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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Letters to the Editor
Dysfunctional board
The ongoing drama which has
overtaken the Three Rivers School
District board has distracted mem-
bers from their real work for over a
year. Here are some real issues I think
the school board should be address-
ing instead:
Class Size Reduction: When
class sizes get too big, student learn-
ing suffers. Every avenue should be
explored for reducing the number of
students each teacher must instruct,
document, and plan for in each class-
room. The board should be strategiz-
ing for how to accomplish this relief.
Retention of Talent: Because
TRSD’s budget has been constrained
by lowered enrollment and reduced
state payments, compensation of em-
ployees is too low at almost all em-
ployment levels. Not only do our per-
sonnel deserve more, but the district
risks the loss of experienced staff as
they seek better compensation else-
where. The board should be working
to identify solutions to this problem.
Transportation Costs: TRSD is
geographically huge, and the cost of
transportation is crippling. Rearrang-
ing busing schedules may offer some
relief, but the board should be mak-
ing efforts to change the compensa-
tion structure at the state level.
Facilities: Our buildings are
aging and major renovations or re-
builds will be required. The board
should be working towards identify-
ing these needs and securing bonds
for funding. Tragically, this board has
dramatically undermined community
confidence, making public support
unlikely.
Waste Water Treatment: When
schools were built in the 1970’s, Jo-
sephine County’s infrastructure could
not support their waste water, and
several schools had to supply their
own treatment capacity, most notably
in the north valley areas. Now those
treatment plants are aging out of use.
Fortunately, the county is ready to
pursue infrastructure development
using state and federal grants (for
which school districts are ineligible.)
Now is the time for TRSD to be at the
table working to move its waste wa-
ter treatment needs over to systems to
be built by the government. Alarm-
ingly, several TRSD board members
actually think the district could make
money from waste water treatment
(which might make us the first ones
ever to do so.) Efforts to shift this bur-
den off the schools are being blocked.
It is my belief that part of the moti-
vation for this ill-advised position is
an attempt to micromanage the dis-
trict maintenance department for the
specific benefit of a personal friend
of a board member. Although I have
no written proof of this suspicion, I
strongly encourage public investiga-
tion into the matter. The district does
not belong in the waste water treat-
ment business; it is not about teach-
ing and learning and does not belong
in our business plan. Now is the time
to get out.
Literacy Plans: When students
cannot read well, they cannot learn.
The board should be looking at poli-
cies and strategies that strongly sup-
port early literacy and intervention
where difficulties exist. There has
been little to no discussion of this, the
most basic work of a school board.
Digital Literacy Skills: As we
move into the digital age, students
must learn how to do research us-
ing online resources. (Just because
kids know better than adults how to
use electronic devices does not mean
they are using them well or wisely.)
Comprehensive strategies for how to
incorporate modern tools into both
teaching and learning is the work
of the school board. It is not being
done.
Public Relations: Our school
district has wonderful students and
staff, doing many things brilliantly.
The board should be helping publi-
cize the successes and inviting local
businesses and organizations to par-
ticipate in our children’s success.
Communication: There is no
central district events calendar and
school calendars are often poorly up-
dated. This is because staff lacks the
capacity for one more thing. It should
be addressed at the district level, with
strategic and IT support for each
school, so that students, staff, parents,
Reader touts expansion
As a local business leader representing
over 50 businesses here in the Illinois Valley,
we want to express our thanks to Rep. Peter
DeFazio and Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff
Merkley for their continued support for the
Oregon Caves National Monument Expansion
bill (S354) and their continued work to see this
through. They and the rest of America under-
stand the importance of this economic engine
that this provides to both gateway communities
and the surrounding regional economies.
Additionally, this also protects the Lake
Creek watershed above the caves and gives
us the opportunity to showcase to the world a
nationally outstanding glacial cirque known as
the Bigelow Lakes Basin and the cave network
itself which is found to be more extensive than
what the original 480 acre monument could
protect for our visiting public.
Thank you all!
Greg Walter
Jefferson State Financial Group
Free your self from pesticides
If you’re concerned about the threat
GMOs pose to our Food, Farms and Future, con-
sider what the toxic chemicals required to grow
them, along with poisons sprayed throughout
our county are doing. The Freedom from Pesti-
cides Alliance (FPA) is taking the recent GMO
ban to another level. FPA is wanting to stop the
pesticides directly linked to GMOs and more.
Truth is the same chemicals from the same
chemical companies are causing harm not just
to our food and farms but our air, water soil and
bodies. Chemicals such as Glyphosate/Round-
up, Atrazine and 2,4-D are all sprayed within
Josephine County by both Corporate and Gov-
ernmental entities, exposing citizens to chemi-
cal trespass year after year. Their ‘fast, cheap
and easy’ method of killing pests is threatening
the health of our county.
Join the FPA effort to put this issue on No-
vember’s ballot. Sign the Freedom from Pesti-
cides Bill of Rights initiative petition at the fol-
and community members can eas-
ily find information about all school
events and initiatives. The board must
indicate that this is a priority and di-
rect personnel to pursue it, as well as
provide the capacity (funding,) for
the work to take place.
Increasing Vocational Opportu-
nities: Not every child aspires to an
academic future, but even those who
do will benefit from well-rounded ex-
periences. The shift away from voca-
tional skills training we saw in past de-
cades has had poor results. The board
should be working to identify grants
for innovative programs preparing
our kids for success in the trades, as
well as helping our academically gift-
ed students become capable of build-
ing and fixing things. STEM classes
and trades preparation will make our
kids far more employable. We should
be pursuing robust partnerships with
workforce development agencies and
private enterprise to strengthen what
we offer our students.
Trust Building: Alas, we are cur-
rently doing the opposite! Our school
board should be working strategically
to help build trust, engagement, and
buy-in at every level of our district.
Strategic Planning: The board
should be identifying priorities and
creating work plans to achieve dis-
trict goals. There is currently little
agreement and no road map to get the
district to a better place.
Empowerment: TRSD enjoys a
lowing locations:
The Herb Shop , Grants Pass, The Grants
Pass Growers Market FPA Booth, Diggin Livin
Farm & Apiary and The Farmers Market- Cave
Junction.
Audrey Moore
Selma
Political science questioned
The huge loss of honey bees the last few
years has been of immense interest to me. Un-
til I Read Bennie Fishal’s letter (25 June) I’ve
not read anything that stated the cause or causes
of same. He named six different ingredients of
insecticides responsible. Two days later, that
‘other’ paper had an article saying Oregon has
‘temporarily’ restricted use of two of these.
Why not all six?
I’ve had several science classes, and the
hard sciences (not political science where the
EPA facts are found) always base statements
on facts leading to the Scientific Method where
these facts can be proven .
tremendously skilled staff of profes-
sionals. The school board should be
working to recognize our exceptional-
ly talented people and allowing them
to do their jobs unimpeded. Unfortu-
nately, there is a history of microman-
agement from the board which under-
mines morale, blocks productivity,
and creates fear. I would like to see a
board that recognizes excellence and
lets people do their jobs.
Board Learning: Each and ev-
ery board member should be aware of
current educational policies, key leg-
islation, and the roles and activities
of major people in education at the
state and federal levels. This requires
a commitment to broad reading and
a willingness to learn things outside
the bubble of one’s own confirmation
bias. An effective board member must
be willing to learn a great deal before
making decisions, NOT arrive with
a petty agenda. This board seems to
lack an interest in the broader issues
and policies facing educators today.
Other Issues: I am personally
interested in funding art and music
programs, developing our neglected
school libraries, and improving our
school food plans, but none of these
things has had strong attention despite
their importance, because the board is
so deeply divided and distracted.
Kate Dwyer
TRSD Board, Zone 1
I see areas where all kinds of anecdotal
‘evidence’ is offered, like man caused global
cooling/global warming/climate change crowd
that say the polar bears are disappearing (they
are not) or that carbon from man is the cause
(it doesn’t) or pets refusing to eat certain GMO
foods, but I’ve seen no studies proving any
of these arguments. I don’t consider having a
friend or relative die in the last 10 yrs proof of
anything except I’m getting old.
I’m ready to learn, but I learn from facts,
not scary stories. Bennie do you have some
facts to help me save honey bees and butterflies?
Let’s get those facts into the classrooms so out
children learn from the Scientific Method, not
propagandized by political science.
Greg Anderson
CJ
Obituaries
Austin Lee Reyn-
olds , infant son of Clifton
Reynolds & Brenna Janoski,
died Friday, June 27, 2014 at
Three Rivers Medical Center.
Family services are
planned. Hull & Hull Funeral
Directors are in charge of ar-
rangements.
Please sign the fam-
ily guest book at www.since-
1928hull.com.
Austin was born June 27,
2014 in Grants Pass at Three
Rivers Family Birth Center.
Survivors include his
parents, Clifton Reynolds
& Brenna Janoski; maternal
grandparents, Kevin & Julie
Janoski of Cave Junction; pa-
ternal grandparents, Terrel Lee
Reynolds of Cave Junction and
Irene Guerrero of Cave Junc-
tion; maternal great-grand-
parents, Pat Janoski of Reno,
Nevada and Genie Carwitz of
Cave Junction; paternal great-
grandparents, Daniel & Iris
Clark of Cave Junction and
paternal great-grandmothers,
Grandma Clark and Grandma
Luna.
Russell Richard
“Rusty” Brummett,
age 42, of Cave Junction,
died Friday, June 20, 2014, in
Cave Junction.
A memorial service will
be at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July
5, 2014, at Immanuel United
Methodist Church in Cave
Junction with Pastor Charles
Chase officiating. Hull & Hull
Funeral Directors are in charge
of arrangements.
Rusty was born October
2, 1971 in Long Beach, Cali-
fornia and had lived in the Il-
linois Valley since age two.
He was a member of
Immanuel United Methodist
Church since the age of 13.
His hobbies included
camping, hunting, fishing, cut-
ting firewood, spending time
with his friends, and helping
those less fortunate.
Survivors include two
daughters, Brittanie O’Grady
and Skylie Brummett both of
Grants Pass; a son, Tyi Brum-
mett of Cave Junction; his
mother, Karen Thomas Brue
of Cave Junction; two sisters,
Lona Gutierrez of Grants Pass
and Robin Paulson of Cave
Junction; and two grandchil-
dren.
Mary Marie (Par-
mley) Layman, 68 of
Cave Junction passed away
Sunday, June 22, 2014 at her
residence in Cave Junction.
A public viewing will be-
gin at noon on Saturday, June
28th at Stephens Family Cha-
pel. The funeral service will
begin at 1 p.m. A graveside
service will follow at Laurel
Cemetery in Cave Junction.
For online condolences
and tributes please visit ste-
phensfc.com.
Arrangements by Ste-
phens Family Chapel, Grants
Pass, Oregon.
Mary was born on June
22, 1946 in Santa Rosa, Calif.
to Clifford and Mary Parmley.
She spent most of her child-
hood there and graduated from
Montgomery High School in
Santa Rosa, Calif.. She mar-
ried Fred David Layman Sr.
on June 26, 1966 in Reno,
Nev. and they moved to Grants
Pass. Mary had 3 children in
Grants Pass and then moved to
Cave Junction in 1974 where
she raised her family and spent
her remaining years.
She was a housewife to
Fred and enjoyed camping,
fishing, gardening, bingo, rock
hunting, crocheting and sew-
ing.
Survivors include her
husband, Fred David Layman
Sr. of Cave Junction; daugh-
ters, Sandra Lee Gonzales of
Grants Pass and Kandy Lynn
Layman of Grants Pass; son,
Freddie David Layman Jr. of
Cave Junction; 14 grandchil-
dren and 3 great-grandchil-
dren.
She was preceded in
death by her father, Clifford
Andrew Parmley of Santa
Rosa, Calif. on October 29,
1975, her mother, Mary Claire
Parmley-Higgins of Santa
Rosa, Calif. on October 26,
1993 and brother, Robert An-
drew Parmley of Santa Rosa,
Calif. on August 27, 2009
I llInoIs V alley F uneral D Irectors
www.since1928Hull.com
Save July The
Date
4, 5 & 6
Reunion Mania, Various loca-
tions around the Valley. Check this
week’s paper for details on your
class.
July 6
The third annual Ice Cream So-
cial will take place at Kerbyville Mu-
seum Sunday, July 6 from 1:30 to 4
p.m. Live music will be provided by
Dale and Sherry Hopper and the $5
charge will include a complimentary
tour of the museum grounds and ex-
hibits. Call 541-592-5252 for further
information.
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
For more listings go to www.ivcalendar.org
July 12
The Kerby Museum and His-
tory Center present: A World War II
Era Canteen and Dance, All Veter-
ans in attendance will be recognized
and honored! Dance to the sounds
of Glenn Miller, Doris Day, The An-
drews Sisters, Bing Crosby and many
more! Illinois Valley Senior Center,
520 E. River St. Cave Junction 7:00
p.m. – 10:00 p.m. $8 per person, $15
per couple. Refreshments will be
available!
July 20
The Rusk Ranch Nature Center
will offer a free Nature & Art Festi-
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published at
221 S. Redwood Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone (541) 592-2541
FAX (541) 592-4330
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
POSTMASTER: Please send
541-592-4110
One year in Josephine
blogspot.com or call 707-720-9379
and leave a message. Held on the
same weekend as “It’s the Berries” at
the RCC/Belt Building, 24353 Red-
wood Hwy Kerby, OR
val, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July
20. There will be a juried Fantasy
Recycled fashion show among other
events, vendor booth space is $20.
For further information, call 541-
592-4444.
Reservation Deadline is August
12, 2014. Last day for refunds is Au-
gust 14, 2014.
Contact Hazel Griffith 541-592-
6433 Or Jean Shubert 541-592-6150
Aug. 16
Ongoing
Aug. 16
Join us along the 80 mile stretch
of US Highway 199, from Highway
101 to I-5, featuring yard sales and
special events on the third weekend
in August, 2014.
There’s no charge to participate,
just set up your yard sale in a safe
place!
For more information, go to
our blog at http://hwy199yardsale.
Healing Hearts and Hooves,
therapeutic horseback riding program
has begun our 2014 season. Sunday
classes at 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and
12:30 p.m. @ 4411 Holland Loop
Drive, Cave Junction. Call 541-659-
1798 or 541-596-2272 for volunteer
or student information.
It’s The Berries: Saturday, Au-
gust 16, 2014 ~ 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We
are now accepting applications for
vendors inside and outside. Outdoor
spaces must bring your own tables.
$20 with a $5 refund for a cleaned
space.
RCC/Belt Building 24353 Red-
wood Highway, Kerby, OR
County - $30.50
One year in Jackson and
Douglas counties - $32.50
One year in all other
Oregon counties and
out-of-state - $39.00
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
Office Manager-Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
Remainder of subscription will be donated to the
charity of your choice.
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Kimberly Potter
office@illinois-valley-news.com
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