Foundation grant awards — 8A
On the lookouts:
Disaster prep — 9A
Safe Families kickoff — 3A
New book chronicles some of the
area's iconic structures, page 6A
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016
Full-day K challenging
students, teachers
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
S
outh Lane School
District administra-
tors say they plan to meet
with some of the District’s
kindergarten teachers this
week to address the chal-
lenges brought on by offer-
ing a full day of instruction
to its youngest students.
The District fulfi lled a
state mandate to offer full-
day kindergarten beginning
this school year, though a
report given to the School
Board Monday night proved
that the transition has been
anything but smooth sail-
ing.
In fact, Chad Hamilton,
South Lane’s Special Edu-
cation Director, stated that
the change to a full day
of kindergarten has been
“tough for very seasoned
professionals.”
Part of the challenge,
Hamilton said, could be il-
lustrated using the results of
a kindergarten readiness as-
sessment conducted by the
state of Oregon. He called
South Lane’s results on the
assessment
“mediocre,”
adding that this District’s
results were lower than
most in the area.
“This explains why we’re
seeing so much stress in
our teachers; our kids are
struggling,” Hamilton said.
Before entering kindergar-
ten, he said, students come
to South Lane below the
county and state average in
the most basic math skills.
With regard to literacy, in-
coming students recognize
VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 37
SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
far fewer letter shapes and
sounds than the state and
county averages and fewer
than all comparable area
schools.
Superintendent
Krista
Parent said the District is
having internal discussions
about solutions, including
how it might better allocate
the services of its educa-
tional assistants. Stagger-
ing the start of school for
some students in the fall
based on their preparedness
and stamina was also dis-
cussed.
“We are aware of the situ-
ation, but we don’t have the
perfect answer,” said Parent.
She said that many teachers
don’t believe they’re able to
introduce more academic
instruction into a full day
of kindergarten “because of
what they’re experiencing
in the afternoon.”
“Kids don’t have the
stamina and behavior skills
to be functional, and teach-
ers are spending their after-
noons dealing with those
issues as opposed to teach-
ing,” she said.
Parent said the District
made a mistake in not dou-
bling the allocation of edu-
cational assistant time for
full-day kindergarten class-
rooms.
“It should’ve been obvi-
ous that we needed to dou-
ble the EA time,” she said.
“We have several teachers
saying they don’t want to
teach kindergarten anymore
because it’s too hard. We’re
really going back to the
drawing board.”
Also
inside:
Taking
the hike
Buzzer-beater!
photo courtesy Greg Lee
Log House Plants employees Margarita and her daughter Jessica plant vegetable starts.
Log House owner Greg Lee said the company may have to adjust prices as the minimum
wage continues to rise.
Last-second shot sends
Lions onward,
page 1B
Local business owners react to
minimum wage increase
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
s executive director of
Cottage Grove’s Cham-
ber of Commerce, Travis Palmer
speaks frequently with local busi-
ness owners about the issues and
challenges they face. Lately, he
said local entrepreneurs have had
a lot to say about the increase in
Oregon’s minimum wage that
was signed into law by Governor
Kate Brown last week.
“I haven’t heard anything posi-
tive,” Palmer said. He said the
Chamber itself has not taken a
position on the increase, though
many of its members have re-
acted with “strongly negative”
feedback.
The bill, signed on Wednesday,
will raise the state’s minimum
wage — at $9.25 per hour, it’s al-
ready one of the nation’s highest
— incrementally and to varying
degrees in different parts of the
state. In counties like Lane, the
minimum is expected to increase
to $13.50 per hour by 2022. Ru-
ral areas will see an increase to
$12.50 over time, while inside
the urban growth boundary of
the Portland metropolitan area,
the minimum wage is expected to
increase to $14.75 per hour. The
law takes effect on July 1, and a
$.50 per hour hike will take effect
along with it.
Palmer said he and local busi-
ness owners worry that the area’s
small businesses will be unable
to cope with the added payroll
costs brought on by the increase
and will thus fi nd themselves at a
competitive disadvantage.
“Employers may be able to
hire less people, and I worry that
people who might otherwise start
a small business might not do so
because of the added cost,” he
said.
Tryout trip
Local dancer hopes to
make it big, page 3A
Please see WAGE, Page 11A
Inaugural CG Half Marathon shows its speed Saturday morning
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
light smattering of rain just
prior to start time was all that
materialized of a day of expected
showers for the over 160 runners and
walkers who journeyed from Dorena
School to Trailhead Park in Cottage
Grove as part of the inaugural Cottage
Grove Half Marathon Saturday.
One runner, Kathy Andrews, trav-
eled all the way from Tallahassee,
Florida to compete; Andrews joined
a large contingent from the Eugene/
Springfi eld area and a strong showing
from Cottage Grove and Creswell,
towns that boasted nearly 30 of the
day’s competitors. The race’s male
and female winners, however, hailed
from Bend.
At 8 a.m., several school buses left
Bohemia Park bound for Dorena; the
race staged at Dorena School and be-
gan at 9 a.m. Sponsored by Banner
Bank, it served as a fundraiser for
United Way of Lane County. The top
fi nisher sped into Cottage Grove not
long after 10 a.m., covering the 13.1
mile course in a little over an hour.
Flaggers met competitors at each road
crossing, and there were several aid
stations along the way offering water
and electrolyte drinks.
The course was fl at and fast one,
by all accounts. Organizer Mike Ri-
pley said the event went off with few
hitches, though Ripley said a sign he
brought to alert drivers to the presence
of runners on the road — a sign valued
at over $200 — was stolen prior to the
race. Ripley said he also recognized
the need for more restrooms. He will
now look forward to the Oregon Gran
Fondo, another signature event of his
company, Mudslinger Events, that
serves to showcase Cottage Grove to
area cyclists.
Ripley said plans are already un-
derway for next year’s Cottage Grove
Half Marathon, which is scheduled for
March 11, 2017. Registration opens
in September, and more information
is available at cottagegrovehalf.com.
photo by Greg Lee
Runners synchronize their watches and phones to the race clock while taking off at the start of the Cot-
More coverage and results from tage Grove Half Marathon Saturday. Over 160 participants signed up for the 13.1-mile journey from Dorena
the race can be found in this week’s back to Cottage Grove; the race raised funds for United Way of Lane County.
sports section.
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Calendar....................................... 11B
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