Schools wrestle with snow-closure decision

Few people pay more attention to winter weather forecasts than Sisters School District administrators, who must balance the need for student safety with the state of Oregon's requirement for classroom days each year.

For Sisters Superintendent Curtiss Scholl, things begin early when a big snowfall is anticipated.

"Our head of transportation is on the road at 4 a.m. and I'm on the road by 4:30," Scholl said. "We talk at 5 in the morning about whether the roads have been cleared. We talk about whether to close school or have a late start."

Two particularly heavy snowstorms have forced closures this school year. That included the 20-inch storm before Christmas break and the latest round of snow that closed schools on Wednesday, January 4. Another closure was announced early Tuesday morning, due to a heavy storm moving into the region.

The District's annual schedule includes an extra day of classes beyond what the State requires. But so far, closures will mandate three or four extra days of school in June.

Scholl said there's no extra cost for teachers because their contract stipulates 189 days of work. They aren't paid for snow days when schools are closed, so the extra spring days when they are working don't affect the District's budget, Scholl said.

School District employees generally do the snow removal. Only rarely, such as during the snowfall before Christmas, does the District contract with private workers for help. He wasn't sure how much December's dumping cost the District for outside help.

On days when school staff members clear snow, Scholl said, there is no additional cost to the District. However, he noted that those employees are taken away from duties to which they're otherwise assigned. That's a non-financial "cost" of snowfall, he said.

Money for snow removal is included in each year's budget, Scholl added, so no additional appropriation is needed.

He is in his second year as Sisters School District superintendent and doesn't have much to compare this winter's snowfall with. However, Scholl said longtime residents have told him this is a heavy snow year.

"Last year we missed (school days) for freezing rain and had one snow day," he said. "This is dramatically different than last year. I spoke to one parent who's been here nine years and they said this is the most snow they've seen here. And it's cold and the snow hangs around."

When the decision is made to close schools, Scholl said the District contacts local media to spread the word as well as putting a notice on the District website.

Some people question why a decision can't be made the night before when a big storm is forecast for the following day. Scholl said he must wait to make the call because sometimes the big storms that are expected don't show up.

"One of the forecasts I saw the other day was for between four and 10 inches of snow," he said. "Four inches is not a problem. Ten is. Then there's always the question of whether it actually shows up.

"We wait until the morning to make sure what it is. One time, we drove the roads and everything was fine but by 6 a.m. it was snowing heavily. We got kids home safely. Is it a perfect system? No. But we do our best to keep safety at the top of the equation."

Last Friday, the temperature was minus 18 degrees when officials drove the roads, which were well plowed. Despite relatively clear roads, Scholl said school buses had trouble starting - the diesel had jelled - and some students waited longer than usual in the frigid conditions.

Each potential storm is different, and sometimes it's a difficult call whether to hold classes or not.

"We are balancing safety and the number of school days needed," Scholl said. "We need to make sure the weather situation is real."

Besides closing school on January 4, District officials also canceled that evening's school board meeting. Scholl said it's likely the board will simply postpone this month's agenda and add it to the February meeting's agenda.

The school board regularly meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at the District administration building.