A8 THE BULLETIN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
Heidi Wright
Gerry O’Brien
Richard Coe
Publisher
Editor
Editorial Page Editor
Bend City Council
picks its goal posts
G
oal-setting for the Bend City Council is more than a
formality. What the council picks as goals makes a
difference, because those are what city staff works on.
And the new councilors can use the goals to make their mark.
Some of the goals councilors will
discuss on Wednesday aren’t new.
But there are some changes.
The city may start paying stipends
to people who serve on city commit-
tees. The issue has been discussed
before. Serving on a city commit-
tee can be an exclusive position. It’s
a commitment of time and energy
that goes beyond just showing up
for the meetings. It should not be a
requirement that a person work for
themselves or run a business to be
able to serve on a city committee.
How could the city get more people
to serve?
Maybe, pay them. A stipend could
help with a computer, travel, park-
ing, a babysitter and whatever else.
Will that open the role up to more
people? It could. The biggest obsta-
cle for many, though, is finding the
extra time in a day on top of making
a living and family responsibilities.
We wonder if a stipend would not
mean opening up the possibility that
more people can serve. It might just
mean that the people who do serve
get stipends.
Another goal is to transform the
role of the police chief’s advisory
council into something with a fo-
cus on “community representation,
transparency, public oversight and
accountability.” Will that mean that
the council will have an actual role
in determining how the police de-
partment will run? Will there be
more information to the public
about any disciplinary action and a
role of the advisory council in any
action? Disciplinary changes would
undoubtedly require a change in the
city’s contract with the police union.
The council is also looking at an
ambitious goal for the homeless —
“create housing units or facilities to
house 500 homeless individuals on a
temporary or permanent basis.” We
don’t know if that includes the op-
tions that already exist, but 500 is a
big number regardless. That’s a ma-
jor shift in priorities for city govern-
ment toward more direct action to
address the city’s homeless.
We’d be remiss to not mention
an overlying theme to many of this
council’s priorities: equity. That
should not come as a surprise, be-
cause the four newly elected coun-
cilors made it a focus of their cam-
paigns. Expect any new council
action to be viewed from an equity
lens — from deciding what happens
first to how initiatives are structured.
The goals you may be interested
in may be different than the ones we
highlighted here. You can see them
all in the agenda for the Council’s
Wednesday meeting.
End the mail-in
ballot guessing game
W
hen is it too late to mail
in your ballots before
an election? Three days
in advance? Four? It’s a guessing
game.
The Oregon Legislature is con-
sidering at least three bills that
would provide more certainty.
One is from state Sen. Tim Knopp,
R-Bend. Knopp’s Senate Bill 694
and the bills in the House are simi-
lar. Knopp’s bill requires that a bal-
lot would be counted if it is post-
marked no later than the Satur-
day before Election Day. The two
House bills put the deadline for the
postmark on Election Day.
We hope the Legislature passes a
version that will make the change.
It makes it easier for people to vote
and should ensure more ballots
are counted. It will mean, though,
that election results will be murky
until several days after the election.
Oregon does have drop boxes all
over the state so people can ensure
their ballot is in on time. But it is
more convenient for some to mail
their ballot. And voting should be
convenient.
Knopp’s bill and House Bill 2226
also put restrictions on who and
when a person can turn in another
person’s ballot. We don’t see any
need for such restrictions, though
there is always the chance ballots
might not be turned in. The pro-
gressive political group Defend
Oregon failed to turn in 96 ballots
for the November 2018 election in
time to be counted.
We would prefer it if people
didn’t wait to vote until the last mo-
ment. But people mailing in their
ballots deserve a clear deadline for
when their vote will be counted,
instead of having to guess or rely
on the speed of mail delivery.
Editorials reflect the views of The Bulletin’s editorial board, Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor
Gerry O’Brien and Editorial Page Editor Richard Coe. They are written by Richard Coe.
My Nickel’s Worth
Loss of standing
Our son, who was born in Bend and attended public
school in Bend through high school, is a Foreign Service
Officer in the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. On Jan. 7
newspapers in Kenya headlined in large letters “Chaos &
Shame” and stated “Capitol chaos leave image of ‘excep-
tional’ U.S. in tatters.”
Saturday 43 Republican Senators voted to not hold for-
mer President Trump accountable for his actions in un-
dermining faith in our national elections, for inciting the
insurrection that took place in our Nation’s Capitol on
January 6th with loss of life and destruction to the sacred
building and to our democracy, and for failing to uphold
his oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Con-
stitution of the United States.
Sadly, our son says he, as a representative of the U.S.,
no longer has moral standing in Kenya and East Africa to
encourage other nations and their politicians to uphold
the rule of law and maintain fair and free elections. Un-
fortunately, they will just laugh in his face after what they
have seen happen in America. Would be dictator politi-
cians will have more freedom to undermine democracies
in their own countries. The reverberations of the Insur-
rection will continue around the world for years. Those 43
Senators, including the former majority leader, failed our
country and failed to uphold our democracy. Their names
will live in infamy.
— Ron and Mary Carver, Bend
Solutions for the homeless
On the front cover of The Bulletin, dated Feb. 12, one
of the main stories was about the new permit system re-
quired for some local trails “as a way to curb the degrada-
tion of trails due to the ever increasing numbers of trail
users”. Inconvenient, but I see the reasoning behind it, to
protect our public lands.
I then turn to Page 2 and I read the story about the pro-
posed bill (3115) by Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek
which would limit the cities or counties abilities to do
anything about homeless folks residing/sleeping on pub-
lic property. This follows up the federal “camping lawsuit”
in Boise which says if there isn’t enough room in shelters
you can’t prosecute people for camping on public prop-
erty. What happened to the protection of public property?
Many of the homeless continually trash our public lands
with piles of garbage and human waste, with no concern
for our public lands and water ways. Something needs to
be done.
While the city of Bend is in the process of purchasing
a motel to house some of the homeless, it just scratches
the surface. There will never be enough beds in shelters.
I think the best solution would be for the city/county
to purchase or donate a large parcel of land, put a fence
around it, and provide some basic needs like water, toi-
lets, showers, garbage containers, and a large building or
two, maybe with a large commercial kitchen. The building
would be a warm winter shelter and a dining hall. People
could put up tents and shelters. With this in place the local
cities and counties would have the ability to curb the occu-
pation and trashing of our public lands that are there for
all of us to enjoy. They could enforce violators of our ex-
isting laws. Law enforcement could make rounds through
the facility and maybe some other social services could be
provided. It’s not a perfect plan but it could solve some of
the existing problems that no one seems to have the ability
to deal with.
— Scott Erwin, Redmond
Wrong policy
Summit High School returned to in-person learning
Feb. 8, and within 3 days had a COVID outbreak and had
to return to distance learning. But Governor Brown just
had to put vaccinating teachers ahead of seniors, like my-
self. Oregon is the only state in the country that did that.
So, now teachers have been vaccinated and can’t even
safely return to in-person teaching, while one of the most
vulnerable groups (seniors) had to get in line behind them.
What a waste! It will probably cost senior lives just because
of a premature plan to return to in-person learning.
Even Jace Bracelin, a junior at Summit, who founded a
student group to demand more stringent reopening safety
measures, realized this and is wise beyond his years. And
a nurse/mom of a sophomore there was wary of students
returning so soon. Washington state is already vaccinating
65 and older, while Oregon is still at 75 and older, likely
due to Brown’s decision. I hope Governor Brown sees the
error off her ways and would not make the same decision
going forward.
—Katy Sanchez, Bend
How to submit Please address your submission to either My Nickel’s Worth or Guest Column and mail, fax or email it to
The Bulletin. Email submissions are preferred. Email: letters@bendbulletin.com
Physical education class is not — and should not be — canceled
BY KELLY FIELD
Special to The Washington Post
I
t’s almost time for gym class, and
my fifth-grader can’t find her ten-
nis ball.
“Adrienne, did you take it?” she
demands of her younger sister, who
swears she didn’t (although she prob-
ably did).
“How about a soccer ball?” I ask.
They’re practicing dribbling skills.
“No, Mom,” she says firmly. “We’re
indoors.” It has to be a tennis ball. She
searches under the coffee table and be-
hind the couch; she scours her sister’s
cluttered room. No tennis ball.
This is what remote physical educa-
tion looks like in our house. And what
it sounds like? Thundering footfalls
from the bedroom above my office, as
my third-grader runs through games
her PE teacher is using as a warmup.
The coronavirus pandemic and the
resulting widespread shift to remote
learning have brought major changes
to physical education. Games such as
Turkey Ninja Warrior and water-bottle
bowling and solitary pursuits in spaces
as small as a studio apartment have
replaced class in open fields or gyms.
Rolled-up socks and laundry baskets
have replaced balls and nets.
The PE instructors I spoke with said
the students seem to be having fun —
Mary Altaffer/AP file
Physical Ed teachers Jonathan Tuttle, left, and Steven Lennon teach a class remotely
from the gym at the Osborn School in October in Rye, New York.
the ones they can see on video, at least.
Privacy policies in many districts bar
teachers from requiring students to
keep their cameras on, and some stu-
dents don’t.
But it’s hard to gauge whether they’re
getting the same benefits from online
PE as they did from in-person classes.
Some students lack the equipment,
space or parental support to participate
fully. Instructors say it’s tough to teach
and assess motor skills, such as catch-
ing and kicking, online.
Meanwhile, public health experts say
children need exercise more than ever.
“PE is so important, because our
kids are sitting from 8 to 3,” said Mi-
chelle Huff, a high school PE teacher in
New Jersey who has taken to posting
TikTok videos inviting kids to join in
on PE activities.
In a majority of districts, students
are spending some or all of their school
days online. They’re missing out on re-
cess and extracurricular sports, many
of which have been canceled for safety
reasons. Public health experts are wor-
ried about unhealthy eating, too.
Compounding these issues, many
students live in crowded apartments or
in neighborhoods where it’s not safe to
exercise outside. In some cities, parks
are closed because of the pandemic.
In places where schools remained
closed through 2020, childhood obe-
sity rates were predicted to climb by
more than 2%, according to estimates
in a recent study by a researcher at
Washington University in St. Louis.
Yet, even before the coronavirus
shut down schools, fewer than half the
states set any minimum amount of
time that students must participate in
PE, according to the Society of Health
and Physical Educators (SHAPE),
which represents PE and health in-
structors.
With much of PE now online, some
kids are getting even less time in class
than before. Because of the pandemic,
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a
Democrat, waived the state’s time re-
quirement in March, prompting some
districts to eliminate PE as a stand-
alone class or make it an elective. Port-
land, nearly laid off its elementary
adaptive PE instructors, who work
with children with disabilities, before
teachers defeated the move. At least
two Massachusetts districts have elim-
inated elementary PE altogether this
year, according to the president of the
state’s SHAPE chapter.
Advocates for physical education
fear more cuts as districts grapple with
looming budget shortfalls stemming
from the economic downturn. And if
the Great Recession is any guide, those
cuts could fall hardest on high-poverty
districts, where students already have
less access to after-school sports than
in wealthier ones.
“Not all students have the privilege
of taking ballet classes or sports clubs,”
said Julia Stevens, the president of Ore-
gon’s SHAPE chapter.
Many PE instructors said they’re
eager to return to the gym and sports
fields.
“I became a PE teacher because I
needed to keep moving,” said Andrew
VanDorick, an elementary PE teacher
in Maryland. “Sitting on a couch in
front of a computer may be some peo-
ple’s dream job, but it drives me crazy.
I can’t wait to be back in front of the
kids.”
Oh, and that missing tennis ball?
Turns out it isn’t essential after all.
When it vanishes again, just in time for
water-bottle bowling, my 11-year-old
substitutes a lacrosse ball — and rolls
a spare.
e e
Kelly Field is a reporter for the Hechinger Report.