One program and two individuals were recognized Thursday during PACE Awards presentations. Debbie Laszlo, chair of the PACE Board of Trustees, presented the awards during the PACE Day event in Salem.

The awards highlight significant contributions made in 2018 to the Property and Casualty Coverage for Education (PACE) program. PACE (pace.osba.org) is an insurance pool made up of roughly 300 Oregon member school districts, charter schools, education service districts (ESDs) and community colleges.

Gail Lockard, risk management coordinator of the Oregon City School District, was recognized as the statewide Safety Star, selected from among all applicants. The award carries with it $5,000 from PACE to be used in a school safety improvement effort. Lockard was honored for creating a culture of safety that has helped reduce workers comp claims. She has also developed an emergency preparedness program that includes a cellular phone app with emergency and reunification plans.

Dave Harvey, PACE administrator, said Lockard and Oregon City schools had exemplified PACE’s values by working together to keep students and staff safe.

“Nothing is more important to us than getting every child and every employee home safe, every day,” he said. “That requires a lot of planning from our members, and through the PACE Awards we can thank them for their hard work.”

Other awards included:

Outstanding program – the Tigard-Tualatin School District was recognized for developing secure vestibules as part of remodeling, installing cameras in key locations and installing automatic door-closure buttons in case of lockdown or lockout. The district is also working closely with five separate law enforcement agencies and fire responders, and has coordinated that work with staff and designers. 

Outstanding individual – Larry Glaze, director of operations and facilities for the InterMountain Education Service District, was honored. Glaze has developed a comprehensive safety and facilities program, received radon training, improved energy efficiency and developed a five-year maintenance plan.