The Bagpiper June 7, 2019 Reporting Freeman’S News Since 2009 Volume 11, Issue 3 How Are the Budget Cuts Affecting Freeman? by Bailey Swanson That Could Be Cut
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The Bagpiper June 7, 2019 Reporting Freeman’s news since 2009 Volume 11, Issue 3 How are the budget cuts affecting Freeman? By Bailey Swanson that could be cut. Budget items Staff Writer that may be impacted included the activity bus, athletics, travel, Budget cuts in Washington curriculum and department are impacting our school greatly. budgets. There are manymore Washington state legislature has ideas though, and the school is addressed budget cuts. School trying to figure out the best way districts, including Freeman are to do this. These cuts are not set already seeing a large impact in stone, and they may change. one proposed bill SEBB (School They may cut the activity bus to Employees Benefits Board). just Monday and Friday. Superintendent Dr. Randy “We are trying to not cut Russell really wanted to make it things,” Principal Renee Bailey clear that our problems are not said. “We are trying to make the stemming from lack of revenue or cuts as far away from the class- paying staff. room as possible.” “It is directly connected to Right now nothing is really SEBB not salaries,” Russell stated Courtesy of William Murphy set yet, but staff should have been at the April 18 public meeting informed if their hours are being about budget cuts. People protesting against school budget cuts. cut or if they are being laid off by While other schools around May 15. At this point, the district us are facing large layoffs and hour cuts, Freeman is in a better office and school board are trying to decide where cuts will be made position than some of our surrounding school districts. For example for the 2019-2020 budget. according to a KREM 2 news report, Spokane Public Schools could Freeman Teacher Association President Mike Allen explained end up lying off 81-325 of their 4,110 number staff. that the legislature is not the only group that decides laws. They make “We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst,” Rus- an idea for a law and that law goes through a bunch of other groups sell said. before it gets sent out. Those groups can change what the law is, how These next few months are going to be spent working to make it works, or cut it completely. We still aren’t sure what cuts are set in sure we have enough money saved and enough revenue to absorb the stone, but the school is working on making sure that students get the cuts. Freeman is going through a cut of $435,000 as of April. Russell best education they can while at Freeman. also says that SEBB is changing their ideas every day though. SEBB decided to give out a new rule to every school in Washington. This new rule states that if any staff member (full time, part time, substitutes, ect.) is working over 630 hours, then the school will pay for their full benefits. Schools in Washington were outraged when this was released. The 630 hour rule is the main problem with the new SEBB rules. The 630 rule means that substitutes will have to be called in less, some staff may have their hours cut, if not end up getting laid off in all because schools can›t afford to pay the full benefits with the new money cuts. Although Freeman is opting to have to go through cuts, the school is doing its best to not cut staff. “We don’t want to lay anyone off,” Russell said in the April 18 meeting. The idea is that if anyone retires, their spot may not be filled. Other teachers may just have to stretch their schedules to try and work the class that are lost into their schedules or the class will just not be offered next year. Courtesy of Die4Kids, Wikimedia Commons Right now, almost everything that is being paid for is liable for cuts. At the April meeting, there was a list of 20 different things The activity bus may be getting its hours reduced due to budget cuts. 2 News News 3 The Bagpiper Staff The Dawghouse is now selling The effects of your sunscreen on the environment 2018-2019 By Sydney McLean Staff Writer Staff Writers: Sage Aldendorf, cookies and stickers! What?! Ashley Booker, Peyton Campbell, By Kaylie Smith As the 49th annual Earth Day passes, an Jiselle Farrow, Landry Hawley, Staff Writer important issue has been raised by marine bi- Ronni Keizer, Sydney McLean, ologists: chemicals from sunscreen are killing our coral reefs. There is no single solution to Jasmine Seal, Kaylie Smith, Bailey The popular Dawghouse is now selling cookies and stickers! The Dawghouse has the poisoning of coral due to sunscreen tox- Swanson, Loryn Wagner, Abbey sold many stickers. Currently, the Dawg- ins, but there are small things we can all do Wigen, Regan Wolfinbarger house is only selling chocolate chip cookies to reduce their effects. because many people have allergies, and they Summer weather is soon approaching Adviser: Pia Longinotti want everyone to be able to have one. The and, with it, ultraviolet rays from the sun. Principal: Renee Bailey cookies are very good and are always hot and These rays can be extremely harmful and cause skin cancer, so it is important to use Superintendent: Dr. Randy ready when you get them. Senior co-managers Chloe Thosath and sunscreen products when exposed to them. Russell Josie Showalter are responsible for the new However, protecting ourselves is damaging products. the environment around us. “It was just a thought to have some fun According to oceanfdn.org, chemicals things here,” Thosath said. such as Oxybenzone, one of the most com- Have you wondered how they make the mon ultraviolet- blocking chemicals in sun- cookies? Well, there’s actually a secret oven Photo by Kaylie Smith screen, latch onto coral reefs and erode them. back there in one of the cupboards of the The surrounding marine life is also affected; Dawghouse. Coffee and a chocolate chip cookie from the studies from the University of California- Dawghouse. Riverside have shown that some of these “I found it one day, and I was like ‘Huh, Courtesy of oceanservice.noaa.gov why do we have an oven there?’” Thosath got people’s opinions on which ones were the chemicals alter the gender of fish, causing less said. “So, I asked Mr. Moore about it, and best,” Thosath explained. egg production and embryo hatchings. Dol- This graph explains how humans damage coral reefs. he said that we used to sell cookies. Then, I Many people love the cookie addition to phins affected by Oxybenzone pass on the asked why we don’t do it anymore, and he the Dawghouse. chemical to their offspring, decreasing the or mineral- based sunscreen, you can make screen that is Oxybenzone free. Aveno Posi- said that he didn’t know. So, we got some “They were delicious! I liked how they size of their liver, therefore decreasing their sure that the substances that do flow into our tively Mineral is another reef-friendly UV cookies.” were warm,” freshman Dixie Sefton said. immunity to diseases. oceans do not cause harm to marine life. protectant. These can be found in almost any Thosath designed the stickers using an The cookies and stickers are very reason- In May 2018, Hawaiian lawmakers Skincare experts at Environmental grocery store or Walgreens. Bagpiper Editorial Policy app on her phone to do it. It didn’t take her ably priced. The cookies are $1 each or 2 for passed a ban on the sale of sunscreen believed Working Group say that Alba Botanica sun- Another effective way to have a positive very long, and she had many different de- $1.75. The stickers are $1 per sticker. to be harmful to the environment. Effective screen is a great, environmentally-safe sun- impact is to reduce the amount of sunscreen The Bagpiper is published by students signs to choose from. Overall the cookies and stickers being in 2021, Hawaii will be you use. Dermatolo- in the journalism class at Freeman High sold are a great addition to the Dawghouse. the first state to enact this gists state that cloth- School. “I had a bunch of different ones, and I law. ing is just as effective Content is determined by the staff and in blocking out UV does not necessarily reflect the opinions or “This will make a policies of Freeman High School’s faculty, huge difference in protect- rays. Wearing long- administration, adviser or student body. ing our coral reefs, marine sleeved rash guards or Students are protected in their exercise life, and human health,” swimming suits can of press freedom by the First Amendment to Hawaii Sen. Mike Gab- decrease your sun- the Constitution of the United States. bard said. screen use by about Signed editorials and columns reflect the Now in Spokane, we 90%. views of the writer. might not have coral reefs, It is important to Letters to the editor, guest commentar- but there are still many protect yourself from ies, and submissions of art or photogra- the sun, but it is also phy are encouraged and must be signed, ways we can help reduce although anonymity can be granted on a our sunscreen contami- important to be aware case-by-case basis. nation. Just because you of how abusing the The editorial board reviews letters to the didn’t use sunscreen while privilege of sunscreen editor, advertising and guest commentaries swimming doesn’t mean can be extremely det- and reserves the right to edit and refuse ma- that the chemicals won’t rimental to the envi- terial.