Back-to-School Updates

Time to dust off those notebooks—there’s plenty to catch up on before the new school year kicks off.

The great phone ban of 2025

The biggest bombshell this summer? Governor Tina Kotek dropped Executive Order 25-09, effectively banning cell phones for K-12 students during school hours. If you’re a parent who’s tired of competing with TikTok for your kid’s attention, you’re probably doing a little happy dance right now.

Turns out, you’re not alone. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over half of school leaders say phones are seriously hurting academic performance, not to mention what they’re doing to kids’ mental health and attention spans. “Schools are responding with practical solutions, like banning or restricting phone use,” said Commissioner Peggy Carr.

Sure, your teenager might be dramatically declaring this the “biggest injustice ever.” Still, most parents are more worried about whether their local schools have enough funds to operate with the standards they’ve come to expect.

Budget news: the good, the bad and the uncertain

Here’s some good news for Central Oregon families: both Bend-La Pine Schools and Redmond School District are in decent financial shape for this year. Instead of cutting programs, they’re actually expanding and renovating. Instead of cutting programs, they’re actually expanding and renovating. Both districts are able to offer building renovations because of bond funding passed by their respective communities. Redmond has big plans for HVAC fixes, new turf installation and a major makeover of Redmond High School. Meanwhile, Bend’s biggest project is the renovation of Bend Senior High School, which is expected to finish in 2028. Nevertheless, Dan Emerson, Bend-La Pine’s chief financial officer, isn’t sugarcoating what’s ahead: “Looking forward to next year, I think we’ll have to make reductions again, probably larger than this year. It’s still difficult to see exactly where we’ll land, but I don’t think that cliff has dropped off yet.”

Unfortunately, the High Desert Education Service District hasn’t been as lucky. The HDESD is facing some significant cuts that will impact programs throughout Deschutes and Crook counties. HDESD provides crucial services, including support for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, early childhood special education, speech therapy and migrant education, among many other services. Early intervention and special education programs are facing nearly $4 million in cutbacks over the next two years, and administrative and occupational therapy positions are looking at about $400,000 in cutbacks.

New faces on the board

On the leadership front, Bend-La Pine Schools has welcomed some new faces to the school board. Jenn Lynch won the Zone 1 seat, while Ross Tomlin was appointed to represent Zone 6. Returning for another round are Marcus LeGrand (Zone 2), Shirley Olson (Zone 4) and Kina Chadwick (Zone 7). Redmond School District’s school board welcomes one new member, Ashley Proctor (Position 1).

Central Oregon bookstore offers teacher support programs

This school year, educators can get everything from classroom discounts to training programs as a local bookstore steps up to support teachers and foster community connection.

Roundabout Books has rolled out an impressive lineup of perks designed to fill classroom shelves and fuel students’ love of reading. Teachers score a solid 10% discount on personal purchases and classroom materials, plus an extra 10% off school orders. But the real game-changer? Book fairs that practically run themselves while schools pocket 15% cash back or 20% in store credit.

The independent bookshop goes beyond discounts with creative programming. Kindergarten through second-grade classes can take free field trips that blend behind-the-scenes business tours with captivating storytimes. In addition, Roundabout features an annual holiday book drive targeting teacher wish lists, student contests and a book club tailored for middle-grade readers.

For program details, reach out to schools@roundaboutbookshop.com