720-7895.
IDX is a leading data incident response services provider that helps protect people who may be affected by data security incidents. Carruth retained IDX to provide complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to our employees and answer questions you may have about the incident.
Each impacted individual must enroll separately in the services provided by IDX. In order to enroll in the services provided by IDX, you must contact IDX at 877-720-7895 and provide them with information they request.
Monitor Your Accounts: Regularly review your bank accounts, credit card statements, and other financial accounts for any suspicious activity. If you see anything unusual, you can report it to your financial institution immediately.
Check Your Credit Reports: You are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228 to order your free reports.
Consider Placing a Fraud Alert or Credit Freeze on your Credit Report: You can place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report to help protect yourself from identity theft. See details below.
Report Any Suspicious Activity: If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.identitytheft.gov or 877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338). You should also file a police report.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): www.identitytheft.gov
SOREN Implementation Jay Schroder co-authored an article, “Refocusing Professional Learning: Cultivating Teacher Wellbeing to Promote Agency” that has been published in theĀ Holistic Ed ReviewĀ Journal. This article discusses Jayās work with Teach From Your Best Self (TFYBS) and shares promising results from early research findings about the impact of this important professional learning. You can read the article here:
https://her.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/her/article/view/3221/3058.
The Oregon Department of Education, in partnership with the Oregon Lottery, is pleased to announce the continuation of Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year to honor exemplary educators in every region of the state!
Regional Teachers of the Year will receive a cash prize of $1000 and will be celebrated across the state.Ā The 2025 Oregon Teacher of the Year will receive a $10,000 cash prize (with a matching $5,000 going to their school!) and serve as a spokesperson and representative for all Oregon teachers.
Anyone can nominate a teacher! All Oregonians are encouraged to nominate their favorite teacher today at: oregonteacheroftheyear.org
Sassy is an AI tool that has been developed for students in Oregon for career and education exploration. The target audience for this tool is middle school. Imagine that your students have taken their aptitude or interest assessment and now they have more questions regarding where they might go to college, what classes might they need and where might they go to work?! Within careerconnectoregon.org , students can use āSassyā to find out what a career pathway might look like, where they might go to college, and more!
Click here to view a video.
The apprenticeship program at Klamath Community College is about to roll out temporary housing units under two separate projects that are giving its students hands-on experience in home building, while helping those in need.
The construction of small cottages is part of Gov. Tina Kotekās housing initiative pumping millions of dollars into small home construction, or transitional housing. Once completed, the homes are sent to areas of need. In Klamath County, two such cottages and a storage shed will help families who lost their homes to the Copperfield Fire east of Chiloquin. Eight primary residences and 22 other buildings were destroyed in the 3,822-acre fire which started on Sept. 1, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Southern Oregon STEAM Hub had an incredible time at Culture Night with the amazing students and families from SOESD Indian Education! š We loved sharing tools from our lending library and watching everyone dive into hands-on coding and problem-solving with BeeBots, Ozobots, and LEGOs. The students blew us away with their creativity and curiosity! š Thank you for inviting us to be part of this special evening!
#IndianEd #SOESDSTEAM #CultureNight
On October 10, 2024, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) will celebrate the official groundbreaking of the new SOESD Phoenix Campus, after the original buildings were lost in the 2020 Almeda Fire. After the fire, impacted departments were forced to relocate across several buildings in Medford. The new campus, at just over 35,000 sq. ft, will house many programs and services for the children, students, families, and communities SOESD serves.
The event will feature a sneak peek of the new building renderings and guests will hear from speakers about the plans for the future and the benefit to the community. The building is estimated to be completed in first quarter of 2026.
The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 5465 S. Pacific Hwy, Phoenix, OR 97535.
For more information, contact:
Mark Angle-Hobson, Ed.D.
Director of School Improvement Services
Interim Deputy Clerk
mark_angle-hobson@soesd.k12.or.us|
541-776-8590 x1181
Update: KOBI News coverage on the ground breaking ceremony:Ā
Kellen Akiyama teaches English language arts and African American studies at Gladiola High School. Read the article.
With the assistance of SOESD, starting in the 2024-25 school year, the Grants Pass School District will offer FREE preschool for four and five-year-olds living within GPSD7 boundaries. The new preschool program will accommodate 36 children in its first year, and bring together children with and without disabilities into one inclusive classroom.
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In this episode, host Rafael Otto visits Grants Pass, Oregon, to talk with Shannon Bilbao and Susan Peck from Gilbert Creek Child Development Center. They discuss why inclusive classrooms are so valuable for the healthy development of all children and share examples of what they see in their classrooms.
