TSN911 by C.M.I.

INSIDE SIUSLAW SOCCER WINS EASILY

David Crabtree Art Awards Kat Burgess Coast Guard Volunteer | PAGE A2

Full Service Nursery Home Decor & Gift Shop Pottery Landscape Construction Irrigation Bulk Soils and Rock Delivery Available

541-997-5973

Siuslaw News News & views that define our community

$2.00

thesiuslawnews.com

Siuslaw News Florence, Oregon Wednesday, September 11, 2024 Number 37 • 133 years

Take a look at the Charter School contract Compiled by TONY REED Associate Editor

Students cheered upon hearing their class year announced during an assembly at Siuslaw High School last week.

Students back in school, phone free in airplane or silent mode before it’s placed in a Yondr pouch and locked Principal Michael Harklerode was by staff. The phone must stay in their the bearer of some unwelcome news locker or backpack during the day, but can be unlocked for lunch and at for Siuslaw High School students during the first day assembly Sept. 4. the end of the day. He explained that Some still-chatting students instantly airplane mode will prevent the phone from transmitting to smartwatches, quieted at Harklerode’s announceear buds or others devices, which ment that Siuslaw High School will will also be prohibited. be “phone free” this year. Phones will be taken away from A letter was sent to parents violating students and and meetings explaining that upon entering the school, students will put their phone By TONY REED The Siuslaw News

will be scheduled with parents after multiple violations. Harklrode said he hopes that by around Thanksgiving, students will be used to the protocol and staff will not have to enforce the no electronics rule as much. After the assembly, Harklerode noted that the policy has been under consideration for some time and was recently adopted by the school board. He said the school has had to deal with issues stemming from cell

phone use and that a study of social media showed a spike in usage during the school day, when students are supposed to be learning. The letter states that bullying, intimidation and other misuse of phones goes against the mission of preparing students to reach their best potentials. At the assembly, teachers introduced themselves, gave their subject and their years of experience , some See SCHOOL, Page A5

ODOT has no plans to replace drawbridge grate By TONY REED Siuslaw News

Oregon Department of Transportation officials have responded to a Florence resident by saying the department will not be replacing the synthetic material that was once used to quiet the Siuslaw River Bridge. Locals know the grated center drawbridge section of the bridge emits a loud whir noise when vehicle tires pass over it. In an effort to quiet the noise, ODOT installed a synthetic material over the grate from 2008 to 2021. ODOT said it removed the material, due to failure. At an ODOT Board of Directors meeting Aug. 1, Sarah Rodgers said she lives on Glenada Lane near the bridge and the noise has ruined her quiet life and her property value. In a letter to Rodgers after the meeting, ODOT Bridge Supervisor Rick Johnson said he understands her frustration but there are no plans to make changes to the bridge.

INSIDE

Obituaries — A2 Sports & Lifestyle — B1

“We looked at many options as the surface of the bridge deteriorated, and sound was something we considered,” Johnson replied. “Unfortunately, we could not find a surface cover that would last. The previous surface, which was a protective coating that resembled asphalt, required frequent maintenance and only lasted about 15 years before needing complete replacement. We’ve gone back to a grid surface because of the cost of replacement and maintenance. The grid surface placed in 1950 lasted until the early 2000s, over 50 years.” Johnson said ODOT will continue to monitor the sound coming from the bridge, along with other concerns.

History

ODOT officials said the 88-yearold bridge’s deteriorating system was replaced by the steel grid in 1976. “In 2008, the steel grid system was failing and was replaced with a then-new system using fiberglass reinforced plastic. This system was quiet, tough, and light, making it

Opinion — A3 Classifieds — B4-B5

TONY REED PHOTOS.

Reports vary as to how much sound comes from the Siuslaw River bridge, but from two common river access points east and west of the bridge, readings ranged from 55 to around 62 db at mid-day. While the bridge’s grate could be heard from three locations farther away, they barely registered above the ambient noise in those areas. seem like a logical replacement at the time. However, by 2021, the surface was failing and needed to be replaced earlier than we had planned,” an official ODOT response stated. “In 2021, a $500,000 project

replaced the fiberglass reinforced plastic deck with a steel grid system. The engineered deck system made for a smoother ride over the lift span. See ODOT, Page A5

At its August meeting, the Siuslaw School District Board held a first reading of a contract with Siuslaw Valley Charter School. Board members will review the contract and return at the September 11 board meeting. In the last year, the topic of a charter school within Siuslaw School District has been before the School Board and public many times. Several members of the public, district school staff members and board members have expressed concerns about using public funding for potentially religious studies, school sports, enrollment and special education. Siuslaw Valley Charter School (SVCS) proposed using teaching services provided by Hillsdale College, a known religious and conservative organization in Michigan. Some board members and District Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak insisted that such an affiliation would violate Oregon Revised Statue 33.8005, which states that a public charter school cannot be approved if found to be affiliated with a religious institution or nonpublic sectarian school. After some time and discussion, SVCS agreed to discontinue any affiliation with Hillsdale. Discussions resumed, a new contract was written and, according to Grzeskowiak, has been reviewed by the District’s legal counsel. The tentative contractual agreement, as negotiated over the summer, was included in the board packet. As with most legal contract documents, the agreement isn’t brief, and a basic word count shows the document to be over 25,000 words long. Reading through it, many of the controversial questions appear to have been addressed, ranging from matters of religious affiliation to enrollment discrimination to special education. For the sake of brevity, excerpts from some of those sections are included below.

Contract language

If approved, Siuslaw School District (District) will contract with the Siuslaw Valley Charter School (SVCS), an Oregon nonprofit corporation, to operate the Whitmore Classical Academy (WCA) to teach Kindergarten to eighth-grade students. WCA is to operate as a public charter school within the Siuslaw School District. As of yet, a site has not been disclosed, but the contract does not See CONTRACT, Page A6

Celebrating Over 30 Years in Real Estate

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner

1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR