Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Teachers, staff, state employees have until Oct. 18
COLFAX - Not all school superintendents want to talk about the effect of Gov. Jay Inslee's mandate for teachers and staff to be vaccinated or fired.
Many pundits in state and national media predicted losses of employees for declining a vaccine to be up to 30% of teachers, Washington State Patrol troopers, hospitals staff, and other state employees.
The deadline is Oct. 18 for all school districts' employees to have both shots of a COVID vaccine or an approved medical or religious exemption. If they don't or decline, they lose their job.
To meet the deadline, unvaccinated people needed their first shot by Sept. 27. The required time between vaccine shots ranges from three to four weeks.
Whitman County doesn't appear to be having a problem of losing teachers or school staff.
"Nobody is quitting," said Colfax School District Superintendent Jerry Pugh. "Staff responded well ...we are going to be just fine."
The Colfax School District employs 90-95 people as teachers, classified staff, bus drivers, and contractors to educate about 275 students in grades 7-12.
"What we're really happy with is where we are at," said Colfax High School Principal David Gibb.
No one is leaving in the Palouse School District, said Superintendent Mike Jones.
"It doesn't look like we are going to lose any staff at this time," he said. "We'll be in compliance with the state by the deadline."
The Garfield-Palouse High School and other district schools returned on Oct. 4 from remote learning after roughly 40% of students and facility became absent due to illnesses and COVID quarantines.
"We're back and have all the kids in session and we are happy with that," said Jones. "It's nice to see kids be active."
Only two people are leaving employment in the Tekoa School District instead of accepting the mandated vaccinations, said Superintendent John Cordell.
"We are at 82% of our employees are vaccinated and 13% are exemptions," he said. "The two people are the 5% not vaccinated or leaving."
Tekoa School District employs 65 teachers, classified staff, and board members.
One board member is in the process of becoming vaccinated.
Cordell said the employees leaving understand that it's a state mandate and have "no hard feelings about it" toward the district.
The Whitman County Gazette was unsuccessful in contacting Colton School District Superintendent Paul Clark, LaCrosse School District Superintendent Doug Curtis, St. John-Endicott School District Superintendent Suzanne Schmick, and Rosalia School District Superintendent Larry Keller.
St. John-Endicott schools recently returned from a period of remote learning when roughly 30% of their students and teaching staff either became ill or needed to go into quarantine.
The Colfax Bulldogs volleyball team season was paused to allow the team to be quarantined as a precaution against COVID.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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