EDUCATION
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020
Enrollment down for Hermiston School District
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Enrollment for Herm-
iston School District is
lower than usual, Super-
intendent Tricia Mooney
told the school board on
Monday, Aug. 24.
Mooney said that the
district had about 4,500
students enrolled so far,
although there are always
students that don’t end
up enrolled until classes
actually begin.
The district’s records
show there were 5,708
students enrolled in Feb-
ruary of this year.
While
kindergar-
ten enrollment is down
overall for the district,
Mooney said more kin-
dergartners than expected
have enrolled in Desert
View Elementary School,
and so the district will
be working this week to
shift some kindergart-
eners within the Desert
View boundaries over to
other elementary schools
and notify parents of
their child’s new school
assignment.
Even though school is
online for now, she said,
there isn’t an open class-
room available at Desert
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
While enrollment in Hermiston School District is down overall for 2020-21, a large number
of kindergarteners enrolling in Desert View Elementary School will necessitate some of the
students being moved to a diff erent school so that there is room for them when students
return to the physical classroom.
View to add an additional
kindergarten class once
children are back in the
physical classrooms.
“We don’t have the
capacity at Desert View
in regular times to be able
to move a teacher,” she
told the board.
While students won’t
begin school until Tues-
day, Sept. 8, teachers
returned to the building
on Monday, Aug. 24 for
two weeks of training and
preparing for the unique
school year.
“I know the teachers
are working hard, and
they’re probably a little
overwhelmed after day
one, but I’m confi dent
they’ll be ready to go
with kids in two weeks,”
she said.
Board member Josh
Goller said he was
excited to see the dis-
trict welcome back its
teachers.
“We look forward to a
different — but still good
— year with our staff
Health director says most schools
unlikely to reopen in 2020
By ALEX CASTLE
EAST OREGONIAN
Oregon schools won’t
be able to reopen for
in-person instruction for
roughly 200 days, and
more restrictions may
be coming for Orego-
nians statewide if the cur-
rent rate of daily COVID-
19 cases doesn’t sharply
decline, Gov. Kate Brown
said during a media brief-
ing Friday, Aug. 21.
“We all want in-per-
son education to reopen.
To do that we must meet
our goals. Right now, on
the course we’re on, it’s
going to take too long,”
Brown said. “We’re doing
well, but we have to do
better. We have to work
together, and we have to
do it now.”
A majority of Umatilla
County schools won’t be
permitted to reopen for
in-person instruction until
both the state and the
county record a test pos-
itivity rate of less than
5% for three consecu-
tive weeks, and until the
county has reported less
than 10 new cases per
100,000 people for three
consecutive weeks.
After peaking at a pos-
itive test rate of 24.2%
before being sent back to
baseline on July 31, Uma-
tilla County recorded a
positive test rate of 16%
the week of Aug. 9-15,
according to the Oregon
Health Authority.
The state’s latest data
also listed the county’s
cases per 100,000 at 207
for the week of Aug. 3-9.
While local case num-
bers improved enough in
recent weeks for Umatilla
County to move back into
Phase 1 of reopening on
Aug. 20, earlier this week
Umatilla County Pub-
lic Health Director Joe
Fiumara shared a simi-
lar bleak outlook on local
schools’ prospects of
reopening.
“I don’t have a crys-
tal ball and things could
happen, but anybody who
is expecting the schools
to operate in person in
Umatilla County this
year, I wouldn’t put much
money on that,” Fiumara
said Aug. 19. “I hope we
get there, I really do. But
the numbers we’ve got to
get to right now are really,
really low.”
Based on the state’s
current metrics, Uma-
tilla County would have
to report eight cases or
less per week for three
straight weeks in order for
all schools to be eligible
to reopen for in-person
instruction. If the county
can reach the metric of
less than 5% test positiv-
ity rate for three weeks
and reports 24 cases or
NEW BUICK ENCLAVE
All Wheel Drive, Remote Start
MSRP $27,890
- $3,000 Swain Discount
- $3,000 Rebate
Your $
Price
less per week over that
span, then schools would
be permitted to offer
in-person options for kin-
dergarten through third-
grade students and school
districts of less than 100
students could reopen.
But
local
schools
reopening is also reliant
on improvement in the
statewide numbers, which
Brown said Aug. 21 have
dropped to about 300 new
cases per day but need to
fall to 60 new cases per
day in order for in-person
instruction to be viable.
and our students coming
back,” he said.
Mooney said the dis-
trict will be sending out
schedules soon for stu-
dents to pick up Chrome-
books, other school sup-
plies and their bar codes
for the school lunch pro-
gram from their build-
ing the week of Aug.
31-Sept. 4. Last year’s
high school seniors will
also be able to pick up
their yearbooks.
After Friday, Sept. 4,
the USDA’s free sum-
mer meal program will
end, and the district will
be back to serving break-
fast and lunch only to
students enrolled in the
district.
Katie Saul, fi nance
director, said breakfast
will be free for all stu-
dents, while lunch will
be $2.45 for elementary
and middle school stu-
dents, and $2.95 for high
school students. Students
will be able to pick up
meals from their assigned
school, or there will be a
limited number of bus
stops around town.
During the Aug. 24
meeting, Mooney also
announced that the dis-
trict will be subsidiz-
ing day care for families
using the Champions day
care that is being set up at
the Eastern Oregon Trade
and Event Center.
Champions, a national
child care provider that
has provided some after-
school care for the district
in the past, is charging
$190 per week per child
this year to refl ect its
higher costs in meeting
all of the pandemic-re-
lated state requirements
for keeping children in
small “stable cohorts”
that do not mix with each
other. Mooney said the
district will be subsidiz-
ing $50 a week of that
cost, leaving families to
pay $140 per week, per
child.
She said Champions
also offers some schol-
arships for low-income
families and discounts for
military families, children
of educators and families
with more than one child
in care. More than 50
families have requested
additional
information
about Champions so far,
Mooney said.
“I’m excited about
being able to help fam-
ilies with $50 per week,
per child,” she said.
541-567-0272
2150 N. First St., Hermiston
The most valuable and respected source of
local news, advertising and information
for our communities.
eomediagroup.com
Serving Families with
Care and
Compassion
for Over 70 Years.
BURNS
MORTUARY
of Hermiston
&
Hermiston
Crematory
685 W. Hermiston Ave.
Hermiston, Oregon
(541) 567-6474
www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com
August 25th-30th
Call ahead and use
our Drive thru.
Purchase a face mask
inside for $5-$7
$
1
Great
.00 Feel
Smoothie
OFF
Take & Bake
Pizza
INTRODUCING
Black Bean &
Pumpkin Wet Burrito
20% Off
All Purses,Wallets &
Tote Bags
( New Shipment/Reduced Prices)
20% Off
All Multi Vitamins
Items
50 % Clearance
(Reg retail)
OFF
Please maintain 6 feet social
distancing while in the store.
There’s no time to SPARE,
“
please wear a mask. Together
with everyone’s help we can
STRIKE down COVID-19!
”
RAY FIELDS (GENERAL MANAGER),
DOUG LARSEN, JIMMY MAXWELL & KRISTA
HENDRICKS OF DESERT LANES FAMILY FUN CENTER
21,890
Stk #B7847 VIN #KL4CJES07KB876006
www.swainmotors.com
541-567-2277
80406 Hwy 395 N., Hermiston
Top of the Hill
FUZZBALL
ANIMAL RESCUE
is in need of puppy
food, cat food,
cat litter & supplies.
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
Please contact Fuzzball animal rescue via Facebook or our
website www.fuzzballrescue.com to donate items. If you would like to make a monetary
donation, please mail check to Fuzzball Animal Rescue PO BOX 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
• Wear a mask in public
• Avoid indoor gatherings
• Stay 6 feet away from others • Wash your hands frequently
Help Reopen
Umatilla County
Wearing a mask saves jobs and saves lives