Wednesday, June 10, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
SCHOOLS: District
uncertain of pandemic
impact on budget
Continued from page 1
yet-to-be-revealed impacts
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Swisher expressed some
potential pros and cons as
consequences of the virus.
Most school funding is
based on enrollment, and
Swisher speculated that it is
possible that families seek-
ing to move to less populated
areas after experiencing the
virus may choose to come to
Sisters. He also spoke of work
being done at the county level
with the Deschutes County
Planning Commission, of
which he is a member, regard-
ing vacation rentals, noting
that many family homes in
the area have been converted
to short term rentals. If some
restrictions on these dwellings
are put into place, some could
revert to full time residences
for families, which could bol-
ster enrollment in the school
district.
A tremendous amount of
construction of family dwell-
ings, though slowed in recent
months, continues as well.
A concern raised by
Swisher included whether
families might choose to
move to online charter
schools in light of the virus,
which would impact enroll-
ment, unless families chose
to engage with the Sisters
Educational Options (SEO)
for online homeschooling.
He said, <I think this pan-
demic will have some perma-
nent long-lasting effects and
I think for the board and the
administration will need to
take a look down the road as
to how might the changes that
we have gone through (doing
distance learning) affect how
we do business as normal
while keeping robust that per-
sonal connection.=
Following Swisher 9s
comments, board chair Jay
Wilkins underscored that
budget issues have <certainly
changed a lot= in the last few
months and that everyone is
anxiously awaiting word from
the governor9s office in the
upcoming weeks regarding
guidance for schools.
Business manager Sherri
Joseph reported that enroll-
ment in the district stands at
1,134 and that the district has
seen an overall decrease in
expenditures since the lock-
down of schools, but didn9t
have a specific estimate,
though she estimated as much
as $100,000, mostly due to
savings in substitute teaching,
travel, and athletic costs.
Curt Scholl estimated the
savings could be as much as
$200,000, but it is hard to
know without fuller analysis.
Scholl began his report by
thanking the teachers, includ-
ing the union leadership, for
their work with him on navi-
gating decision making that
included calendar issues for
this year and next year. He
said he doesn9t anticipate
needing to consider furlough
days for next school year in
the district and anticipates
being able to keep staffing
levels intact.
Financial questions remain
until schools hear more from
Salem, including whether the
Legislature is called for a spe-
cial session to grapple with
the state budget.
<Once we get some real
numbers (from the state) about
the percentage of cut, we will
be able to start sharing that and
make the appropriate opera-
tional reductions,= he said.
As to how school will
look when fall rolls around,
Scholl said, <The devil9s in
the details= in regard to health
and safety precautions related
to COVID-19.
<There will be challenges I
am sure along the way, but we
have a good team so we will
keep maneuvering as we get
guidance,= he said.
Wilkins, acknowledging
that in-person education is the
best model, asked for Scholl9s
opinion of how well-prepared
the district is to provide qual-
ity distance learning educa-
tion if it is required.
Scholl explained that
he believes our elementary
school has adequate materi-
als for core subjects, but the
challenge becomes greater in
the upper grades and that the
district would need to access
more comprehensive online
options for students.
<Our staff has been doing
a good job in the current cir-
cumstance, but my concern
is the inequity for some of
our students when it comes
to distance learning,= he said.
<Because we had the technol-
ogy and staff we were able
to pivot fairly quickly to dis-
tance learning.=
Scholl believes enrollment
will remain steady and likely
grow in part due to the closure
of Sisters Christian Academy,
the influx of students from
Tumalo after the Redmond
School District ended grades
6-8 there, and continued con-
struction of family homes in
the district.
Joan Warburg, Sisters
Elementary Principal,
reported that Kindergarten
Round-Up is underway with
about 30 students signed up
thus far and that the grant
submitted for the Pre-School
Promise has been put on
hold by the state for the time
being. Sisters Middle School
Principal Alison Haney
shared her thoughts on how
much better it would be for
her students to be in regular
classrooms during these trou-
bling times to help compre-
hend and process what is hap-
pening. She announced virtual
celebrations June 10 and June
15 for middle school awards
and eighth grade promotion.
Sisters High School
Principal Joe Hosang
explained plans for remedia-
tion and completion of unfin-
ished courses for high school
students during the summer,
stating that the goal is for all
students to be finished up so
as to not start next year in a
deficit.
Scholl praised the staff,
building leaders, the commu-
nity and board for their work
and support.
<It9s a lot of moving parts
as we go and I think everyone
has kept the kids as their focus
and I am very impressed with
the response,= he said.
An organizational board
meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, July 8 at 6 p.m.
likely to be conducted once
again via Zoom.
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Phil Arends
Chris Scott
Principal Broker
Broker
541-420-9997
REOPENING:
Phase 2 may last for
a considerable time
Continued from page 1
measures in place, can reach
a COVID-19 occupancy limit
of up to 250 people.
" O ffices can begin
reopening and employees
can return to workplaces with
physical distancing and other
measures in place, although
remote work is still strongly
recommended whenever
possible.
" Increased travel is
allowed throughout Oregon,
though staying local is still
recommended to prevent
overloading county health
systems.
" Restaurants and bars
will have curfews extended
to midnight.
" Pools and sports courts
will be allowed to reopen
under new guidance.
" Indoor and outdoor
activities such as bowling,
batting cages, and mini golf,
will be allowed to reopen
under guidance.
" Recreational sports can
resume in a limited form,
under strict physical distanc-
ing guidance.
<Approval for Phase
2 is a positive indicator
of our collective efforts
to limit the spread of
COVID-19 in Deschutes
County,= said Deschutes
County Commissioner Phil
Henderson. <We heard dur-
ing the State9s press confer-
ence on Wednesday that our
state has stabilized and Phase
I reopening has not led to a
resurgence in cases. While
moving into Phase 2 is good
news, we still need our com-
munity to continue being
29
smart about maintaining
physical distance, practicing
good hygiene and wearing
masks so that we can keep
our communities healthy and
help Central Oregon9s busi-
nesses stay open.=
On Saturday, Oregon
Health Authority confirmed
146 new and presump-
tive cases of COVID-19 as,
bringing the state total to
4,808. Saturday9s COVID-
19 case count marked the
highest daily count since
the onset of the pandemic
in Oregon. Deschutes has
reported 135 cases. The case
count in the 97759 zip code
remains at zero.
Counties approved to
enter Phase 2 must continue
to meet Phase 1 metrics,
including:
" Declining disease
prevalence.
" Having an adequate
number of contact trac-
ers (trained and available),
including people reflective of
the communities they serve.
" Establishing and main-
taining adequate testing, iso-
lation and quarantine facili-
ties, sufficient hospital surge
capacity, and sufficient per-
sonal protective equipment
supply.
The State is also moni-
toring the following pub-
lic health indicators to
inform recommendations on
reopening:
" Counties need to dem-
onstrate that they are able
to trace new cases within 24
hours.
" As counties see new
cases, they must be able to
identify where they are com-
ing from at least 70 percent
of the time.
" Counties cannot be
experiencing a significant
increase in cases.
Superior
Escrow
Execution
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541-588-6614
phil.arends@cascadesir.com
chris.scott@cascadesir.com
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