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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2017)
Wednesday, January 11, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 25 The Nugget Newspaper Crossword By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS Schools, like everyone else, are struggling with where to put all the snow. CLOSURES: Student safety is the key criteria Continued from page 1 of work. They aren’t paid for snow days when schools are closed, so the extra spring days when they are work- ing don’t affect the District’s budget, Scholl said. School District employ- ees generally do the snow removal. Only rarely, such as during the snowfall before Christmas, does the District contract with private workers for help. He wasn’t sure how much December’s dumping cost the District for outside help. On days when school staff members clear snow, Scholl said, there is no additional cost to the District. However, he noted that those employ- ees are taken away from duties to which they’re other- wise assigned. That’s a non- financial “cost” of snowfall, he said. Money for snow removal is included in each year’s budget, Scholl added, so no additional appropriation is needed. He is in his second year as Sisters School District super- intendent and doesn’t have much to compare this win- ter’s snowfall with. However, Scholl said longtime residents have told him this is a heavy snow year. “Last year we missed (school days) for freez- ing rain and had one snow day,” he said. “This is dra- matically different than last year. I spoke to one parent who’s been here nine years and they said this is the most snow they’ve seen here. And it’s cold and the snow hangs around.” When the decision is made to close schools, Scholl said the District contacts local media to spread the word as well as putting a notice on the District website. Some people question why a decision can’t be made the night before when a big storm is forecast for the following day. Scholl said he must wait to make the call because sometimes the big storms that are expected don’t show up. “One of the forecasts I saw the other day was for between four and 10 inches of snow,” he said. “Four inches is not a problem. Ten is. Then there’s always the question of whether it actually shows up. “We wait until the morn- ing to make sure what it is. One time, we drove the roads and everything was fine but by 6 a.m. it was snowing heavily. We got kids home safely. Is it a perfect system? No. But we do our best to keep safety at the top of the equation.” — Last Week’s Puzzle Solved — Is it a perfect system? No. But we do our best to keep safety at the top of the equation. — Curtiss Scholl Last Friday, the tempera- ture was minus 18 degrees when officials drove the roads, which were well plowed. Despite relatively clear roads, Scholl said school buses had trouble starting — the diesel had jelled — and some students waited longer than usual in the frigid conditions. Each potential storm is different, and sometimes it’s a difficult call whether to hold classes or not. “We are balancing safety and the number of school days needed,” Scholl said. “We need to make sure the weather situation is real.” Besides closing school on January 4, District officials also canceled that evening’s school board meeting. Scholl said it’s likely the board will simply postpone this month’s agenda and add it to the February meeting’s agenda. The school board regu- larly meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at the District adminis- tration building. This Week’s Crossword Sponsors Buy More, Save More!* 25% OFF BLINDS! FREE Cordless Upgrade! PLUS buy 5 blinds GET AN EXTRA 5% OFF or buy 15 GET AN EXTRA 10% OFF 541-788-8444 • Free Consulting • Find us online at www.BudgetBlinds.com CCB Licensed #197715 | Bonded | Insured | 30+ Years Experience Offer valid through Budget Blinds of Deschutes County only. Cannot be combined with any other offers. *On Signature Series. Expires 1/30/17 Back & shoulder pain from shoveling TOO MUCH SNOW? Massage, acupuncture, & cupping offer relief! Sisters Acupuncture Center Greg Wieland L.Ac. | 27 yrs. experience 541-549-1523 | 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. E When the going gets tough, even the tough call us.
