Aug. 19—LA GRANDE — Summer is a window of opportunity for school district grounds and maintenance crews as they race the clock to complete work that can only be done when buildings are vacant.

Beneficiaries of this summer's work include Island City Elementary School, where the aging concrete in its main entry area has been repaved.

"It has created a more even surface," said Joseph Waite, La Grande School District's facilities manager.

Waite noted the smoother surface will be much easier to remove snow from during the winter months, with no crevices to trap snow and ice. The repaving work was needed because the top layer of concrete had crumbled and exposed rock underneath, Waite said.

Restoration work of a different kind has been done at La Grande High School. Its six-year-old track has been repaired. Cracks have been sealed and the entire 400-meter oval has been recoated with a synthetic material.

Indoors, the high school's horticulture classroom has been converted into a lab where plants can be grown using hydroponics. A form of hydroculture, hydroponics involves growing plants, usually crops, without soil by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions.

Renovation work in the horticulture classroom included moving old manholes covered by metal grates and covering them with epoxy flooring. The manholes were a vestige of the school's former auto shop that operated in the large classroom.

Waite said the classroom is safer now. The manhole covers were a hazard to students because the legs of chairs and tables could get caught in the grates. Fortunately, the grates caused no injuries, Waite said.

Carpeting has been installed at the high school in the office area near the main entrance, replacing carpeting that was at least 20 years old.

"I think it was the same carpeting the high school had when I was a student there," said Waite, who graduated from the high school in 2002.

At La Grande Middle School, a larger freezer was installed, which also necessitated electrical wiring work. The kitchen's refrigerator and old freezer were moved into an adjacent hallway. Shelves have also been rearranged in the kitchen this summer, creating more work space for staff, Waite said.

Also at the middle school, stairwells have been repaired and repainted, and additional security cameras have been installed.

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com.

After Biden announced up to $20,000 in student-loan forgiveness, McConnell called the relief "astonishingly unfair." Sen. Warren pushed back.

Their poor, unsuspecting teachers didn't deserve this.View Entire Post ›

Students from YULA Boys High School, on the Westside, surprised math teacher Julio Castro with car so he can spend more time with his family in Santa Clarita.

Adrienne Maloof had major feelings while helping her eldest child, Gavin, get ready for college. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum couldn’t help but get emotional while sharing a glimpse at the back-to-school shopping she recently did for her college-bound son. On August 15, Adrienne took to Instagram to capture how she helped her son prep for life in a dorm. The mom of three shared a photo of various shopping bags and household items loaded in the trunk of her car. “Getting supplies for

“If you don’t believe in miracles talk to this child. You might change your mind.”

Biden's Education Department rescinded Trump's memo stating there's no authority for broad-student-loan forgiveness prior to announcing relief.

One economist says it could encourage people to borrow even more for school, keeping the wheels of student debt turning.

When Mitch McConnell graduated from the University of Louisville in 1964, tuition cost $330 (or roughly $2,500 when adjusted for inflation)

Biden can't win them all: While his student loan forgiveness plan has many borrowers relieved, others are begging him to cancel all student debt.

For those unfamiliar with the KC area, the fact that Kansas City, Missouri and the state of Kansas share a name can be confusing.

Professor Laurence Tribe told MarketWatch that the grads who stand to get debt relief 'very much need it,' as law students often graduate with sizable debt

"Every public school that I have ever worked at has had one. Teachers have secret stashes — and once it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s one of the wildest things I have ever experienced."View Entire Post ›

God bless teachers, every one.View Entire Post ›

Administrators at a Nebraska school shuttered the school’s award-winning student newspaper just days after its last edition that included articles and editorials on LGBTQ issues, leading press freedom advocates to call the move an act of censorship. The staff of Northwest Public Schools’ 54-year-old Saga newspaper was informed on May 19 of the paper’s elimination, the Grand Island Independent reported. Three days earlier, the newspaper had printed its June edition, which included an article titled, “Pride and prejudice: LGBTQIA+” on the origins of Pride Month and the history of homophobia.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that his administration is forgiving some student loan debt for U.S. borrowers and extending the federal student loan repayment pause until Dec. 31, both actions that have been highly anticipated and closely watched by millions of Americans. The move comes a week before the pause on student loan repayments was set to expire on Aug. 31. The measure was put in place in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and was designed to relieve borrowers from defaulting on student loans and allow them to begin repayments in good standing when the state of the economy improved.

The author says she took out $100,000 in loans after being told college was her way out. Loan forgiveness will help her save for her kids' futures.

The Cassville school board approved a policy this summer to once again use corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure for K-12 students.

"I've gotten the principal down to $16K. My original loan was $29K, and I've paid $41K so far in nine years."View Entire Post ›

It is, to be diplomatic, a pragmatic, sensible approach to a contentious issue — targeted at those who need the help most. | A Matt Driscoll column

"Going to college it is not an absolute necessity nor a human right. If you choose to seek higher education, you are making that choice freely."