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..."