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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016 Oregon’s child welfare system fails federal standards By HILLARY BORRUD Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon’s child welfare system failed to meet all of the standards in a recent federal assessment, state Department of Human Services director Clyde Saiki told lawmakers in an email Wednesday. The state fell short of fed- eral goals from foster par- ent recruitment and reten- tion, to ensuring “children are ¿rst and foremost protected from abuse and neglect,” Saiki wrote, regarding the report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He warned there is likely more bad news to come. The ¿ndings were only the ¿rst part of a two-phase review, and “it is very likely Oregon will meet the standards in the ¿nal report.” Oregon’s child wel- fare system, operated by the Department of Human Ser- vices, has a history of prob- lems and has faced renewed scrutiny by lawmakers and the public since Willamette Week reported last year the agency continued to send children to a troubled Portland foster program. Theoretically, Oregon could lose some of its fed- eral child welfare money if the state fails to meet goals for improving the system. In prac- tice, that has not happened. Gene Evans, a spokesman for the department, wrote in an email Wednesday that the fed- eral government has not with- held any money from the state as a penalty for failing to meet such goals. Oregon’s child welfare program has already been on a federal “program improvement plan” since at least 2008. State Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, said one of her takeaways from the report was the situation since 2008 has “gotten worse rather than bet- ter ... The agency has lacked adequate leadership for a long time.” Gelser, who has criticized the department’s failure to pro- tect children and sponsored legislation earlier this year to force the agency take action when children are at risk, said it is time for the agency to clean house to remove employees who allowed the problems to grow. “We need signi¿cantly new leadership at all levels of our child welfare agency and a culture change,” Gelser said. “And I think Clyde (Saiki) is the right person to make that happen ... The governor has made it really clear that is her priority and directive she’s put forward.” Gelser said it was under- standable the federal govern- ment had not withheld funds from Oregon because the pro- gram is already underfunded, and this causes problems such as overloaded caseworkers. Oregon House Republicans suggested on Wednesday the agency could do a better job with its current budget. “We must take action to demand accountability from our child welfare system and ensure that Oregonians’ tax dollars are being handled pru- dently, and in a way that max- imizes positive outcomes for children in our child welfare system,” Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, the chairman of the House Republican Budget Committee, said in a written statement. Meanwhile, Oregon has plenty of company when it comes to being on a federal “program improvement plan”: states from Alaska to New York are also listed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as being on such monitoring plans. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Orca tagging stops after dead whale found with fragments By PHUONG LE Associated Press New uptick in revenue brings robust Seaside schools budget District will also present bond measure By NANCY McCARTHY The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — With an uptick in revenue through property taxes and stable ¿nances, the Seaside School District will add a few more teachers next year and make essential repairs at all four schools. The district’s budget com- mittee received its ¿rst look at the 2016-17 budget Tuesday night and will continue discus- sion on it May 17. Oregon is experiencing a “full throttle rate of growth” in revenue from taxes and build- ing permits, said Superintendent Doug Dougherty, and the Sea- side district is experiencing the same phenomenon. The budget includes a $19.5 million general fund, with reve- nue coming mostly from prop- erty taxes and timber revenues. A ¿ve-year local option levy, approved by voters last Novem- ber, also added $1.2 million to the budget. Because its property val- ues are higher than the average throughout Oregon, the Seaside district does not receive state education funds. While the receipts from state forest timber sales are expected to be lower this year, more sales are expected in 2017, so revenue could be higher than expected, Dougherty said. In his budget message, Dougherty said the district’s strategy next year is to “evaluate the current needs of our students, target areas that need enrichment and focus our resources to pro- vide a well-rounded education.” Bond measure Dougherty also said the dis- trict will place a bond measure on next November’s ballot to relocate the district’s schools out of the tsunami inundation zone. To prepare the ballot mea- sure, including architectural and engineering fees and other ser- vices, the district could spend up to $540,000. However, that amount depends on the pro- ceeds received from the sale of district-owned property near Surf Pines. The district hopes to receive $335,000 from the sale. A $128.8 million bond mea- sure to relocate the schools on a hill east of Seaside Heights Ele- mentary School failed in 2013. The 4.5 full-time-equivalent personnel to be hired include a social studies teacher at Broad- way Middle School; a full-time teacher to reduce class size; a half-time curriculum director; a part-time technology support staff member; and a staff mem- ber who will serve as a full-time “teacher on special assignment” to provide management sup- port to students, staff, parents and the community at Gearhart and Seaside Heights elementary schools, according to the budget message. The budget includes a 2.25 percent salary increase for dis- trict employees. Superintendent retiring Although he is retiring in June, Dougherty will continue to stay on half-time to shepherd the bond measure through the November election. Another $798,885 is bud- geted for repairs to the schools, which have an average age of 65 years. These include: New Àooring at Gearhart Elementary School • Roof repairs at Broadway Middle School • Parking lot renovations at the bus garage • Internal walls and doors at Seaside Heights • Resurfacing the Seaside High School track • Bringing the Seaside High School restroom to the Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act code with a shower • Reroo¿ng a section of the high school gym Another budget expense includes a $122,000 trans- fer to supplement losses in the school lunch program. The dis- trict is served by the Chartwells food service company, which also worked with the Astoria School District until that district dropped the company last year, complaining about the com- pany’s lack of communication and inconsistencies in the food served to students. The joint contract the com- pany has with Seaside, Asto- ria, Warrenton-Hammond and Ocean Park, Washington, is due to expire in June. NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center via AP An orca whale known as L95 swims in the Pacific Ocean near La Push, Wash., shortly before being fitted with a satellite tag. Federal biologists have temporarily stopped tagging endangered killer whales in Washington state’s Puget Sound after a dead orca was found with pieces of a dart tag lodged in its dorsal fin. whether the tagging area may have provided a pathway for one, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. A ¿nal report is expected in several weeks. NOAA researchers were assessing what went wrong with the transmitter and how to prevent it from happen- ing again, said Brad Hanson, an agency wildlife biologist who leads the orca tagging program. The researchers’ federal permit requires dart tagging to stop if the devices break, and tagging can’t resume until NOAA authorizes it. Problems have forced a rede- sign of the device two previ- ous times. “Go back to the draw- ing board. 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See more on petfinder.com Sponsored by Clatsop Animal Assistance sively,” said Kenneth Bal- comb, senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research, who called the devices “overly barbaric.” “It’s injuring the animals, and they’re leaving pieces of hardware stuck in them that festers and causes tissue damage.” Hanson defended the pro- CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER 1315 SE 19th St., Warrenton • 861- PETS www.dogsncats.org Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat APPLY IN PERSON ANYTIME AT: 1371 SW Hemlock, Cannon Beach ATTEND A MEET & GREET: April 16 th or 23 rd 10 AM -2 PM OR SEND YOUR RESUME TO: Employment@Pelicanbrewing.com www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/employment Questions? Call Stephanie 503-965-7779 ext. 307 Saturday Opening Coastal Family Health Center Beginning March 19th, 8 AM – 5 PM (503) 325-8315 Located on the 3rd floor of the Park Medical bldg. 2158 Exchange Street, Astoria, OR 97103 Call or Walk in All insurances accepted. Discounts apply for those who qualify. AFSCME A AF F SCME ME Local L ocal RIC VRANA 2746 workers 2 27 7 46 and wor rke k rs everywhere e v erywhere y have lost July 4, 1952 a tireless champion p and March 26, 2016 ad advocate a d vocate for labor. Ric was very a ve ery y active member of Local 2746 2 27 7 46 and supporter pp of his union brothers b br r othe ers and sisters. He was President of f N North Coast L Labor Federation (formerly Central l h C b F d i (f l C Labor Council) & President of Astoria Labor Temple Association. Memorial Service Our thoughts and In h onor O April 30, 2016, 2 pm prayers are with his p and f family. He is greatly Cerimon House missed. r e m e m b r a n c e m 5131 NE 23rd, Portland. Ric, we salute y ou! Potluck at 4 pm 1923 NE Wygant St., Portland. Call For A free IN-HOME CONSULTATION! Shutters, Wood Blinds, Cellular Shades, Soft Shades, Vertical Blinds, Valances,Woven Wood & more! 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An initial exam of the 20-year-old whale found Àoating off 9ancouver Island last month did not ¿nd a clear cause of death, but some advo- cates fear tagging injures the animals and say there are less invasive ways to monitor the small population of whales. The transmitter is the size of a 9-volt battery and attaches to the orca’s ¿n with two tita- nium darts about 6 centimeters long. It’s designed to detach over time and leave nothing behind in the whale. A necropsy of the dead orca found fragments remained in its dorsal ¿n when the tag fell off but “revealed no apparent localized or tracking inÀam- mation,” Canada’s Depart- ment of Fisheries and Ocean said last week. Though there were no signs of infection, veteri- narians were investigating gram but said he understood the concerns. “It’s provided us with a tre- mendous amount of information in a relatively short amount of time,” he said. “I personally am concerned for the whales, but we’re also charged with provid- ing the best available science for our colleagues to make manage- ment decisions.” Southern resident killer whales are listed as endan- gered in the U.S. and Canada. NOAA is considering whether to expand habitat protections for the orcas to include off- shore areas from Washington to Northern California. The male orca known as L95 was tagged in late February off Washington’s coast. The whale appeared to be in good health, and researchers said they did not observe any breaking when ¿ring the transmitter. The device pro- vided data for four days before the signal was lost. Several weeks later, the animal was found dead.