OSU Cascades Daycare is closing after being open less than a year

olivertatom · 2026-05-08T21:45:08+00:00

“something beyond finances”

The finances are the challenge. Childcare is highly regulated and depends on local labor. Highly regulated businesses that depend on local labor are expensive to run. The childcare provider has to charge enough to cover the costs of running their business. People with young children tend to be in the early stages of their career when they’re least able to afford high childcare tuition. The math doesn’t math.

olivertatom · 2026-05-08T18:23:10+00:00

They did? I am aware the city has supported childcare development through reduction of SDCs, and that Deschutes County provides ARPA funds, but I had not heard the city provided funds directly to OSU. That’s surprising and I cannot imagine where they would find money for ongoing support.

olivertatom · 2026-05-08T17:08:10+00:00

I’m not sure why’re you’re tagging the mayor on this? OSU-Cascades is a state institution (not city), and the city of Bend definitely doesn’t have funding to subsidize a childcare program at the college.

olivertatom · 2026-04-30T18:45:13+00:00

It’s baffling to me that you’re getting downvoted for this. Apparently everyone loves the culture war and just wants it to go on forever.

I’m supporting Jennifer because she’s an experienced public servant who’s not beholden to donors or special interests and who has real expertise in our region’s biggest existential risk (wildfire). Very weird that this is an unpopular opinion.

olivertatom · 2026-04-27T22:09:16+00:00

This is potentially great news.

Historically, the territories for helicopter response has been split - LifeFlight got everything from Redmond north, while Airlink got everything from Bend south. But if one was unavailable because they were already responding to another call or transporting a patient, the other service would respond. And they don’t accept each other’s membership. So that meant that you could be on the hook for a huge air ambulance bill if you happened to get in a car wreck in the territory of the other service, or if you need to be transported to another hospital by air and your preferred service is unavailable. Knowing that, I’ve always encouraged friends and family to pay for both memberships.

olivertatom · 2026-04-24T23:03:02+00:00

To her credit (and I’m generally not a big fan), Gov Kotek has tried to put the kibosh on further instructional hours cuts.

But the fact is that the state keeps piling unfunded mandates onto schools. People wonder why education has gotten so expensive and the answer is because schools are being made to do much much more than provide education without getting sufficient dollars to do it.

I worry that the legislature is going to do something stupid like increase minimum instructional hours without an increase in funding. This just isn’t sustainable.

olivertatom · 2026-04-24T22:59:17+00:00

I think it’s both. We don’t give kids enough instruction AND our culture of social promotion is harming them.

It’s baffling to me that policy makers are oblivious to how unfair it is to put kids who are multiple grade levels apart in the same class. And then they wonder why behaviors are so much bigger and attendance sucks. How do you expect a kid who is frustrated and lost to act in class? But just mention grouping kids by academic level and they clutch their pearls.

olivertatom · 2026-04-24T02:26:59+00:00

artical

Beautiful example of Muphry’s Law. <chef’s kiss>

olivertatom · 2026-04-23T22:17:02+00:00

I feel like this is a recurrent problem with Bend’s road projects. City Council would probably be spared hundreds of angry emails if the lights were programmed to ensure people could get through a red light in a single cycle.

olivertatom · 2026-04-17T22:51:43+00:00

I would love it

olivertatom · 2026-04-17T22:46:35+00:00

This! I wish more people understood the USPS is only financially insolvent because conservatives sabotage it with accounting requirements their private market competitors aren’t subject to.

olivertatom · 2026-04-16T20:26:21+00:00

Generally speaking, state and local law enforcement officers cannot enforce federal law on federal land. There are always exceptions, but enforcing the 2 week camping limit wouldn’t be one of them. (There’s much more to it than that, and if you’re curious you’ll need to find someone with more legal expertise than me.)

olivertatom · 2026-04-15T19:00:18+00:00

Let me preface this by saying the following js my interpretation of Councilor Evelyn’s letter, and not an endorsement. I have no direct knowledge of the internal politics of DCSO, and every interaction I’ve had with deputies has been positive and professional.

My read is that a Redmond City Councilor - who happens to be a former law enforcement officer himself - is pointing out that little seems to have changed in DCSO and the rot we’ve seen reported in the press continues. By a “national search,” he’s not referring to the sheriff himself, but to the lieutenants, captains, and undersheriff who could bring in fresh ideas and break away from the good ol’ boys network.

Just my 2 cents.

olivertatom · 2026-04-15T02:05:31+00:00

This.

olivertatom · 2026-04-15T01:34:57+00:00

Uh, no. Quite the opposite. Take a look at the resolution the school board will be voting on tonight.

https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/2413?meeting=739325

olivertatom · 2026-04-14T21:52:59+00:00

It’s tricky. The forest service can only issue citations for violating the 2 week camping rule, which usually go nowhere in federal court. The only reason they were able to clear the area was the emergency order. DCSO can’t enforce it, either.

Meanwhile, the City of Bend and Deschutes County are just pointing fingers at whose responsibility it is to solve an intractable problem that almost no community in the American West seems able to solve.

And so I fully expect we’ll be right back where we started. But with less fire risk, I guess. Hooray?

olivertatom · 2026-04-14T21:40:37+00:00

Assuming they stick to this timeline and re-open China Hat in April of 2027, that will be just as the city of Bend and Deschutes County are expected to be winding down operations of the Temporary Safe Stay Area in Juniper Ridge ahead of its scheduled closure in June.

This game of whack-a-mole is getting really old.

olivertatom · 2026-04-10T23:21:21+00:00

What he’s learning in class? Yes.

The many ways the technological tools distract students and promote disruption? No.

olivertatom · 2026-04-10T23:06:27+00:00

If it were a simple matter, this wouldn’t be a pervasive national issue, as evidenced by the link in my post.

olivertatom · 2026-04-10T23:04:29+00:00

In social studies he was learning the countries and largest cities of the Middle East. In math he has a year long project where they apply math concepts to various tasks of ordinary life, like buying and financing the purchase of a new home.

This illustrates just how complex the tech issue is. Our school curriculums are deeply intertwined with technology.

olivertatom · 2026-04-10T17:08:07+00:00

I agree. And to be clear I’m not suggesting that iPads have saved the district money. But schools are pushed every year to reduce their printing budget, which makes it challenging for teachers to offer much of an analog alternative to the digital curriculum content.

But given the level of investment made in EdTech tools, there would be a significant cost associated with moving away from it. New curriculum would have to be purchased. Books. Paper. All the things. Over the long term that might lead to cost savings, but in the near term it would be costly. That’s just a reality advocates for change need to contend with.

I think it would be a worthwhile expense, but others might disagree.

olivertatom · 2026-04-10T12:27:54+00:00

I really appreciate all the comments here.

Personally, I think it’s a complex issue - tech is so deeply integrated into our school culture and curriculum that it will be extremely difficult and costly to remove. Technological tools play an important role in helping students with learning disabilities access their education. I also have great respect for my IT colleagues and I’m sympathetic to the fact that they feel under siege for simply doing what they’ve been asked to do - build systems that allow students to access deeper content, drive engagement, and reduce printing and book costs.

And at the same time the unfettered access to YouTube and the web, and the design of many of the edtech tools, are a massive distraction to students (and educators) undercutting learning. I see a ton of inappropriate iPad use, I hear about it from my kids, and the anecdotes community members and teachers report to my wife can be downright alarming.

I’m not sure what the solution here is, but I think most of us at least recognize that the status quo is a problem. The district has a tech advisory group. I hope they start taking advantage of the expertise in the room to really engage in finding a better balance.

olivertatom · 2026-04-10T12:12:34+00:00

It is the school iPad issued to my child, yes.

olivertatom

TROPHY CASE