Letters to the Editor 4/10/24

Dedicated volunteers

To the Editor:

This month, prior to the regular School Board Meeting on April 3, three candidates for the Budget Committee were interviewed. Each presented their various experiences and what they could bring to the committee during a three-year term. This session was followed by a presentation from the auditors from Pauly Rogers and Co. who have been working with Sherry Joseph, the Sisters School District business manager. The audit findings were positive, with no issues of non-compliance and no questioned costs.

Student representative Holly Davis announced a carnival that will take place at Sisters High School on May 2. This fundraising event is organized by the Associated Student Government and proceeds will benefit student activities. Joan Warburg, Sisters Elementary School principal, announced that the annual Kindergarten Roundup will take place on April 26 at the current elementary school. This event provides detailed information to all parents of incoming kindergarten students.

Kate Kuitert from Sisters Elementary School and Kelsey Jaeckel from Sisters Middle School presented an overview of the comprehensive school counseling programs, based on the standard practices set forth by the American School Counselor Association, which focus on three domains: academic, social-emotional, and college and career. They explained how support is provided to every student based on a multi-tiered, multi-domain system of support model through classroom instruction, small-group counseling, short-term individual counseling, and crisis-intervention services. These services are delivered in collaboration with staff, families, and members of the community, as well as coordination with outside agencies and therapists.

Enrollment was slightly up this past month. There have been a few delays in the construction of the new elementary school, however, the June move-in is still on-track. A tour will be organized for staff and board members to visit the construction at the end of April. Also, tentative lease agreements have been signed with Sisters Park & Recreation District, as well as a child-care provider, and discussions are moving forward with Treehouse Therapies.

To close the meeting, the board approved the three candidates for the three-year term on the Sisters School District Budget Committee. We wish to thank the community for their support of our students. We feel fortunate to have such dedicated, highly qualified and invested volunteers to help make Sisters School District a thriving environment for our children.

Curt Scholl, Superintendent

Vote for Jamie McLeod-Skinner

To the Editor:

Preserving our democratic republic is critical, and in Oregon, that means fair representation in the U.S. House OR05. Over the past six years, Jamie McLeod-Skinner has played a leading role in assuring the voices from urban to rural are not ignored.

Jamie came on the political scene in 2018, when U.S. House OR02 had one-party representation. Yet, she won that primary with the largest red-to-purple swing of any congressional race in the country. She was the first Democrat in 48 years to win Deschutes County, and the first to nearly beat the 20-year incumbent, Greg Walden.

In 2019, Jamie was elected to Jefferson County’s Education Service District Board; a conservative rural county. She was selected as board chair and unanimously passed a racial justice and equity policy. She was appointed to the statewide Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate to protect our natural resources. Additionally, Jamie currently co-chairs the OWEB Water and Climate Committee for a sustainable future in Oregon.

In 2020, Jamie ran for Secretary of State because she believed protecting our right to vote and maintaining honest elections was most critical. She did not win. Too bad, because the winner later resigned in shame due to misconduct. Had Jamie won, she’d be in office today, assuring Oregon’s vote-by-mail system is not adversely impacted by recent closures of U.S. Post Offices in our state.

In 2022, Jamie ran for the newly drawn OR05 seat and won the primary, soundly beating incumbent Kurt Schrader. But Schrader showed his true colors and asked his voters to support the opposing candidate! Nonetheless, Jamie ran one of the closest races in the country (50.9 to 48.8 percent) and she outperformed the governor in OR05 by 7 points.

Jamie McLeod-Skinner is knowledgeable, trusted, fully qualified, works across political divides, and will represent all constituents in OR05. Jamie will unflinchingly face the difficult times ahead working for our rights, livelihoods, and preserving our natural resources.

Susan Cobb

Helping the animals

To the Editor:

100 Women Who Care in Sisters: Thank you so much for your donation to Harmony Farm Sanctuary on March 28, the first meeting for our Sisters’ organization. Seventy-five women donated $100 each to our first meeting. Robine Bots, founder of Harmony Farm Sanctuary, is overwhelmed with gratitude for being chosen to receive $7,500. The money will go towards finishing “Bob’s Barn,” an infirmary barn in honor of Bob, a beloved goat that passed away a few months ago. The infirmary will be used for the sick animals who need special care and for newly rescued animals that need to be isolated for a while until they are well enough to join the other residents on the farm.

It’s so wonderful to live in a special town that gives back to our community. Thank you again, 100 Women Who Care in Sisters.

Ruth Palmer and Robine Bots