Hermiston board discusses governor's cell‑phone executive order and a sudden loss of federal grant funding

Hermiston School District Superintendent Trisha Mooney told the school board on July 14 that a governor's executive order signed July 1 will effectively restrict student cell‑phone use during the instructional day and will require district policy and rulemaking ahead of an implementation date in January 2026.

"The executive order was signed on July 1," Mooney said. "The intent of the executive order was originally that there'd be no cell phones" from first bell to last bell, though she and staff said detail work remains.

Nut graf: The board discussed the rule‑making and operational questions the order raises, particularly at the high school where students typically do not have lockers and carry phones on their person. Mooney and secondary administrators are working on messaging and implementation details; Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) guidance and a sample policy are expected.

Operational and legal issues: Mooney described practical issues for the district: students who rely on phones for multi‑factor authentication for online dual‑credit courses, medical monitoring devices linked to phones, open campus lunch periods and high school students who lack lockers. "We're gonna have to focus on where we have control, which is really during class — off and away," Mooney said.

Timeline: Mooney told the board the executive order sets an adoption timeline for boards: policies must be adopted no later than October and effective no later than Jan. 1, 2026. OSBA and the state Department of Education are expected to provide policy templates and additional guidance.

Budget briefing and federal grants: During the same meeting district finance staff and Mooney reported a sudden federal funding change. Mooney said the district was notified June 30/July 1 that several federal Title grants the district historically receives — including Title I‑C (migrant/ELL), Title II‑A (professional development), Title III (English learners) and Title IV (student support and academic enrichment) — were being paused or withheld. Mooney said the total amount affected is "a little over $555,000." She said the pause does not remove the district's legal obligation to provide services historically funded by those grants.

Finance details: Board finance staff (Katie Sol) walked through May projections and noted higher than expected year‑to‑date revenues and a projected ending fund balance. The district's forecasted total actual revenue was described in the packet as approximately $78,261,000 and the projected ending fund balance at the end of the school year was reported as about $10,900,000 (11.87 percent). Mooney said the withheld federal grants represent about 3.75 FTE of programming previously supported by those funds and that the district must plan for reduced grant support going forward.

Board reaction and next steps: Board members asked about communication and rollout of a cell‑phone policy and urged caution before adopting policy language without OSBA guidance. Several members urged leveraging stakeholder outreach and noted the state and federal agencies are still finalizing details. On the grants, Mooney said state and national education organizations are actively asking the federal government and state departments how to replace or restructure the funding; she said districts are continuing to provide required services while awaiting clarity on funding.

Ending: The board asked administration to continue developing policy language, to coordinate with OSBA and the state, and to return with more detailed proposals on both policy and budget implications at upcoming meetings.