THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER — 5A SCHOOLS Continued from Page 1A could never get them reen- gaged,” Elgin Superinten- dent Dianne Greif said. “Because of the small size of our graduating class, those two students knocked our grad rate down signifi cantly.” Greif said the district has enhanced its student con- tact regarding graduating and requirements with more personnel to address where students are are in the pro- cess of meeting graduation requirements. “It is our hope to not be shut down for COVID reasons again this year,” she continued, “but if that happens, we will hope to keep all seniors engaged and working toward graduation.” Enrollment data La Grande school dis- trict, the largest district in Union County, has 2,348 students, with 81% white, 8% Hispanic/Latino, 6% multiracial and 2% or less American Indian, Asian, Black or native Hawaiian. “I would say that our diversity of race in our enrollment is somewhat refl ective of the racial rep- resentation of our commu- nity,” La Grande Superin- tendent George Mendoza COUNCIL Continued from Page 1A housing situation after com- pleting that review. Miesner’s ongoing goals include fi nding ways for the cities of Union County to work together to help each other because she said everyone benefi ts when a town does well. “If a new business moves into Island City, it will help La Grande by drawing more customers here,” she said, as an example. While La Grande City Council positions are non- partisan, Dutto, fellow councilor Nicole Howard and La Grande Mayor Steve Clements were the subjects of a recent accusa- tory rant on the website for the Union County Repub- lican Central Committee based on their registra- tion as Democrats. Miesner said she opposes efforts to encourage councilors to follow agendas of their political parties or to attack or support council candi- dates on the assumption they hold views that con- form to their parties. “I believe it is important to be fair and open-minded and strive to meet the needs of all citizens, period,” Miesner said. “I believe all of our current city coun- cilors are honest, fair and very open-minded.” Alf Rippee said if voters choose her, she will work to boost the business climate and create a safer environ- ment for students walking to school. She said she is con- cerned about students who live in areas such as those east of Fourth Street who walk to either La Grande Middle School, La Grande High School or Central Ele- mentary School. The candi- date said many of these stu- dents have to walk in areas where there are no side- walks or crosswalks. Funding for additional crosswalks and sidewalks, Alf Rippee said, might be available from the national Safe Routes to School pro- Alan Kenega/Contributed Graphic Alan Kenega/Contributed Graphic Union County teachers are predominantly white. Howev- er, La Grande and Elgin school districts have the most di- versity on their staff. Union County schools have a high rate of retention for their teachers. Several superintendents say having good communication and relationships between the district and families helps keep staff at the district. said. “We are a microcosm of the community in gen- eral, and the data in general indicates that we have three out of six racial categories statistically the same.” Other schools scored similarly, with the excep- tion of RiverBend High School, an Oregon Depart- ment of Education Youth Correctional Education Program facility. The school provides education for high school students in the criminal justice system. The Oregon Department of Education reported 12 students were enrolled for the 2019-2020 academic year. Of these students, 17% were Black, 42% were MORE LA GRANDE CITY COUNCIL RACE COVERAGE COMING • Four seats are up for election on the La Grande City Council. Previous edi- tions featured the contests between La Grande Mayor Steve Clements and chal- lenger Alex McHadded as well as the councilor race between incumbent Cor- rine Dutto and challenger Dr. David Glabe. • Saturday’s edition will conclude coverage of the candidates for the city council. gram. The challenger said she wants to help make sure the city is doing all it can and to use all the resources it has available to help busi- nesses being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I want to keep the downtown vibrant,” she said. Alf Rippee said she fi nds the new businesses coming into town an encouraging sign, as well as how La Grande’s Urban Renewal Agency is assisting them. Alf Rippee has lived in Northeast Oregon since 2001 and has resided in Umatilla, Wallowa and Malheur counties. She and her family fi rst lived in Emigrant Springs about a decade ago where her hus- band, Matt, worked for the Oregon State Parks Department. Alf Rippee said they and their four daughters made trips from there to La Grande to enjoy its parks, library and swimming pool. Alf Rippee and her family have lived in La Grande for four and a half years. Her public ser- vice record includes years serving as a volunteer for Girl Scouts, the La Grande Swim Club and La Grande High School. She also contended the partisan involvement in the La Grande city council races is a non-issue. She believes city council deci- sions should be and are made based on process and research. Hispanic/Latino, and 42% were white. In Cove, which has 403 students, the district has an 89% majority of white students and 5% Hispanic/ Latino students, 1% Asian and less than 1% Black. “Due to a number of adoptions and kids moving to the district due to clo- sures in their previous communities, our enroll- ment refl ects a higher racial diversity this year than is refl ected in community data as a whole,” Cove Superintendent Earl Pettit said. “The racial diversity of our student body con- tinues to broaden.” The demographics of the other Union County schools are similar to county-wide data on race, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Educator data The La Grande school district has 124 teachers in its fi ve schools and a 91% average retention rate. Other districts in Union County had similar or higher retention rates for the school year, with the exception of Elgin, which had an average of 80% of teachers return. “About half are past the 15-year mark and half are under,” Greif said of Elgin’s staff. “This would CAMPING DISTRICT 58 Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A the Wallowa-Whitman to keep 95% of fees col- lected at most recreation sites to operate, maintain and improve sites on the forest. Fees pay for work such as pumping and cleaning toilets, the most expensive task at most sites, according to the Wallowa-Whitman. Of the forest’s 248 recreation sites, 65 require fees now. At Pittsburg Landing campground, on the Snake River in Hells Canyon, the Wal- lowa-Whitman has col- lected less than $10,000 per year over the past 3 years, while the average maintenance cost for the campground has been $30,000 per year. That doesn’t include the cost of a new drinking water system, paving and building renovation at the site. The Wal- lowa-Whitman also noted that since 2005, when fees were last increased, the federal cost of living index has increased by 36%, Ore- gon’s minimum wage has risen from $7.15 to $11.50 in the part of the state that includes the Wallowa-Whitman. The cost to hire a contractor to pump toi- lets has nearly doubled during that period, offi - cials said. Comments on the pro- posal are due by Nov. 15. Commenting options: • Email to sm.fs. wwnf-webmail@usda. gov (include “fee pro- posal” in the subject line) • Phone: 541-805-2769 (leave a voicemail with your full name, ZIP code and email address) • Mail comments to: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Atten- tion: Recreation Program Manager, 1550 Dewey Ave., Suite A, Baker City, OR 97814. she values at least reaching across the aisle to have conversations to accom- plish goals for the district. “The way I approach things is I like to have a conversation,” she said. “I like to sit down across the table and visit with them to see if we can fi nd some common ground to work in.” Bylenga is a 2016 grad- uate of Pendleton High School and is fi nishing a degree in political science at Portland State Univer- sity this fall. He’s had to justify his place in the race to some due to his age, but Bylenga believes his perspective can also be a benefi t to mending the hyperpolarization of state and national politics in recent years. “There needs to be some type of culture “Real Food for the People” Open Fri-Sun Take-out Menu 5pm-8pm Updated be a refl ection on current hiring within the last 10 years, and retirement, also within the last 10 years. As staff retire they are typically replaced by new staff, those with less years experience.” North Powder Superin- tendent Lance Dixon said the family atmosphere of the district is what keeps teachers from leaving. “We are a family,” Dixon said. “I have always encouraged staff to put their family fi rst and we all understand that we have to take care of ourselves in order to help others. I think that philosophy goes a long way in encouraging people to commit to the district long term.” North Powder and Cove school districts had the least amount of diver- sity in their teaching staff. The districts have 100% white teachers, while the other districts in Union County have a mix of white, Asian, Hispanic and Black teachers, though the majority of the teachers in those districts are white. Dixon said the trend of hiring for the district is in line with the commu- nity and application pool the district receives. Men- doza said La Grande’s hiring also is in line with the community, but the district is working toward maintaining a well-cultured education through partnering with Eastern Oregon Univer- sity’s “Grow Your Own” program. “These programs are built around the premise of culturally responsive instruction and are aligned to having future teachers from our region who wish to stay and work in our region,” Mendoza said. “We do look at equity and diversity in our school system in general and take action to be equity driven and culturally respon- sive to student and staff needs.” ONLINE For more election cov- erage, and to read a longer version of this story, go to lagrandeobserver.com. Bylenga Levy change,” he said. “We have to have common respect in the Legislature, and that’s something I want to at least be able to bring.” While some of Bylen- ga’s positions align with Levy’s and other con- servative positions pop- ular in Eastern Oregon — such as protecting the Second Amendment and small businesses from arduous regulation or tax- ation — the two candi- dates diverge on their top priorities. Levy’s campaign has been endorsed by a number of political action committees devoted to representing the interests of natural resource and agricultural businesses, La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR Weekly www.tendepotstreet.com 541-963-8766 tendepotstreet@gmail.com 975-2000 www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS such as Ag-PAC, the Oregon Farm Bureau and Timber Unity PAC. The Corporate Activ- ities Tax began in 2020 at a rate of 0.57% for all businesses that exceed $1 million in annual revenue. Funds raised from the tax were being used to fund the Student Success Act for education throughout the state. “I’ve had a lot of pri- vate citizens and business owners talk to me about it and how it’s negatively impacting their business,” Levy said. Johnson Family Fruits Pumpkin Patch Thousands of pumpkins to choose from! Highway 82 - 4 mi. North of Imbler (Follow Signs) Great family fun! Open 8am - 6pm shop safe-shop local The Union County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank everyone for shopping safe, supporting local and doing your part to keep Union County open. www.VisitUnionCounty.org STORAGE BUILDINGS www.CountrysideSheds.com Are you ready for Fall? (541) 663-0246 Locally owned and operated for over 25 years 10505 N. McAlister Road (Corner of Hwy 82 & N. McAlister Rd.) RENT to OWN starting at $ Paid for by Committee to reelect Steve Clements. 68 Month