The primary season for the 2024 election began on Jan. 15 in New Hampshire and will end in June. Over that six-month period, eligible voters across the country place their ballots, choosing candidates for everything ranging from the president to state governors and local positions. Many states hold their primaries on Super Tuesday, which generally occurs in March.

The Republican National Convention takes place in July this year, and the Democratic National Convention will follow soon after in August. At both events, delegates from each state will choose the party nominations, based on the primary votes.

However, the way the primary system is set up gives states with earlier primaries far more say than those with later ones, such as Oregon. By the time that Oregon voters cast their ballots, candidates for party nominations have been decided already. Winning the Republican nomination requires 1,215 delegates out of 2,429 in total. Currently, Trump has gained 2,015. 

Similarly, the Democratic nomination for president requires 1,968 votes out of 3,934 possible. Biden has also surpassed this threshold, currently holding 3,386 pledges. In short, the elections for presidential candidates have already been decided.

The primary election does matter for more locally-centered matters, however. In Oregon, the gubernatorial candidates will be decided through the May 21 primary, as will positions such as the county commissioner. 

In addition, several levies are also on the May ballot. Levies are taxes that would add small amounts to the taxes that Oregonians already pay. This year, the levies would benefit the La Pine Fire District and the Bend-La Pine School District, among others. 

One La-Pine Fire District levy proposes that 64 cents out of every $1,000 is collected in property tax, dependent on a home’s worth. The funds would go towards operating costs for the Fire Department, including staffing 21 firefighter paramedics, and would raise a combined total of $7.5 million within the next five years.

La Pine has also proposed a second levy that would tax property owners 23 cents for every $1,000 worth of property to maintain and replace firefighting equipment. Both Fire District levies have successfully passed in recent years and are currently up for renewal. The levy estimates that $5.6 million will be raised in the next 10 years.

The Bend-La Pine Schools Learning Levy proposes that one dollar out of every $1,000 in assessed property value goes towards maintaining programs across the district that would otherwise be cut in the 2024-25 school year due to decreased state funding. Otherwise, as many as 180 teaching, student support, and administrative positions would have to be cut within the next two years to accommodate the funding shortfall. Classes would grow in size by an average of about four students across elementary, middle, and high schools. 

In addition, elective classes and programs would also be eliminated. Some of the key departments under fire are high school theater programs, which has caused an outcry of support from students, staff, and families alike. If passed, the levy is estimated to raise $22.5 million over the next five years. 

The post Do Oregon Primaries Actually Matter? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

“When my mom tried to make an account, it wouldn’t let her continue to the next page of questions,” said Layla Parker, a senior currently applying for college. She is one of many across the country who has faced difficulty with the FAFSA’s “soft launch” on Dec. 31. 

“The government, legally, had to have this done by Dec. 31. So they did it by Dec. 31 and if they could have done it by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 they would have,” said Jeff Rankin, Summit High School’s Future Center advisor. He stated that the FAFSA’s many issues were due to poor planning on the government’s part, which has resulted in multiple delays and persistent errors.

For many incoming college students, the FAFSA acts as a deciding factor for where they’ll attend the next year, providing a detailed and accurate financial aid package and outlining all the costs. Committing to a school without knowing the financial impact of said decision just isn’t feasible in many cases, so receiving a timely result from the FAFSA is vital.

However, with the delays, many schools will not be able to send out the financial aid packages in time with acceptance offers. Generally, the FAFSA becomes available on Oct. 1, allowing students several months to send in the form before early application dates (in late fall) and regular application dates (late winter/early spring). When students later receive their acceptances, these come along with financial aid packages. Most schools will have all of their offers sent out by April 1 at the latest, allowing students the entirety of the month to decide where they will attend before May 1, National Decision Day. 

This year, the entire FAFSA timeline has had a backward shift, beginning with its nearly three-month late release. Since data will not be available for schools until March, many schools will not be able to make the less-than-a-month turnaround time and send out financial aid offers before April 1. Recognizing that this could affect where students choose to attend, schools like Oregon State University and Lewis and Clark College have extended their tuition deposit and enrollment confirmation days from the standard May 1 until June 1 to compensate. 

Although the Department of Education has not released any more updates regarding the FAFSA, it’s very likely that it will face more issues and possible delays in the future. Until then, seniors can only hope that the delay will not severely detriment their applications.

The post FAFSA Delayed Yet Again, Negatively Impacting Prospective College Students appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Currently, the district’s teacher union, the Bend Education Association (BEA), is in the process of negotiating with the districts, which began last summer. Topics the BEA would like to change for the upcoming year include reducing classroom sizes and raising salaries to account for inflation, among others. 

“We’re reaching more tentative agreements. We’re having better conversations at the table,” BEA President Sarah Barclay stated in an article for KTVZ. “I think both parties are understanding each other’s needs, and that’s making for reaching agreements.”

In a perfect world, the building tension between the BEA and BLPS won’t cause the situation to boil over. Strikes aren’t a desired end for anyone, teachers and students alike. Cutting school for what could be months would severely delay learning in all age groups, significantly affecting elementary and early middle schoolers. Even a few short weeks out of the classroom would be devastating.

We’ve seen this sort of issue before; the pandemic spanned two years and stunted an entire generation of students. Students who were in elementary school are found to have experienced severe declines in academic performance, an Education Week article found. While this issue manifests on a smaller scale following a strike, any time out of the classroom could only have a negative effect.

To combat demonstrations like the one in Portland occurring in the future, Republicans in the Oregon legislature have introduced legislation that would ban teachers from striking, mimicking laws in 37 states across the country.

Still, getting rid of strikes as a whole is not the solution. Both teachers and government officials are aware of the fact that strikes aren’t ideal in any situation and should be avoided at all costs. They are a last resort, not an immediate solution. If this bargaining tool is taken away, who can say what could happen in the future? States that have banned strikes, like Nevada, fine teachers up to $50,000 a day for striking. For small-town unions, spending this money just isn’t feasible. Therefore, striking to improve issues isn’t a possibility for those districts, effectively leaving them without any bartering tools.

Without strikes, teachers aren’t able to barter for often basic necessities, such as student access funding and a reasonable wage adjustment. The number-one reason causing teachers across the country to leave the profession is a lack of proper compensation, a study by Devlin Peck found. If teachers in Oregon cannot argue for proper salaries—one of the main concerns of union-district negotiations—who’s to say how many we might lose, and what future repercussions this could have? For now, all that students, parents and teachers across Oregon can hope for is that we don’t have to reach the point of strike at all.

The post Banning Teacher Strikes in Oregon Isn’t the Answer appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

1. Start EARLY. Ideally in late July. 

This is the biggest suggestion I wish I would have taken. The common application opens on Aug. 1, but I disregarded it until September. As soon as senior year began, I was flooded with homework, extracurriculars and other obligations, and suddenly, I wished that I had utilized the whole extra month. Getting a head start, especially on writing essays, can make or break your application. The more time you have to work on applications, the better, so make some time during the summer (or before) and save yourself lots of time-related panic as deadlines loom closer.

2. Who to ask for letters of recommendation–do at the end of junior year, then follow up in September.

The majority of college applications will require at least one letter of recommendation. Some schools may require more, generally ranging from two to four. From what I’ve learned, your best bet is to obtain 1-2 from core academic teachers (English, science, math, etc.) who taught you in junior or senior year. Any other leftover recommendations can come from an elective teacher, coach, or even boss. Make sure to provide colleges with multiple recommendations when you can, since this helps them get the best picture of you both inside and outside the classroom.

3. Optional essays: yay or nay? Write these in late September or early October.

Many schools will provide their applicants with the option of writing additional essays to be included in their application. Although it can sometimes be exhausting to put in the extra work, it’s often worth it. The extra responses are much more casual than your all-encompassing essay, so the stakes aren’t nearly as high. By putting in extra work where you don’t have to, colleges can see your level of motivation and devotion to the school. It’ll oftentimes give you an edge—especially if your grades and GPA aren’t quite up to their standards. On top of that, doing so gives colleges an additional chance to get to know you better by providing them with a look into your life and writing style.

4. Pick essay topics that you care about. This is best accomplished in late July.

Nothing screams inauthentic more than an unenthusiastic essay. A personal statement doesn’t have to be about the most impressive or noteworthy accomplishment you have. Rather, it should demonstrate your personality and uniqueness. Even more “mundane” focuses, such as a day at work, can seriously impress colleges if written with care. Colleges don’t want a brag sheet, they want to see what makes you feel passionate!

5. Seek out interviews! Ideally as soon as you can, depending on the school.

Interviewing with a college is a great way to demonstrate your interest, boost an application and get to ask some specific questions about what a school is like. Colleges will often offer interviews ranging from 15 to 30 minutes in length, both in-person and virtually. Some schools will contact you directly after you apply. However, some interviews you’ll have to seek out and schedule yourself, so always be sure to double-check if your schools offer them. You’ll have the opportunity to speak with either an alumnus or admissions counselor about everything ranging from what major you’ll pursue to your favorite ways to spend downtime and community outreach opportunities at that college. Additionally, asking personalized questions–from the campus experience to what classes are best–can both help you to know if the school is a good fit for you as a student and show the college that you’ve done your research.

The college application process is going to be scary, but it shouldn’t have be completely confusing. Staying on track with deadlines and putting your full effort into every aspect of your application ensures that colleges will see the best version of yourself; good luck!

The post 5 things I wish I’d known about the college application process before applying appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.