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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 23, 2007)
Page 13 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 23, 2007 TRSD hikes sports participation fees By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Participation fees for student athletes will be in- creased following a 5-0 deci- sion by the Three Rivers School District (TRSD) Board of Education during its Monday night, May 21 meet- ing in Murphy. Director Phil Stephens moved to accept the fee in- crease, which would double the current $50 fee to $100. That motion was seconded by board member Dave Strahan. John George, principal of Fleming Middle School, told the board that rising transpor- tation costs and officials fees prompted the higher fee re- quest. TRSD has operated on the same participation fee for the last 20 years, and that figure is less than those paid at other 4-A schools. “We have some of the lowest fees in the (4-A) con- ference,” George said. He said that the increase would only apply to the sports programs that currently have a $50 fee. As an exam- ple, he cited the wrestling program at North Valley High School. An overall lack of ath- letic programs contributes to the district’s declining enroll- ment, George said. He added that coaches should be given higher compensation. Director Leslie Meier said that her children pay $150 to participate in school soccer. She asked if the rise would apply in that case. George replied that those programs have built their budgets for next year based on past allocations, and would not be affected by the change. Meier asked how much schools in neighboring dis- tricts charge for athletic par- ticipation. George said that Grants Pass High School charges $100 per student for every sport season, with a $200 maximum. George said that TRSD is developing a wavier system for low-income students, but would have to see the effects of the fee increase before making final determinations. Board member Bob Li- tak said that for students eligi- ble for reduced lunches, a $50 increase is “a significant amount of money if you’re in that situation.” George agreed that the increase may affect participation in athletic pro- grams, but that TRSD would like to avoid such a scenario. “We don’t want to see a decline in our numbers,” George said. However, he said that the increase “brings us right to the middle” of what compara- ble districts charge for partici- pation, and that an immediate change is necessary. “We’re getting by on a bootstrap, if that,” he said. The final motion estab- lishes a $100 fee for funded sports programs now charg- ing $50. There is a $300 per family cap. WALK FOR LIFE was held Saturday, May 19 by Illinois Valley Pregnancy Center on the track at I.V. High School. Participants included (from left) Mary Lefner, CeCe Fi- erro, Corinna Fierro and Judy Baker. They and others pushed empty strollers to symbolize the babies and the mothers for whom the Pregnancy Center exists to help. The theme for the annual event was ‘Go Light Your World,’ based on a song by Kathy Troccoli where people are challenged to touch the lives of those around them. (Photo by Jenna Lefner) Advertising doesn’t cost. It pays. OSP troopers for rural areas OK’d in state budget Senate also sees increase in funding for Rogue Community College, and short legislative session By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Oregon legislators con- tinue to battle over the state budget, but a revenue forecast released on Tuesday, May 15 will increase that pot of money by an additional $152 million. Sen. Alan Bates (D- Ashland), a member of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee, said that the figures are good news for the state’s lawmakers. “It means, first off, that we can complete our budget and complete our funding of the state for the next two years in a reasonable fash- ion,” Bates said. Among other aspects, those additional dollars likely will be allocated toward in- creasing the salary of Ore- gon’s judges, currently lowest in the nation, and K-12 and higher education programs. “We’ll be able to com- pletely fund scholarship pro- grams for kids in college,” Bates said. “We should also see a much better budget for Rogue Community College. That way, we can hold the line on tuition and maybe even lower it.” Between the rosy reve- nue forecast and increased tax receipts, legislators have more than $2 billion to work with than they did during the 2005 legislative session. As such, Bates said, any pro- posed tax increases are “probably unlikely at this point.” “People are still talking about the beer tax and corpo- rate minimum tax,” he said. “But the likelihood of any of those things happening is pretty low right now.” Rep. Bruce Hanna (R- Roseburg), another Ways and Means Committee member, said the state will be able to fund all essential programs with the available revenue. “We can spread that out fairly and make the budget halfway sustainable,” he said. 30 years experience in water, sewer & pipeline construction, brush clearing, septic installation & utility line trenching Specializing in alternative septic systems READY TO DIG & AIMING TO PLEASE 24 HOURS A DAY 1-(541) 597-4486 CCB#159580 Water Wells Pump Sales Installation Service Hanna said that Democ- rats have proposed a total of 56 tax increases and “over $7 million worth of new fees.” Any tax-raising measures require a three-fifths majority in the House, where spending bills originate. Democrats hold a narrow lead in that chamber, and would need five Republican votes to ap- prove any tax increases. Hanna said that isn’t going to happen. “I don’t think, from a Republican caucus stand- point, you’ll find any support for new tax increases unless they’re correspondingly at- tached to changes,” Hanna said. “For example, inheri- tance or capital gains tax re- ductions.” Major portions of the state budget have yet to be finalized, but movement is being made along those lines. On Monday, May 21, the Senate voted unanimously to approve funding for 100 more Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers. OSP funding has been extremely politicized in this session, as Republican efforts to fund 139 additional troop- ers with existing general fund revenues have been met with stiff resistance by House De- mocrat leaders, Hanna said. The Republican pro- posal, House Bill 3535, was denied a vote on the House floor twice, much to Hanna’s disappointment. “Even members that had signed on as supporters wouldn’t allow this bill to come to the floor,” Hanna said. “It was defeated by the Democratic majority.” 592-6777 1470 Caves Highway Licensed • Bonded • Insured Locally owned and operated in the valley for over 25 years. WWC #1504 • CCB #152266 • CPl #7-113 Member Oregon Ground Water Assoc. GOT WORK??? WE HAVE: • Compact Rubber Tracked Excavator • Tractor, Dump Truck and More WE DO: • Trenches, Ditches & Post Holes • Small Roads & Walking Trails • Brush & Stump Removal • Fence Lines & Fire Breaks • Building & Mobile Home Demolition • Pads, Leveling & Site Prep • Landscaping & Tree Removal • Test Holes & Much More • Property Clean-up WE ARE: • On Time and On Budget 10% OFF WITH THIS AD KC Phillips General Contractor CCB# 158849 • Insured • Bonded 541-659-5494 FREE ESTIMATES I.V. Youth Soccer The annual general meet- ing will be held Saturday, May 26 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Illinois Valley Real Estate of- fice between Subway and Tay- lor’s Country Store in Down- town Cave Junction. Marine Corps League An all-veterans service, including a parade of flags and laying of wreaths, will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 at 11 a.m. by the Rogue Valley Detachment. There also will be a flyover by aircraft from Kingsley Field at approximately 11 a.m. The family event will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park at 945 N.E. Hillcrest Drive in Grants Pass. KS Wild There will be a hike Satur- day, May 26 into proposed Wilderness along the Lower Rogue River. Car-pools will leave Gooseberries Natural Foods parking lot in Grants Pass at 10 a.m. and will meet at the Graves Creek Boat Ramp at 11. For more information, phone 488-5789. Bates said that the OSP budget included concessions to Oregon counties affected by the loss of federal funds, several of which are facing cutbacks in sheriff’s office patrols. Josephine County is among those affected. “Initially, those 100 offi- cers were going to be put along the I-5 corridor in Port- land, Eugene and Salem. Those of us from the rural areas said that if they did that, we wouldn’t vote for it,” Bates said. “We expect the state pa- trols will have to pick up the gap here,” he said. “The idea of putting them up and down I-5 to monitor traffic and slow people down is not what we want. We want them out there so we can have law and order in rural counties. We’ve gotten a commitment that that’s going to happen now.” The state’s education budget has also yet to be fi- nalized. However, Hanna said funds are available to fund it at an adequate level. Another point of conten- tion between Democrats and Republicans has been Gov. Kulongoski’s Healthy Kids Plan, which would provide health care to Oregon’s unin- sured children by raising cigarette taxes. Bates said that legislators likely will refer the matter to voters in a coming election. “We’ll probably see it as a ballot initiative,” Bates said. “That’s probably what will happen. That might even fail too.” Hanna said he expects the Legislature to adjourn in six or seven weeks, which would make this the shortest session in recent history. “There is still a lot of momentum to get out of the building by June 30,” he said. AN ESCAPED BURN PILE on Lone Mountain Road pre- cipitated an alarm for Illinois Valley Fire District on Fri- day, May 18 at 4:11 p.m. Approximately 1/10th of an acre ‘in several fingers of flame’ was affected, said Deputy Chief Jeff Gavlik. He noted that residents need to be especially careful with burn piles. No injuries or structural damage were reported. (Photo by Dale & Elaine Sandberg/IVFD Media Dept.) 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