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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 1978)
letters to the editor Von Braschler, Gen. Manager SUHS support Sue Lafky, Editor Caroline Duff, Office Manager John Kline, staff reporter To the E d ito r: We w ish to go on reco rd in support of the Sandy Union H igh School ta x base w hich w ill be on the b a llo t M ay 23. O ur ta x bax a t Sandy H igh was established in 1916. T h o u g h i t has been in creasing at the ra te of 6 p e rc e n t, in fla t io n an d e n r o llm e n t g ro w th ha ve s u b s ta n tia lly a ffe c te d th e d is tr ic t’s m on etary needs. D u rin g the last six years, in fla tio n has increased the consum er p ric e index by 57.5 percent o r an average of 9.58 percent per year. The average d a ily attendance of Sandy H igh School has in creased 212 students in the same period. T his am ounts to a 25 p e rc e n t in c re a s e in e n ro llm e n t, o r an average annual e n ro llm e n t increase of 4.14 percent. The percentage of tax base increase p e r year has sim p ly not kept pace w ith other factors. I t is estim ated, by d is tric t o ffic ia ls , tha t the proposed tax base would allow the d is tric t to m a in ta in an ef fe ctive educational p ro gra m w ith in the ta x base fo r the 1978-79, the 1979-80 and the 1980-81 school years. T his three yea r period w o u ld g iv e th e d is t r ic t valua ble s ta b ility in planning th e b e st e d u c a tio n a l p ro g ra m f o r o u r y o u n g people. We urge a YES vote on M ay 23. Y ours sin cere ly, The s ta ff of Sandy Union H igh School Published weekly Thursdoys by The Outlook Publishing Co B om 68 Sandy Oregon 97055 Second doss postage paid ot Sandy Oregon 668 5548 SUBSCRIPTION RATES In Multnomah and Clockomos Counties per y e o r...........................‘ 5 00 In Northwest and Pocific Coast States outside Oregon per year ..............*7 00 Servicemen ony address ............. ‘ 5 00 Outside Northwest and Pocific Coast states pet year ............................. *9 00 In Oregon outside Multnomoh ond *4.00 MEMBER N Ä L N i rtJpflpER Auocittion Page 2 S S lH ii IM i ■ H 5 1 e * MtMBk* Orev ° n Newspaper Publishers Association Represented N a tio n ally by U 5. SUBURBAN PRESS INC ■ FounOud IMS Sandy Post, Sandy, Oregon 97055 No. 20 Thurs., May 1 8 ,1978 Whatever You Do, Vote Here is a not p a rticularly healthy fact about the state of affa irs in our little corner of the world: 77 per cent of the eligible voters in the Sandy Union High School D is tric t DID NOT exercise their rig h t to cast a ballot in the A p ril 4 tax levy election. Of the estimated 7,700 persons 18 and older in the high school d istrict, only 998 bothered to ex press an opinion on a m atter which determines the economic life of the school for the coming year. The tax levy was turned down by 64 votes. What makes the statistic par tic u la rly noteworthy is the fact that educators today—and the ones in Sandy don’t seem to be exempt —are on the hot seat w ith parents who sometimes believe they are not doing their job as w ell as they should. And yet, only one voter in 77 took the tim e to make a statement one way or another about the question of funding the high school. It has been said that a low tu rn out at the polls is a healthy sign in that an aroused public means radical change is on the way. If th a t’s the case, then w e ’ re p ro b a b ly in fo r some ex tra o rd in a rily smooth times in the foreseeable future. Too smooth. What the low turnout is more indicative of is that Am erican tradition called apathy. V oters in n e xt T u e sd a y’s p rim ary w ill have another op portunity to decide on funding for the high school but this tim e on a new tax base. The old base, established not too many years a fte r the turn of the century, allows for a total taxable base of $248,000 in local funding. The school board has approved a 1978-79 budget requiring over six tim es that amount to operate the school. The ballot measure, if passed, would increase the tax base to just under $2 m illion for the next three years, thus elim inating the need to seek voter approval on an ad ditional tax levy above the old tax base. The 1978-79 budget represents a 23.7 percent increase in what is needed in local tax dollars over last ye a r’s total levy. If the new tax base passes, last ye a r’s rate of $6 per $1,000 w ill increase to $6.52 as estimated by the high school superintendent’s office. But outside of last year’s tax rate, $6.52 is the lowest the rate has been in the d is tric t in five years. The cost of education seems to be more susceptible to the teeth of inflation than almost any other service. What w ith teacher salaries (and fringes), transportation, books, and building and m ain tenance costs leading the way, the cost to the taxpayer gets higher and higher. But we feel the Sandy High School Board has done its best to keep costs as low as possible in the in flation battle. We also feel the board, a ll of whose members serve w ithout pay, should be allowed to establish, w ith in reason, a sound operating budget for the con tinuation of a program of ex cellence at the high school. The new tax base ceiling allows fo r this. We urge its passage. More im portant, we urge you to vote. (J.K .) Fire tax base To the E d ito r: On Tuesday M ay 23, the H o o d la n d R u ra l F ir e P rote ction D is tric t No. 74, w ill ask the voters to approve a $150,000 op era ting le vy fo r the com ing yea r. Not an in c re a s e , b u t r a t h e r a $150,000 to tal o p eratin g budget. To put it b lu n tly , we a re in desperate need: 1. O ur rescue vehicle was taken o ff the road in M a rch as it was unsafe to d rive. A local citize n has lent the de pa rtm e nt the use o f his personal vehicle u n til J u ly 1. 2. We ha ve v o lu n te e rs w e a rin g o u td a te d e q u ip m ent, worn out equipm ent and equipm ent tha t does not fit. | 3. R ecently, a volunteer was in ju re d en terin g the H o o d la n d W o m e n ’ s C lu b d u rin g a fire , because we did not have enough a ir tanks. 4. A lm o st a ll vehicles a re in need of re p a ir, but we do not have the tools nor funds to m ake the repairs. 5. The area is in need of m apping, so we can fin d a home when we are called fo r assistance. 6. T here are presently 34 v o lu n te e rs . S e v e ra l o th e r w e ll train ed ap plican ts have applied, but we have no equipm ent fo r them. Several years ago m any area residents had th e ir fire in s u r a n c e p r e m iu m s reduced by some 60 percent. R ight now tha t reduction is Support Hoodland, Welches We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Put us down in favor of the Hoodland Fire D is tric t’s new tax base. The d is tric t needs to update its equipment to m inim al stan dards. We’re also in support of the Welches School D istrict budget. The Welches budget is realistic, in our opinion, and does not include added or unnecessary programs. The added increase over last year’s budget is due to salary raises, inflation and the purchase of a new bus. (SAL) Changes in The Post The Sandy Post gets a refreshing new look next week. A fter careful review and study, we have decided to change the typestyle in which the newspaper is printed for easier reading and neater appearance. The form at change to lighter easier-read type in headlines should increase speed in going through the paper and reduce eye strain, since there w ill be no more extra bold headlines to detract for photos and other key elements competing for attention on each page. The Post carefully chose a new Garamond typestyle which also w ill appear in ita lic s when headlines w arrant this attention. This p a rticu la r typestyle is a favorite of typographers because of its readability. It consistently wins awards for papers who use it. This form at change is ju st one of several planned to upgrade your com m unity newspaper. We w ill keep you abreast of changes as they near inauguration. Please remember, too, that The Post encourages reader response and listens carefully to whatever you have to say concerning your local newspaper. (VB) on a bo rd e rlin e status and w ith o u t needed re p a irs, plus a d d itio n a l e q u ip m e n t, it could be Io6t. O u r d is t r ic t c o v e rs 50 s q u a re m ile s an d th e p o p u la tio n is in c re a s in g steadily. So fa r this year, the num ber of a la rm s has in creased 65 percent over the sam e tim e period last year. We have one of the m ost dedicated fir e chiefs in the state g iv in g us the tra in in g we need He has given us the s k ill, e fficie n cy, enthusiasm and dedication of the best fir e departm ents, but it is not enough We need the pro pe r tools and equipm ent, and we need your help and support W ith yo u r vote we can provide the q u a lit y of e m e rg e n c y m e d ic a l a s s is ta n c e a n d pro te ction against loss of personal p ro p e rty th a t you deserve. Vote yes fo r Hoodland F ire D e pa rtm e nt No 74. Sincerely, T im S ackett S ecretary T re a su re r Hoodland V olunteer F ire D epartm ent Home Prices Sky-Rocketing For those of us who have lived in the same home for a number of years, i t ’s d iffic u lt to comprehend what is happening to resale values. Figures compiled by Real Estate Trends, a semiannual report of building and realty a c tivity, in dicate that the value of used homes in the m etropolitan area rose 26 percent during the past 12 months. New home prices went up 14.7 percent. The same sort of increases are being reported nationwide, not just locally. The average price for a new house here was $58,500 com pared to $82,700 in Los Angeles, $81,600 in Washington, D.C., etc. Used homes averaged $81,500 in Honolulu, $50,330 here. Figures like these make a little more understandable-even if not any more palatable—the sharp increases in assessed values recently ordered by the Multnomah County assessor’s office. Our home went up 30 percent in assessed value, not fa r from the 26 percent average reported by Real Estate Trends. The rapidly increasing values may look good on a balance sheet but they really don’t help the average home-owner. If you sell your present home for an inflated price, you just have to pay that much more for a new home. And if you hang onto your present dwelling, you’re h it w ith higher taxes because of the increased appraised value. There’s no way you can beat inflation. A shw orth To the E d ito r: I, E m ily A shw orth, can did a te fo r governor, appeal to D e m ocrats: B rin g life to O re g o n ’ s ro o ts ! O ur tr a d itio n s o f a g r ic u ltu r e , f o r e s t r y an d p u b lic -h y d ro p o w e r c a n p ro v id e jo b s, re ta in local con tro l and clean ou r en viro nm en t * Bold steps can re kin d le positive pioneer s p irit. L e t’s c r e a te P u b lic U tility D is tric ts to replace P o rtla n d G eneral E le c tric and P a c ific Pow er and L ig h t. Results: Low er outrageous rates and keep decision m a kin g at home W hat has in c u m b e n t S traub done? 1. S traub m oved to sell out p u b lic p re fe re n c e fo r C olum bia R iv e r e le c tric ity w ith D R P A . T h is P G E and PP&L bo na nza w as declared u n con stitu tion al, v o te rs r e je c te d th e c o n s t it u t io n a l ch a n g e s o n ly m onths ago and S traub s till pushes tu rk e y DR PA. 2. S traub m oved to sell-out p u blic tim b e r by a lte rin g even-flow concepts. M u lti n a tio n a l t im b e r e m p ire s in g ra tia te d Straub w ith la rge con tribu tions. State policies can produce lu m b e r, sustain y ie ld , u t iliz e w a s te a n d crea te jobs c le a rin g brush (instead of dangerous he r bicide s). • 3. S traub m oved to sell-out fa m ily fa rm s , helping a g ri b u sin e ss and la n d speculators w ith C a lifo rn ia style developm ents. I sup p o rt p ro te ctin g sm a ll fa rm s as th e O re g o n G ra n g e recom m ends. 4. S trau b ra n fro m pu blic s c ru tin y and rem oved the g o v e r n o r ’ s a u t h o r ity o v e r nuclear re a c to r s itin g . T his kep t h im responsible to the people. Now he hides behind a c o m m is s io n . We m u s t decom m ission P G E ’s T ro ja n A to m ic Reactor. The fed eral g o v e rn m e n t b ro k e t h e ir p ro m ise to handle ra d io a c tiv e wastes. A lte r n a tiv e s of con se rva tio n and solar keep Oregon d o lla rs and jo bs at hom e! Be p a rt ol the greatest p o litic a l upset in Oregon. G ive m e y o u r vote! E m ily A shw orth C andidate fo r G ove rn or (D e m o cra t) No. 6 I t seems to m e there a re 12 reasons to Vote “ N o” on B a llo t M easure 6: 1— I t is designated to take over and e v e n tu a lly e lim in a te s u b u rb a n c o m m u n ity governm ents. 2— I t is designed to crea te anothe r la y e r of governm ent. 3— I t is designed to in crease suburban p ro p e rty taxes by another on e-third to one-half. 4— I t is designed to crea te new taxes to b u ild m ore P o rtla n d m onum ents. 5— I t w ill fo rce a P o rtla n d - oriented, super governm ent on suburban com m u nitie s and ru ra l areas. 6— I t w ill destroy suburban rig h ts , suburban voices and suburban roles in go vern m ent. 7— I t w ill crea te a super g o v e rn m e n t th a t re q u ire s super taxes to solve P o rtla n d problem s. 8— I t w ill fu rth e r erode the m e a n in g o f lo c a l, p a r tic ip a tiv e governm ent. 9— I t w ill create a state w ith in a state, essentially, w ith its own le g is la tu re and its own governor. 10— I t w ill crea te a collosus of b u r e a u c r a tic m in i de pa rtm e nts th a t w ill not answ er to local voters but be beholden only to the p o litic a l higher-ups. 11— I t is a m a jo r land grab, a ta x g ra b , a h u m a n - resources g r a b - a ll to serve and g r a tify the p o litic a l and econom ic a m b itio n s of a selfish few 12 — I n s t e a d of c la rific a tio n , it would fu rth e r confuse m an 's roles w ith governm ent. C o rd ia lly, Rod G eier 310 E D a rtm o u th Street G ladstone, Ore. 97027 possible to the local d is tric t in m a kin g the com petency pro g ra m w ork We re a liz e th a t th e m in im u m s ta n d a rd s and g ra du ation requirem ents are undergoing a review at this tim e and agree w ith Verne th a t th e c o m p e te n c y p ro gra m should be im proved upon—not abandoned In ou r years of service on the State B oa rd of E ducation we have had the op po rtu nity to v is it the D epartm ents of E du catio n in m any states and we know fir s t hand that the s ta ff D uncan has put to g e th e r a t th e O regon D e p a rtm e n t of E ducation is one of the fine st in the nation. Duncan has developed a good w o rk in g relatio nship w ith his s ta ff and w ith the State Board. We believe this is the w ay to get things ac c o m p lis h e d in O regon education. We sin ce re ly believe that Oregon education w ill be best served by re-e lectin g Duncan to a second te rm as state s u p e rin te n d e n t o f p u b lic in stru ction . Eugene H. F isher, fo rm e r cha irm an board of education E le a n o r Beard, fo rm e r ch a irm a n board of education F ra n k M. W arren, fo rm e r m em ber board of education Ju m p in g rhym es To the E d ito r: I have a ra th e r unusual hobby of co lle ctin g ju m p rope rhym e s. They are, as fa r as I know , the only fo rm o f lo re th a t is a c tu a lly c re a te d b y c h ild r e n and tra n s m itte d fro m ch ild to ch ild , possibly w ith o u t a d ult assistance. I t is m y hope to collect ju m p rope rh ym e s fro m a ll p a r ts o f A m e r ic a and perhaps e v e n tu a lly publish them . In th is s p irit, I in v ite your subscribers to send me any rhym e s th a t they m ay know. I n f o r m a tio n about the rhym e s them selves (w here they w e re fir s t heard, how old they are, etc.) would be w e lc o m e d , a lth o u g h n o t essential. I shall be ea ge rly aw aitin g you r replies. Nancy L. Sharp 3614 Dalen Place B ake rsfield, C a lif. 93309 W ater system s To the E d ito r: The Oregon Association of W ater U tilitie s urges you to vote yes on b a llo t measure 4. It would help w a te r d is tric ts and citie s m a in ta in , im p rove or re p a ir the w a te r systems through w h ich you receive your d rin k in g w ater. The p ro g ra m is modeled a fte r th e s u c c e s s fu l V e te r a n ’ s Hom e Loan P rog ram . The state would sell bonds and loan the money to the p u blic w a te r p ro v id e r w ith an in te rest rate high enough to cover the state’s cost in issuing the bonds The in te rest paid by the w a te r d is tric t or c ity is frequ en tly low er than the cost if they were to issue th e ir own bonds The re su lt is sig n ifica n t savings to taxpayers while, at the sam e tim e, im p ro vin g the fa c ilitie s through w hich we get our d rin k in g w ater. Please vote yes on m easure 4. Sincerely, C raig H enry E xecu tive D ire cto r OAWU P .0 Box 135 Salem 97308 H istory To the E d ito r: As you m ay have already heard o r read in the paper, we have rece ntly acquired the old St. Johns log Catholic Church, and m oved it to a perm anent site. We a re now ap plying to the N a tion al H is to ric a l Society fo r status in the N ational R egistry, and it is in this regard tha t we need your help. The society wants to know how the area residents feel about p r e s e r v in g lo c a l h isto ry and p a rtic u la rly St. Johns Church. We hope you feel, as we do, th a t we need to preserve the w ork of the m aster c ra ftsm e n of the p a st, to g iv e fu tu r e generations a p rid e in th e ir ancestry. Please help us to m ake a s tro n g s ta te m e n t to th e nation th a t the h isto ry of the M t. Hood area is ju s t as im p o rta n t and deserving of reco gn ition as the histories of P hila delph ia, Boston, and San F rancisco. We have a lre a d y lost so m any of our local la nd m arks to fire , decay, “ re m o d e lin g ” and neglect. You can help us save this, one of the last re m a in in g o rig in a l exam ples of our own native log a r chite cture, sim p ly by w ritin g a le tte r, to let them know you care. I t should be w ritte n to the a tte n tio n o f th e O re g o n H is to r ic a l S o c ie ty , and return ed to us at the address p rin te d below. The le tte rs w ill be sub m itte d to the ■ h isto rica l society w ith the a p p lic a tio n fo r r e g is t r y status. I f you know of anyone else who would be interested in helping us save this lo vely old b u ild in g , please ask them to w rite also. We need a ll the assistance we can get to gain the ap pro val of the society. I f you have any questions o r need m ore in fo rm a tio n , please feel free to contact us at 667-0184. T hank you fo r you r a tte n tio n and your help. We w ill be hoping to hear fro m you v e ry soon. M ichael Gudge Lind a Dunn 2017 N E 19th G resham , Oregon 97030 Burns To the E d ito r: I r e c e n tly a tte n d e d a candidates fa ir a t w hich R obert Burns, candidate fo r d is tric t c o u rt judge, made a s ta te m e n t th a t he has received the endorsem ent and support fro m m ost, if not a ll, of the peace officers o r g a n iz a t io n s w ith in C lackam as County. I t is also m y understanding tha t B urns has spent his e n tire legal ca re e r as a prosecutor fo r the d is tric t a tto rn e y ’s office. Since 85 percent of the d is tric t c o u rt docket involves c rim in a l tria ls I do not know if it w ould be w ise to elect a m an to the bench who m ay be obligated in any w ay to the police o r to elect a man w hose e x p e rie n c e is so lim ite d . O ur co n stitu tio n provides fo r t r ia l by a f a ir and im p a rtia l trib u n a l and tha t in a c r im in a l case y o u a re presum ed to be innocent u n til g u ilt is proved beyond a reasonable doubt. W o u ld B u rn s w ith his background be able to en fo rc e th e c o n s titu tio n as w ritte n ? Is it proper fo r any can dida te fo r a ju dg eship to accept support fro m any police organization? S incerely E d g a r D. F u lle r 10507 SE 37th M ilw a u kie , Ore. 97222 No m useum To the E d ito r: W hy is the C lackam as C o u n ty H is to r ic a l S o c ie ty asking us fo r a m useum to be paid fo r by taxes, when only a ye a r ago they w ere asking fo r donations fo r a $300,000 m useum ? W hat eve r hap pened to the $30 o r $40 th o u s a n d d o lla r s th e y a lre a d y collected? B efore they were going to ¿ uild an 8,000 square foot m useum and now we are asked to b u ild them a 13,000 square foot bu ild in g. W hat a ro tte n place to put a m useum —rig h t above the ug ly old paper m ills . The h is to ric a l society m ust have fou r o r fiv e thousand square feet of sfjace a lre a d y, m uch of it p o o rly used. Some of th e ir q x h ib its have not been changed in 10 years L e t's not waste ta x d o lla rs fo r a m useum in Oregon C ity. E a rl M anning 16000 S Depot Lane P a rk Place For Sko ko To the E d ito r: C lackam as C ounty Duncan To the E d ito r: As fo rm e r m em bers of the State B oard of E du catio n, we would lik e to acknow ledge p u b lic ly o u r s u p p o rt fo r Verne Duncan fo r re-election as state superintendent of pu blic in stru ctio n . Duncan supports the goals o f th e S ta te B o a rd of E d u c a tio n in c lu d in g th e m in im u m s ta n d a rd s fo r Oregon schools, the new g ra du ation requirem ents, s tr e n g th e n in g o f c a r e e r e d u c a tio n , a n d th e in c re a s in g o f s ta te sch o o l support to 50 percent Verne also is a strong advocate fo r local co n tro l of schools, as is the state board We support D uncan's e f fo rts to leave as m uch as w ill, th is y e a r , re c e iv e $ 5 4 m illio n fro m the Oregon- C a lifo rn ia tim b e r harvest The “ W atch D og” of these O&C lands is C om m issioner Stan Skoko. S ile n tly, but e ffe c tiv e ly , he has p ro te c te d C la c k a m a s C o u n ty ’ s in te re s ts . C o m m issioner Skoko's continued vig ila n c e and reten tion on the B oard is im p o rta n t to a ll of us in C lackam as County and the e n tire state. S incerely. J.T . Hazen 18043 SW S ta ffo rd Road La ke Oswego, O re 97034 IT S A LETTUCE SUBSTITUTE..."
