Kevin Gehrig, principal of North Star Elementary School, and Gov. Kate Brown deliver refreshments Monday to staff members during a celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week. 

Gov. Kate Brown and top state and local education officials toured North Star Elementary School in Bend on Monday, celebrating national Teacher Appreciation Week. The classroom visits marked another step toward normalcy after the pandemic canceled such visits in previous years.

“It does feel like we’re starting to see things that look familiar,” Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steve Cook said Monday, the district’s first day allowing parents, close relatives and guardians who are not volunteers to schedule in-person school visits after restrictions have been in place since 2020.

The mood of Brown’s visit was celebratory. She wheeled around a cart with coffee and treats as she met with educators and students in classrooms and a gym class. But it came at a time when coronavirus cases are once again on the rise in Oregon and the nation, a trend that was among the first things the governor acknowledged when she walked through the school’s doors on Monday.

In an interview with members of the media in a North Star classroom, Brown and Colt Gill, the director of the Oregon Department of Education, expressed confidence in the state’s ability to handle a looming coronavirus surge and keep the state’s education system operating with in-person schools.

Gill emphasized that high vaccination rates, immunity from previous infections and the diligence of Oregon’s education staff make him “really confident” in the state’s ability to handle the lingering pandemic. He emphasized that local education officials will remain in control of pandemic-related decision making in districts moving forward. He added that the state will use guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to inform local education agencies regarding ongoing pandemic mitigation efforts.

“We need to continue to stand behind them and support them,” Gill said of education staff. “But because they know the protocols, I know they’ll be able to make the right decisions to keep our schools open and operating safely.”

At North Star, Brown touted the state’s relatively low rates of coronavirus infections and deaths as evidence of Oregon’s efforts to curb the pandemic. In all, the state has reported 721,311 coronavirus cases and 7,502 deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020, according Oregon Health Authority data as of Friday.

“Oregonians have shown time and time again that we’re willing to look out for one another,” said Brown.

Brown’s visit comes as she prepares to leave office in January, following two years in which the state’s education and health systems were battered by the pandemic. The governor has been hailed by some and criticized by others for the strict measures she took to curb the spread of coronavirus.

A poll released last week by Morning Consult showed that Brown had the highest disapproval rating of any governor nationwide. That poll comes after Brown’s approval rating, according to a March 2021 poll conducted by Portland polling firm DHM Research, fell after a year in which the state was rocked by the pandemic, a recession, protests for racial justice, violent political demonstrations and historic wildfires, as reported by The Oregonian.

Several education officials described Monday as a momentous occasion. Brown spent the day chatting with students in classrooms and praising their educators. Upon hearing that Brown had brought coffee out of appreciation for teachers, several asked for their own cups. One child said they only take decaf.

Among the teachers Brown visited was Stephany Dasen, a first and second grade teacher. Dasen said she hadn’t told her students that they’d be visited by Oregon’s top political official Monday and said she enjoyed seeing their authentic reactions.

“It’s nice to feel appreciated and to have that recognition, because we do work really hard for those kids,” said Dasen.

Bend-La Pine Schools board member Shirley Olson, who represents schools in the southern part of Deschutes County around La Pine, said it felt “wonderful” to visit North Star, given that she had never visited the school before.

“The staff here in the whole district is amazing,” Olson said. “They’ve stepped up over and over again these past few years.”

The pandemic years have taken a toll on educators in Bend-La Pine Schools. A survey of more than 1,000 teachers by the Bend Education Association showed that more than 80% of teachers reported higher stress levels and workloads due to the pandemic, an issue the union’s report called “unsustainable.” More than half of respondents indicated they were considering ending their teaching careers.

Surveys and news reports suggest this is a statewide issue. Eugene’s school district added “no-school” days for educators to catch up amid intense workloads. More than 1,000 educators in Portland Public Schools said in a survey they are considering taking leaves of absence or resigning this year due to exhaustion. That’s nearly a quarter of the district’s total workforce.

Brown acknowledged Monday that teachers statewide are feeling burned out. But she pointed to large efforts, including the Student Success Act, as investments the state has made to tackle this issue. Moving forward, she said, “I think that work needs to continue.”

Gill, too, noted “the challenge that has landed on our educators” on Monday. He pointed to House Bill 4030, which pledges funding toward the recruitment and retention of staff to address shortages and which Brown signed into law, as another important step toward supporting teachers.

Gill said the state is working with the Educator Advancement Council “to make sure that, as districts receive about $80 million in funds to support educators, that they’re using it in a way that not only supports our current workforce, but helps create a new, diverse workforce.”

Brown said Monday that she has no more stops planned for Central Oregon schools for Teacher Appreciation Week. Gill added that later this week he’ll be visiting schools in Astoria.