P4 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, SepTember 29, 2021
School board declines to fire mask-refusing teacher
BY NICOLE BALES
The bulletin
The Redmond School Board voted
3-2 on Sept. 22 to reject the superin-
tendent’s recommendation to fire a
teacher who refused to wear a mask at
school.
In a public termination hearing re-
quested by Tori Caudell, a popular
longtime teacher at Terrebonne Com-
munity School, the school board heard
presentations from the school district
and Caudell.
Superintendent Charan Cline pre-
sented a timeline showing that over
the course of a week, the district and
school’s principal tried to get Caudell
to comply with the mask mandate. He
said that during a meeting with the dis-
trict’s human resources director and
two union representatives, Caudell re-
ported no medical condition or other
disability that would allow her to wear
a face shield instead of a mask.
“Rather, she said, she was standing
up for political and medical freedom
and the district was following a tyrant,”
Cline told the board. “She claimed the
governor and overstepped her author-
ity and that the state of emergency had
been in placed for far too long.”
After continuing to come to work
without a mask, Cline said the district
met Caudell and her union representa-
tives on Sept. 2 and presented her with
a 20-day pre-termination notice letter.
“As a district, we are painfully aware
of the controversy surrounding the
new Oregon rules mandating face-
masks for staff and students and the
required COVID-19 vaccinations
for staff,” Cline said. “We respect that
many people have different opinions
and perspectives about these rules,
and that for many people the rules
have touched a very deep nerve. Nev-
ertheless, school districts are subject
to many federal, state and local laws
and regulations. We cannot pick and
choose which laws to follow based on
individual, political or religious opin-
ions. Nor can we allow our staff to do
so. Nor do we allow our staff to simply
disregard a law they believe is uncon-
stitutional or otherwise illegal. It is the
job of the courts to make that determi-
nation.”
Cline asked the board to consider
the precedent it would set if the board
decided not to respond to Caudell’s re-
fusal to follow the law.
Caudell made legal and constitu-
tional arguments to defend her stance.
She also disputed facts presented by
Cline, and made legal allegations
against the school district.
“I feel like I’m doing something
wrong every time I put a mask on my
face,” she said. “I feel like a traitor to
everyone who fights for our country
when I cover my face and my identity.
By masking up at school, I am visually
teaching students that it’s OK to be si-
lenced.”
“I have not broken any laws and
by refusing the mask, I’m holding my
constitutional rights.”
Michael Summers, who was elected
in May and is the school board’s vice
chair, said Caudell appears to be an
exceptional and dedicated teacher.
He said he wanted to make sure the
school district thought outside of the
box in coming up with a solution for
Caudell.
“If there’s a way for a distance teach-
ing that would work, that would be
amazing,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s
been offered. But I want to err on the
side of relationship and sticking by
our employees as best as possible in
the district and letting them know that
they matter after they have just gotten
punched and punched and punched by
COVID and by everything last year.”
Liz Goodrich, a board member,
wanted to refocus the board’s role in
the hearing.
“What’s being discussed is did she
follow direction from her supervisor,
from the district office, and she did
not,” Goodrich said. “And that’s that’s
what we are deciding tonight, as far as I
understand our role tonight.
“And it’s not our job, I don’t think, as
board members to question whether or
not HR and the superintendent were
creative and thought outside the box.
That’s not our role. That’s operations.
That’s their job.”
The school board in August voted
3-2 to approve a resolution demanding
local control following the governor’s
mask and vaccination mandates.
e
Reporter; 541-617-7854, nbales@bendbulletin.com
Honor Flight
Continued from P1
Other visits included memorials
for World War I and II, the Korean
War Veterans Memorial and the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall
of names.
“It’s pretty heavy, those days. It
draws out a lot of emotion,” Pre-
vatt said.
The organization also plans
events into the schedule that al-
low visiting veterans to be pride-
ful of their service. This year, that
included a visit to the changing
of the guard ceremony at Arling-
ton National Cemetery, a meeting
with Bentz and an escort by Red-
mond Police as the party returned
to Central Oregon this weekend.
While the organization has
been planning flights since 2018,
this year’s was the first to fly out of
the Redmond Airport. Previous
flights have gone from Portland
due to the cost of local flights.
That change allowed the group
to involve local supporters closer
to home, according to Prevatt.
“We had some generous donors,
and we wanted to showcase this
flight to Central Oregon and all
the people that support us,” Pre-
vatt said.
The next flight is tentatively
planned for May, depending on in-
terest, funding and the pandemic.
More information about how vet-
erans can apply to attend an honor
flight, or how community mem-
bers can support them, is available
on the organization’s website at
honorflightofcentraloregon.org.
e
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dane Prevatt, foreground, with mem-
bers and volunteers of the Redmond Honor Flight that attended war
memorials and ceremonies last week in Washington, D.C. | Members
of the Redmond Honor Flight paused at the Vietnam War memorial
during last week’s trip. | The Marines memorial was one of several
the Redmond Honor Flight members visited. Submitted photos
“It was tough, but those
guys, they were
awesome. It was exactly
what the honor flight
should be.”
Reporter: 541-617-7814,
zdemars@bendbulletin.com
— Dane Prevatt
BasX
Continued from P1
“As we continue to grow, pushing
this building to its max with multiple
shifts operating allows us to more or
less double what we did in 2020 going
forward,” said Tobolski, who grew up
in Boston but moved to the West Coast
to get a Ph.D. in engineering from the
University of California, San Diego.
Employee growth, but land becoming
scarce
All that investment has allowed
the company to increase its employee
roster to around 300 people. Benson,
a former HVAC engineer with Intel,
said more expansion in the future is
possible, but there are limitations.
“We have maxed out the allow-
Commission
Continued from P1
Schmidt said she wanted to
expand on her ability to serve
the community.
“We can only go so far with
grassroots community orga-
nizing,” she said.
Schmidt said she is qualified
for the office because she has
a track record of successfully
leading grassroots efforts, as
well as experience in listening
and working with people who
disagree with her. Listening to
able building area on this site, we will
never leave this site, but further ex-
pansion will be based upon affordable
land and construction, along with
labor force availability,” said Benson,
who was lured out of retirement by
Tobolski to help start the company.
The business even increased during
COVID as data centers expanded
when workers went remote, said
Tobolski. The microchip shortage
also resulted in U.S. manufacturing
growth of clean rooms, which meant
more business for BasX.
“We refocused all our efforts on
data centers and clean rooms,” said
Tobolski. “Ultimately that paid off
because those markets have seen sub-
stantial appreciation during COVID.”
Tobolski and Benson credit the city
Redmond and other business leaders
all voices is important, she said,
and not operating in an echo
chamber.
“Leading from a party line
isn’t currently serving the res-
idents of Deschutes County,”
she said.
Born in Southern California,
Schmidt grew up mostly in a
Chicago suburb before attend-
ing Gordon College in Bos-
ton to earn a degree in youth
ministries and Biblical studies.
During college she did an in-
ternship in Seattle and fell in
love with the Pacific Northwest.
in Central Oregon for helping BasX
expand through business-friendly in-
centives.
“The city of Redmond is very
pro-business so our ability to grow
and develop this property and have
support from the political powers as
well as the city itself has been great,”
said Tobolski. “REDI (Redmond Eco-
nomic Development Inc.) and EDCO
truly sold us on the idea and that is
why we are up here.”
The right fit
Jon Stark, senior director at REDI,
called BasX a “gazelle company,” a nod
to its fast development, and is pleased
that it calls Redmond home.
“This is exactly the kind of com-
pany you hope to land when you work
in economic development,” said Stark.
She eventually received a
graduate degree from the Se-
attle School of Psychology &
Theology before she was in-
vited by a colleague to come
be a pastor at the First Presby-
terian Church of Bend seven
years ago, she said.
If she were to win, Schmidt
said her goals as commissioner
would be collaborating with
cities to address the shortage
of affordable housing, expand-
ing and funding more mental
health services and addressing
Central Oregon’s fast growing
“They are doing exactly what we look
for in terms of their hockey stick-style
growth.”
Stark said the investment the BasX
has made in infrastructure and fa-
cilities translates into more jobs for
Redmond, plus more tax revenue for
the city.
“These guys set the bar for the type
of company we look for, they continue
to invest here, we are proud of the tal-
ent pool they have brought to the ta-
ble,” said Stark.
As BasX grows, what does its fu-
ture hold? Tobolski said a public of-
fering is not likely but a buyout by a
larger company is within the realm of
possibility. “I would never say never,”
he said. “It’s a natural progression, a
certain way of growth to leverage ad-
ditional capital.” Jobs opportunities,
homeless population.
In particular, Schmidt is in-
terested in expanding a mental
health crisis response team,
which responds to mental
health related calls in lieu of
police officers.
Overall, Schmidt said she
wants the county to have lead-
ership that helps meet people
where they are at in life.
“It’s past time (for people) to
elect leadership that will fight
for them,” Schmidt said.
e
check. Tax revenue, check. Expan-
sion, check. By all accounts, BasX has
been great for Central Oregon. But
one head-scratcher remains. What’s
with the name? To begin with, it’s
pronounced “base-x” or more to the
point “basics.” And the meaning is
just that — back to the basics.
“BasX is an homage to our busi-
ness philosophy,” said Tobolski. “Go-
ing back to the basics was kind of our
focus and it’s really about being true
to values and our partners in the in-
dustry.”
“Being true to your word, meeting
your commitments, and going out of
your way to help your customers suc-
ceed is what we hold true to our val-
ues for our partners.”
e
Reporter: 541-617-7818,
mkohn@bendbulletin.com
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Joe A Lochner Insurance Agency Inc.
Joe Lochner, Agent
123 SW 5th Street
Redmond, OR 97756
Bus: 541-548-6023
joe.lochner.h5mi@statefarm.com
Fax: (541) 548-6024
State Farm, Bloomington, IL
1211999