I
County comment
Specialist need
pondered
Lee Irwin, Publisher
Sue L ifk y. Editor Bob Blumhigm. Asst, Publisher . Caroline Duff. Office Maned*
Douglas Gantenbein. Staff Reporter
Ray Tipton, Advertising Manager
Published w eekly Thurtdayt by The O utlook Publishing Co So» 68
Sondy O regon 8 7 0 5 5 Second c lo u postoge paid ot Sondy Oregon
668 5548
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In M ultnom ah ond Clockomas
Counties per yeor
................... *5 00
Servicemen ony a d d re s s ............
In N orthw est ond Pocihc Coast States
outside Oregon per yeor ...............*7 00
‘ 5 00
O utside N orthw est ond Pooh« Coast
stotes per y e o r .................................. ‘8 00
In O regon outside M ultnom ah ond
‘6 00
meaoer
NÊÎ
Page 2
F wp X
pep
■
s
I
■■ P u W is h o rs
■ KW Association
Represented Nationally by
U S SUBURBAN PRESS INC
IB
No. 4
Sandy Post, Sandy, Oregon 97065
Thurs., Jan. 26, 1978
Question: The Right Budget?
Tuesday evening the Sandy
Union High School budget com
m ittee put its stamp of approval on
a $2,702,182 budget for the 1978-79
school year.
W hile labeled “ fiscally con
se rvative” by Superintendent Jack
Peters, we believe there is another
word that more appropriately fits
the document: Uninspired.
In adopting the budget the board
failed to display either leadership
or im agination, opting instead to
stick almost to the le tte r w ith a
budget proposal that covers ju st
the bare needs of the district.
While it is true that the board
com m itted itself to expenditures of
at least $61,000 above the original
budget, it should be noted that
almost this entire sum w ill be
covered by a surprise state
allocation of $53,004 that the board
received just Tuesday morning.
Had this large allocation not come,
it is probable that the board would
have reduced even this modest
addition, most of which goes
towards the purchase of buses.
While we agree w ith the opinion
of the board that there is a lim it to
which a com m unity can be taxed, it
seems that the board is fa r more
interested in serving the taxpayer
than they are the student.
Left off the budget, for example,
is a proposed career center that
would have helped give students
needed jo b guidance during a dek-
ade that has seen the employee’s
m arket depart forever. Both
vo c a tio n and college bound
students are in need of all the help
they can get if they are not to
become a num ber of the unem
ploym ent roles.
And in axing funds for the
resurfacing of the school’s track,
the board showed that it is quite
w illin g to “ pass the buck” on that
expenditure to another, future
board. The cu rre nt track surface
w ill not last forever, and it seems
certa in that the cost of the job w ill
rise ra th e r than fa ll.
Also, while several vocational
program s at least appeared on the
lis t of funding candidates, not even
discussed were any ideas to benefit
the student m in o rity that has
become one of the most neglect
ed— the exceptional student.
It is true th a t the d is tric t is
w o rkin g on an application fo r state
funding of a gifted and able
program w ith d is tric t m atching
funds, it stands to reason that a
responsible board should be w illin g
to take its own in itia tiv e when good
students are w asting their tim e in
classes
fa r
beneath
th e ir
capabilities.
C ertainly, these program s cost
money, and this is not a wealthy
d is tric t. B ut we believe that Sandy
High patrons are interested in
providing fo r education. We also
believe that the budget board
should be w illin g to propose and if
need be defend program s that
could im prove the quanvy»of that
education.
The w orld is changing and Sandy
is changing. The board serves no
one by sim ply standing its ground.
(DGG)
letters to the editor
Generosity
To the Editor:
The Cub Scouts of Welches
Grade School, Pack 173,
would like to thank the
members of Mt. Hood Lions
for the help and generosity
with regard to the paper
drive and yearly fund raising
event.
In prior years the cubs
have been preoccupied all
through the year w ith
various fund raising ac
tivities.
With the Lions
generous help, we w ill be
more able to concentrate on
activities for the boys.
Again, we thank the Mt.
Hood Lions for their support.
Their help w ill go a long way
in making 1977-78 a very good
year for the Welches Cubs.
Sincerely,
Alan M. Jensen
Cubmaster - Pack 173
N ew options
Back To Basics, We Hope
We were delighted to read that
the U n iversity of Oregon and
P ortland State U n ive rsity are
doing something to m ake sure their
graduates can w rite w ith some
degree of proficiency.
Oregon has for several years
required rem edial courses for
those
students
who cannot
demonstrate “ basic w ritin g s k ills ”
and Portland State plans to im
plem ent the same sort of program .
In the olden days, such classes
were dubbed “ bonehead E nglish”
and it was no pa rticu la r disgrace to
end up in one. A lot of today’s •
engineers, for instance, learned
how to w rite in such a course.
But somehow, somewhere along
the line, the a b ility to use the
language became low p rio rity in
fa r too many high schools. We
taught a lot of things so students
could “ cope” w ith today’s society
but we didn’t teach them how to
w rite.
A ll too typical is this gem.
w ritte n by a student on a Gresham-
area high school newspaper (only
the name has been changed):
“ B illy besides being a startin g
linem an on the va rsity football
team last season he is particip ating
now in va rsity baseball where he is
doing very w ell as there starting
catcher adn he is also doing very
good as he shows to be one of there
good h itte rs .”
That fro m a high school senior.
W hile we applaud the rem edial
courses at P ortland State and
Oregon, i t ’s obvious they w ill touch
only a fraction of high school
graduates.
To restore some
semblance of literacy, we have to
in s till a new respect for the
language as fa r back as kin
d e rg a rte n .
S im p ly
sta te d ,
schools—and parents—must give
firs t p rio rity to w ritin g and
speaking skills
Knowing how to
com m unicate is a whole lot more
im portant than balancing a check
book
On cutting state spending
Details are lacking but two
Republican state senators have
form ed a new group. The Public
Interest, which m ay rock a few
boats.
The two—Bob Smith of Bum s
and L B. Day of Salem—want to
put lim ita tio n s on legislative staffs
and salaries and in addition, would
require that any state budgetary
surplus be returned to the tax
payers.
These they would accomplish by
in itia tiv e petition
Also on th e ir tentative list are
in itia tiv e efforts dealing w ith
im provem ents in education and in
higher education budgeting.
Again, details are lacking but
their efforts may meet con
sid e ra b le success, p a r tic u la r ly
that which would return budget
surpluses in the form of property
tax relief.
In fla tio n has caused the state to
receive much more than o rig in a lly
anticipated from the income tax.
R ather than expanding state
spending to use the surplus. Sm ith
and Day propose it be returned to
the taxpayers
An idea which obviously w ill earn
widespread approval
with what to me are some
intriguing possibilities-and
problems.
W hile
ch attin g
w ith
It is, of course, quite ob
Clackamas County Com
vious that a m ajor problem
missioner Ralph Groener the
lies in the presence of the
other day on the subject of
situation that makes it
false, mistaken or slanted
necessary. For example, a
news stories about county
business that appears in the professional employe, close
public press, the com to the office of the com
missioners, rather brashly
missioner described what at
stated that “ we just don’t go
first glance appears to be a
much for news releases, we
fine idea and a workable
let the reporters come here
solution to the problem.
and pick up what they want.”
Groener, serving his first
The firs t problem in this
stint as chairman of the
example is that the young
board of commissioners,
professional man who made
offered the suggestion of a
that statem ent does not
c o u n ty
in f o r m a tio n
occupy a policy-m aking
specialist, a sort of a press
position outside the narrow
secretary to serve the entire
limits of his professional
county administrative and
re s p o n s ib ility —but young
service community.
and inexperienced, or lazy,
The suggestion and our
reporters quite conceivably
conversation did not go into
do not know that, or care.
the matter in depth nor much
The second problem is the
beyond the present problems
overly eager county employe
created
by
ind ivid ua l
who may occupy a position in
department heads and other
county employees who in an already controversial
program, who too ardently
dependently originate news
uses his or her position and
releases that should have
contacts with the press to put
been coordinated with one or
forward a partisan side of a
more other departments or
still questionable activity.
offices having a vital concern
Another problem arises
in the same subject.
However, since our con from the p o litic a lly am
bitious, and still another
versation I have given the
from the employe or official
suggestion
considerable
having personal or outside
thought and have come up
financial interest and access
to the press through his of
ficial position
The list of problems one
might encounter in putting
the concept of a county in
fo rm a tion specialist into
effect is paralleled by any
punishment that I certainly
list of good reasons why it
do not find objectionable.
should be adopted—except
Parent of Five Children,
there are more and better
Jeri Richardson
reasons for having such a
41050 SE Albeier Rd
position than there are any
Sandy, Ore 97055
real problems in getting the
job clone.
Food chemicals
The main point must be
Dear Editor:
that such a position can not
Have you ever read the
and must not be made to
ingredients on the food you
stand alone
eat? If you have, I think that
What this rapidly growing
you w ill agree with me that
county really needs is an
the “ food” we eat is no
information specialist in the
longer food.
office of a county om
M any
c h e m ic a ls ,
budsman, high up and close
preservatives,
a r tific ia l
to the county’s governing
fla vo rin g s, colorings, and
body, firm ly dedicated to the
many other things are added
same concept of promoting ,
that
one
can
barely
and protecting the health,
pronounce let alone eat.
safety and welfare of all of
N a tu ra l scientists have
the people of the county
proven that many additives
There are those in the
cause cancer and re ta r
county who believe that if the
dation. Many other such side
effects are predicted to governing body put in a little
more earnest effort along
appear in later generations,
that line we just might be
as the chemicals take time to
able
to get along a little
do their initial damage.
longer without a public in
Recently, English scien
formation specialist, or a
tists made the discovery that
special
ombudsman
sodium nitrite and nitrate
cause cancer Yet has the
United States prohibited the
sale of meat and other
products containing these
preservatives? The simple
answer is no, the big
businessess would suffer too
much by it.
State Rep Ed Lindquist
Now if a person doesn't
(D-Jennings Lodge) has
start to wonder if the food
scheduled a town h all
commission is protecting the
meeting on Wednesday, Jan.
U.S. citizens from im
25, at 7:30 p m . The session
purities, i t ’s about time to
will be held in the board
room at Clackamas Com
/Page 4
munity College.
By Bill Sanderson
To the Editor.
The article “ High school
study hall causes fu ro r" may
have left the impression that
I believe in “ c o d d lin g '’
students On the contrary!
Students
w ith
violent
behavior problems should be
expelled
This
week’s
Tim e
magazine has examples of
classroom violence, in
cluding attacks on teachers
These students should be
expelled and dealt with in
courts of law. not sent to
“ special’* rooms within the
school so they won't cause
trouble, or transferred to
other schools to start new
behavior problems
I know that learning can be
hard work, but hard work
can also be enjoyable.
We are kidding ourselves if
we think detention study-
halls have worked in the past
25 years.
Obviously they
have not or we would not
have
more
behavior
problems 25 years later
Better methods than m ilitary
camp atmospheres in our
schools across this nation
must be developed! Direct
results of overorganization,
due to our complex society
appear as our students enter
college
When asked. “ What do you
wish to become?” the reply
is, “ I don't know, you tell
me." When asked. “ In what
direction do your talents
Be?’’ the reply is generally,
“ Gee. I d id n t know I had
any
The issue I raise is not of
criticism of any one person,
teacher, or administration
(Sandy is an example close
to home ) We are dealing with
concepts, new ideas, facing
facts about what works and
what does not work, and
perhaps admitting to our
selves that we must allow our
young adults the right to
direct their lives
It is in grammar school we
“ organize“ them, teaching
the
expected
excepted
behavior in our society It is
in grammar school they are
(or SHOULD BE> prepared
for high school, and told
about
decisions
they
SHOULD be allowed to make
in their lives to be respon
sible people.
It is in high school we need
to open doors, not lock them,
build bridges not walls, turn
kids on not off.
Words like “ purge" the
schools, words that condemn
young people of polluting the
atmosphere
w ith
th e ir
music, words that blame the
condition of the schools on
the clothes young people
wear, were spoken by a
superindendent of school at
a luncheon in Oregon
recently.
The superin
dendent was from Con
necticut ( it
isn ’t ju s t
“ Sandy, the sadness is all
over.
Hall monitors and
detention study halls are
Sandy’s contribution to the
sadness.
Our schools at a high
school level do not need
“ more options in the
disciplinary process'.” They
need b etter methods of
dealing with the m ajority of
students who want to learn
what unique human beings
they are. They need to tap
the inner resources, to turn
young people on, to discover
the contribution each person
has to offer the world Turn
on. Not off.
It is rare for discipline
problems to occur when a
student is busy idscovering
his potential. It IS work, but
it also can be exciting.
There are teachers who
skillfully tap the potential of
their students
It is rare
indeed when THAT teacher
has a discipline problem
One wonders how many of
our teachers really tap our
student’s potential!
I was fortunate to have a
journalism teacher who did
not let a week pass without
standing in front of the class
and saying. “ Do you know
how much potential you all
have? Do you know what
you all mean to me? I am the
luckiest woman in the world,
to be teaching people who
w ill some day do great
things!”
This teacher won the
governor's
award
in
California for the most ad
vanced high school jour
nalism class
She did not
have a discipline problem
Many of her students have
done “ great” things
We m ust get beyond
discipline options to trust
options
We must expect
miracles and we w ill receive
them No stereo ever played
without being turned on An
individual that’s turned on is
going to make beautiful
music:
Glenda Barbre
Parents for Student Rights
Box 244
Rhododendron. Ore
97049
time to think up punishment
methods without the need
being there
I agree that the m ajority of
students are attending school
with good a ttitu de s and are
certainly trustworthy. The
ideal s itu a tio n would be
where no need for punish
ment existed. That situation
does not exist anywhere that
I know of, in or out of school.
The only time we have to
be concerned about the
punishment is when rules are
broken. No one is going to
“ force” a child to read, or do
physical labor if he is at
tending school with the right
“ trustworthy" attitude.
Expelling
“ troublemak
ers” is much easier said than
done And what have you
gained by doing it? That is
also punishment and should
be the last resort, as far as I
am concerned
I'm sure the school ad
ministration would prefer for
parents to handle th e ir
c h ild re n ’s lack of a tte n
dance, etc., but if it has no
effect on the student then the
school has to attempt to curb
the situation by the punish
ment they feel best. Students
still have to attend school
and do a certain amount of
work in order to graduate.
I strongly support the high
school’s efforts in keeping
some s im ila r ity to an
organized
learning
in
stitution. where they are still
concerned enough about
young people to have rules
and the courage to enforce
those rules by means of
Meeting
slated
Barbre's letter
To the Editor:
In regards to a letter to the
editor in the Jan 19 Sandy
Post from a Glenda Barbre.
concerning the high school's
methods of “ punishment "
The high school ad
ministration does not have
Jimmy Givoth And Jimmy
Toketh Away...