Education

As K-12 schools complete the remainder of the academic year online, encouraging students to login for classes can be difficult. But the Eugene 4J district’s efforts to keep students engaged seems to be working.

As school districts prepare for impending state budget cuts, they’re trying to find ways to lower costs. Now, Eugene 4J is looking at reducing some of its  programs. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Eugene 4J school district is anticipating an $8.3 million reduction in state funding. To save funding for next year’s budget, the school district will implement scheduled furlough days.

Since Governor Kate Brown approved Lane County’s first reopening phase, schools are figuring out how soon they can put students back in the classroom. For some Lane Community College students, they may be back on campus beginning next week. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Kate Brown is preparing state departments for budget cuts—including the Oregon Department of Education. For the Bethel School District, a 17% reduction in state funding would be a $6.5 million dollar budget cut. 

For non-English speakers, a lack of signs representing their native language could prevent residents from coming to downtown Eugene. But a UO Spanish linguistics class looked at ways to make downtown signs more inclusive.

On Monday, the Springfield School Board unanimously approved an amendment to the 2019-2020 calendar. Beginning May 22, employees will have scheduled furlough days through July 31.

If you’re a parent or teacher struggling with online learning, you may be in luck. Oregon State University’s Ecampus has published free reference guides on educational technologies and online teaching practices.

For Lane County residents, next Tuesday’s election will include voting on a Lane Community College bond measure.

The almost $122 million project would upgrade the college’s facilities, and ultimately expand their programs.

The Eugene School Board has unanimously approved an interim superintendent.

On Tuesday, the Eugene 4J School Board announced Cydney Vandercar as the finalist for interim superintendent for next school year. Vandercar currently serves as the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services.

For high school seniors who are uncertain about their future finances or juggling other problems due to the COVID-19 outbreak, deciding which college to attend may be overwhelming. 

But on Wednesday, the University of Oregon announced they will extend their freshman admittance deadline from the national date of May 1 to September 1.

The University of Oregon plans to hold a live webcast of their spring university commencement in June. The UO made the announcement last week.

On Monday, the University of Oregon announced that it is planning to be open for in-person instruction this fall. But campus instruction will look different.

On Monday, the Eugene 4J school district budget committee held a virtual meeting about funding for next school year. During the discussion, Superintendent Gustavo Balderas says the district will probably lose about $17.5 million in state funding, and possibly more in the coming years.

On Monday, the Eugene 4J School District Budget Committee will hold the first of two virtual meetings about funding for next school year (fiscal year July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021). The first meeting will be broadcasted at 6pm on KRVM 1280-AM and on the 4J website.

On Wednesday, Lane Community College held a virtual board meeting to discuss their bond measure to improve LCC facilities. Now, the board is finalizing steps before the May primary.

Lane Community College is coping with decreased enrollment and reductions in revenue due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the LCC education board meeting, Wednesday, members discussed the future of the college and financial impacts from COVID-19.

On Monday, the University of Oregon announced 282 employee layoffs due to lost revenue from the COVID-19 outbreak. These departments include housing and dining, the EMU, athletics, PE and Rec, and the access shuttle program.

Last month, President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in order to help offset the impending recession. Now, Oregon colleges will also receive a cut of the money.

As Oregon teachers and students are preparing to begin remote learning for the rest of the school year, a Springfield principal explained what online classes will entail.

School districts across the country are joining a movement to support graduating seniors by turning on their athletic field lights at 8:20 in the evening.