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North Bend School Board to fill two vacancies By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World

The North Bend School District is looking to fill two vacant seats on its board of commissioners after Dr. Eric Gleason stepped down from his spot on the board last month. Gleason, who also serves on the North Bend City Council, became the second board member to resign in recent months, leaving the board with just five members.

An attempt to fill the previously vacated seat failed last year when the six remaining members were unable to choose a replacement. The five remaining members of the board, Chair Jim Jordan, Vice Chair Julie Thies, 2nd Vice Chair Kristina Simpson and board members Steven Ryan and Mary Schilling will be tasked with filling the vacant seats until the next school board election in May. The members appointed will

serve until June 30, at which time the individuals elected in May will serve a full four-year term. To apply for board appointment: ● Complete the “Candidate Information Sheet” which can be found at nbend.k12.or.us; ● Write a Letter of Interest; ● Submit the letter and information sheet by February 24 to: Administrative Assistant to the Board, Mia Bryan,

mbryan@nbend.k12.or.us or Board Chair Jim Jordan, jim. jordan@nbend.k12.or.us Candidates will be interviewed and selected at the March 2 Regular Board Meeting at North Bend City Hall. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. In 2023, board positions #1, #3 & #7 will be up for election. The filing period for North Bend School District Board candidates is open through March 16 at 5 p.m. at the Coos County Election Office.

More information can be found at http://www.co.coos.or.us/ A Candidate’s manual can be found at https://sos.oregon. gov/elections/Documents/county-city-district-candidates.pdf Candidates who complete the nomination process will be on the May 16 ballot. Please contact Mia Bryan, administrative assistant to the board at mbryan@nbend.k12.or.us or 541-751-6797 with any questions.

NB cheer team places fifth in state Upper

respiratory cases continue to fall By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World

The North Bend cheer team earned a trophy after finishing fifth in the Class 4A traditional division at the state championships Saturday.

The upper respiratory surge that plagued Oregon late last year is lifting, and the state is continuing to wind down from the three-year COVID pandemic. That’s the message Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and state epidemiologist, reported Thursday while briefing the media. “We are now well into the new year with spring rapidly approaching, and I’m happy to report there’s reasons for optimism in the months ahead,” Sidelinger said. “Overall, respiratory viruses and hospitalizations in Oregon have decreased significantly and Contributed photo influenza and RSV spread continues to decrease.” Sidelinger said the Oregon Health Authority is keeping a watch on a recent uptick in COVID-19 activity as the newest COVID — building skills, tumbling/jumps subvariant moves through Oregon. and overall routine. North Bend was graded highest, But even as cases have increased, relative to the other schools, in tum- Sidelinger said it has not shown up in hospitals. Speaking of hospitals, Sidelinger Please see CHEER Page A6 said the state is looking at the possibility of lifting the mask requirement in healthcare facilities. “When we decided to lift the mask requirement for indoor public settings, we kept in place the mask requirements for healthcare settings,” Sidelinger said. “Members of our healthcare workforce have been on the front lines throughout this COVID pandemic. We recognize we are entering yet another sustainable phase of the pandemic. Even as we monitor increases in COVID-19 and influenza B activity in the coming week, overall hospitalizations are expected to continue trending downwards, and 86.6% of people over the age of 18 in Oregon have received at least one dose of the in 2023, just as my children did COVID-19 vaccine. from past Common School Fund “If these trends continue, we distributions.” expect to be able to safely lift the About the State Land Board and healthcare masking requirement the Department of State Lands over the coming months. Any The State Land Board consists change to the healthcare masking of Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary requirements must be made of State Shemia Fagan and State carefully. As we move forward Treasurer Tobias Read. Established through this new phase of the by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, pandemic, please know were the Land Board oversees the state’s are reviewing all phases of our Common School Fund. response.” The Department of State Lands Sidelinger said RSV cases have is the Land Board’s administrative dropped since late November when agency, managing the lands and 25% of tested patients showed resources that help fund Oregon’s positive results. Last week, that public schools and protecting the number was 5.2%. state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide. Please see CASES Page A10

Bulldogs win trophy at state championships for first time By JOHN GUNTHER For The World

North Bend’s cheer team placed fifth in the Class 4A traditional division at the state championships

on Saturday at Oregon City High School. The Bulldogs finished behind champion Gladstone, Sweet Home, The Dalles and Newport in the division, which included 12

total schools. Marshfield had been scheduled to compete but was a late scratch from the schedule. Gladstone won the title with a total of 102.40 points, with the teams judged in three different categories

Local school districts to receive a share of $72.2M JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

Oregon’s K-12 public schools will receive a record $72.2 million from the Common School Fund this year. Where the money goes Every one of Oregon’s 197 public school districts receives money from the Common School Fund every year. How much each district receives depends on the number of students served. Coos Bay School District will receive $361,850. BrookingsHarbor School District will see $188,257. Bandon School District will receive $70,460. Crook County School District will get $411,577. Portland Public Schools, the state’s largest district, will receive $6.4 million. The average 2023 distribution is approximately $367,000. Baker School District, with about 1,700 students, will receive $237,422 in 2023. “The Common School Fund is valuable in sustaining all of our efforts across our district,” Baker School District Superintendent Erin Lair said, “everything from maintaining facilities to instruction.”

When it began The Common School Fund has supported Oregon schools since statehood, when the federal government granted our new state nearly 3.4 million acres “for the use of schools.” The State Land Board was established to oversee these school lands, which generate revenue for the Fund. Now valued at $2.1 billion, the Common School Fund is invested by the State Treasurer and the Oregon Investment Council. The Fund earned an average 4.42 percent rate of return over the three-year period ending in 2022. “We’re incredibly pleased with the Common School Fund’s performance in recent years under Treasury’s management,” State Treasurer Tobias Read said. “These sustained returns will allow us to send a record-setting amount to Oregon public schools. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on students across the state, from increased resources in the classroom to facility improvements.” By the numbers Annually, 3.5 percent of the Fund is distributed to schools. The 2023 distribution of $72.2 million, the highest-ever distribution, is $8 mil-

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lion more than the 2022 distribution of $64.2 million and $12.1 million more than the 2021 distribution of $60.1 million. Today, approximately 772,000 acres of school lands are managed by the Department of State Lands on behalf of the Land Board. $1.38 million in net income from school land leases, sales, and other land management activities was added to the Fund in fiscal year 2022. “Generation after generation of Oregon students have been supported by school lands,” Oregon Department of State Lands Director Vicki Walker said. “My grandchildren now benefit from the $2.4 million going to Eugene schools

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