7
The
Vol 69 No. 15
SANDY, OREGON, THURSDAY, A PR ILI^ 1979
< USPS 481-1MÜ»
SUHS teacher may lose job over wood [cutting
by K A Y E BARTON H A K K E
r
“
---------- "
Board member* of Sandy Union High
School D istrict heard 5‘ a hours of
Imtimony Monday night at a public
hearing requested hy a teacher whose
contract of employment was not
renewed,
Bert Key, social studies teacher and a
itusketball coach in his second year at
SUMS, was Informed March S3 by
superintendent Jack Peters that the
Ixtard had voted not to renew his
teaching contract.
The action was taken In the March 12
meeting, when all the staff contracts
were reviewed The hoard is required
hy law to notify teachers before March
15 if their contracts werre reviewed
I he b o ard is re q u ire d hy law to n o tify
teachers before March 15 If their
contracts are not being extended
Contracts which are not cancelled by
that date are, In effect, renewed
The letter of Cancellation sent to Key
cited severul reasons for the decision
Hoard m e m b tp tielieved Key to be
g u ilty
of ‘'in su b o rd in a tio n and
destruction of school property, extreme
poor judgment und the appearance of
dishonesty ”
Monday night's testimony revealed
that the cancellation of Key's contract
appeared to tie based on a woodcutting
incident which occurred during the
school's Christmas break from classes
Key and his attorney, Skip Durham of
Eugene, called numerous witnesses
from among Key s fellow teachers, his
teaching
supervisors, and ad
m inistrators. to establish that his
competence as a teacher and his
conduct with students were not under
question
H E K T K E Y , at left, listens to testimony during hi* Monday
hearing with the Mandy high school board Hitting with him
Peters
acknowledged
that
evaluations of Key's performance in
the classroom had nothing to to do with
the
board's
decision.
" B e r t's
evaluations have always been very
good." Peters said "He has control of
the classroom and he strives to im
prove."
Most of Monday night's testimony
dealt with events which took place Dec
27 and 29. 1978 when Key and three
other high school teachers cut firewood
from property on Southeast Coalman
Hoad owned by the district.
INDEX
Staff photo
are Don Roberts, center, of the Oregon Education
Association, and Key's attorney. Skip Durham of Eugene.
The teachers said during testimony
they believed they had been granted
permission to cut the wood, the board
said much more wood was taken than
had been authorized Estimates of the
missing wood’s value during testimony
ranged from $500 to St.500
Although hoard members repeatedly
said Key was not being charged with
theft, and pointed out that Monday
night's lengthy session was a hearing
and not a tria l, testimony indicated that
the hoard had based its non renewal of
Key’s contract on the missing wood and
their belief that he was involved in its
disappearance.
Because Key is a "probationary"
teacher, one who has not filled the
three-year tria l period before tenure is
granted, his contract can be cancelled
"fo r cause deemed in good faith by the
hoard "according to state law. .
Testim ony during the hearing
revealed that four teachers had cut
wood on the school's 80-acre forestry
lab Key, Bob Keyes, a health teacher
and basketball coach Kandy Hut
chinson. track coach and department
chairman of physical education and
health, and Gary Curtis, an electronics
teacher
Key got involved in the woodcutting
project when Keyes told him per
mission had been granted to cut a
pickup load of wood on the Coalman
Road property.
Keyes had, in fact, obtained per
mission from staff members in charge
of the land lab Board members took
exception to the fact that Keyes had
obtained permission only for himself,
and that Key. Hutchinson and Curtis
accompanied him
A tto rn e y D urham brought out
testimony from witnesses who in
dicated that previous administration
policies regarding the woodlot had been
much more relaxed, and that wood
cutting among faculty members had
been a regular occurrence in years
past.
Key. Keyes and Curtis all said that
they had no feeling of wrongdoing while
they were cutting the wood "To me, it
wasn’t something illegal — I had
permission, and I conveyed that fact to
B e rt." Keyes said.
The other three men were also in
vestigated by the board and by the
county sheriff’s department
Hut
chinson and Curtis were reportedly
cleared of suspicion regarding the
excess missing wood
Peters said after a grand jury in
vestigation, District Attorney James
O'Leary said that evidence was in
sufficient to bring criminal charges
against the other two and advised that
the matter be dealt with on a civil
basis.
Keyes' contract was also cancelled
by hoard vote on March 12, but he
submitted a letter of resignation, dated
March 9. which listed "professional
advancement ” as his reason for leaving
at the end of the 1978-79 school year
Key's attorney Durham called a
dozen fellow teachers to testify during
the hearing, many of whom said they
could have behaved sim ilarly under the
circumstances.
Numerous witnesses a ttrib u te d
"honest," ‘Integrity,” and “respect for
the school s adm inistration" to Key.
Bob Stocking, director of career
education and the board's principal
witness in the case, also called Key a
"credible person ” But Stocking said,
"There are discrepancies in this whole
story — things which just don't f it "
regarding the amount of wood the four
men cut and when they removed it.
Another sore point with the board was
that the teachers, when they were
unable to obtain a key to unlock the
cable gate, drove over the cable at a
point where it sagged, and touched or
nearly touched the ground
The men also lifted the post attached
to the cable, raising it high enough so
they could drive under the cable with
two mini-pickups.
"And I specifically told them not to go
inside the gate," Stocking testified
No crim inal charges w ill be brought
against Key as a result of the hearing,
which was called at his request so the
board could reconsider their decision
not to renew bis contract.
The hearing was continued until May
7. when one more witness w ill be heard
and the board w ill make its decision on
the case.
Committee okays ‘no. frills’ budget
by DAN DILLON
It represents a unique element of the to Jordan, and allow for the hiring of a budget for emergencies Jordan ad
city
staff, according to Jordan Its part-time page, library circulation has mitted he was "playing Russian
A "no fr ills " budget which would
E ditorial, le tte rs . . . .
roulette ', gambling that no police car
move Sandy from its $225.000 deficit budget represents a one-person doubled in recent years and projected
expansion of services warrants tins, he accidents or other emergencies would
Menus
position to a zero base was recom operation
The city has gone to a computer said.
occur.
Hood land Happenings
mended to the city council Monday.
The police department, the c ity ’s
Ths committee raised the amount of
The proposed $722.987 general fund operation, attempting to establish a
Area News
financial
operation largest single budget, reflects the in the operating contingencies fund, which
budget would staff one less city em well-balanced
People. Church
ployee but continue the current level of which w ill yield the information needed tegration of two officer positions into covers such emergencies, from $10.000
Easter Services D ire c to rv ..........................................
service with the lowest tax rate to keep financial records in balance. the local budget These have previously to $15,000. Jordan said the city would
Home Garden
probably have to take an emergency
possible, according to City Manager The proposed finance office budget is been funded by CETA.
$20,167.
Sports. Recreation
Pages 1-5. Section I I I
If there are cuts in the $191,781 police loan from another fund if something
Roger Jordan. That tax rate would be
The lib ra ry ’s budget of $42,177 budget, there would not be enough unforeseen happens. Next year the city
Legal Notices
$4 37 per $1000 assessed property value
represents
a major increase in per money to continue 24-hour service in would budget a payback.
Television Directory . .
Pages S-8. Section I I I
In his budget message, Jordan said.
The recreation department budget,
“Knowing of the city's deficit position, sonnel services This w ill bring the Sandy, Jordan maintains
>-------------------------------------------
salaries of its employees more in line
Councilman Deane Wesselink noted $21,002. would simply fill in the gaps of
the city staff felt that if we can simply
with other city departments, according that there is nothing in the police
get by with m inim al appropriation next
year, in future years as our financial
basis stabilizes, we w ill purchase the
many needed items for the city.”
To keep the tax rate down, many nor.-
departmental items and almost all
Peter Cottontail wasn't on hand but age may help them to catch up with
volvement," he added. "We want them
capital outlay was transferred to something even better showed up other children earlier, he said.
to get along with other kids."
by K A Y E BARTON H A K K E
revenue sharing funds
Tuesday morning at the Clackamas
five gallon buckets to take care of the
"They need to experience some
One way to provide social contact is
High school hoard members re problem," be said
A zero base would mean that the city
Education Service D istrict <ESD> things several times where as it only and Easter party, but in the kids' eyes it
convened Monday night following a
The board voted to use the $82.000 is out of its deficit position, but it would special education classes — a six-foot takes once for some other children,’,
was more of an opportunity to hunt eggs
lengthy personnel hearing to dispose of balance from a 1974 bond issue ear also mean that there would be no cash
Easter Runny.
Nelson said "So we teach them catch or get candy from the bunny
several matters in a session which marked for renovation and remodeling
to supplem ent
the c ity 's
tax
The bunny, alias Jim Guffey, director up skills.
continued past 1 a m Tuesday.
And that may have been the greatest
of the building to pay for the new roof, if
requirements
of
the ESD program for mentally
"We also concentrate on social in catch-up' lesson of them all.
The board discussed alternatives legal counsel advises them that such
This problem has been compounded retarded and developmentslly delayed
facing the district after the failure of usage is proper.
by
overestimations of outside revenues < MR-DD) students, was the hit of the
the A p ril 3 special levy election which
Peters explained that the roofing wgs
in the last few years. Jordan said his Easter party held for preschool and
was presented to provide new science
classrooms, a new roof, and a mentioned in the school's proposed estimates this year are conservative as prim ary children at the Marvlhurst
operating budget manual, because
remodeled track.
a result.
campus
The levy failed by 77 votes Board unless the expenditure.!* listed in (be
In addition, last year's budget did not
The party was attended by ap
members discussed presenting the budget document, (be board is not
include any figure for uncollectable proximately two dozen youngsters from
issue again on the May 22 hallot with empowered to spend the funds.
taxes These w ill amount to more than the district's MR-DD and autistic
The only source of the funds was the
the track resurfacing omitted
$20,000 These items account for the programs Missing were some of the
defeated
A
pril
3
levy
issue,
however
the
However, suggestions came from the
lack of revenue and are the major district's homebound students, in
audience that the board lake a long- remodeling was not contained in both
reason
why the general fund cluding children from Sandy, Wemme
the
April
and
June
levy
attempts,
as
range approach to building and
requirements are up from last year. It and Boring
reported in last week's Post.
rem odeling, in v itin g com m unity
is not the result of increased spending.
The district serves students in the
Peters said if the legal nod is given to
Jordan
emphasized.
classroom and at home, according to
use the $82,000 for reroofing. he w ill call
In fact, the budget committee added Russ Nelson of the ESD. There are also
for bids immediately to get the project
$6,000 to the proposal, beefing up city three autistic children from the county
underway
council's travel and the operating in the ESD program
The hoard also accepted the
contingencies account
"The fact that they are mentally
recom m endations of the budget
The city council’s 100 percent in delayed means that they may catch up
committee to cut $203.481 from next
year's operating budget, lowering the crease to $2.600 includes a $t,OuO in with other kids their age," Nelson said.
levy request to on the June election to crease in travel expenses toallow some "We try to teach them self-help skills ."
approximately $| 8 million of the members to travel to the League of
Nelson explained that this usually
school s total $3 million budget
National Cities meeting, small cities means preparation activities for the in-
Cuts were made by eliminating the section, which w ill be held on the west class students — helping kids ready
summer program involving use of coast This occurrence warranted extra themselves for the day when they may
gyms and playgrounds, reducing funds, according to the budget com
catch up with others.
allocations for supplies and equipment mittee
by a combined total of $46.000 and
For the homebound student the
The city manager's budget of $69,033
e lim in a tin g
five new proposed
education might mean helping with the
includes the integration of a secretary
positions
pupil's motor skills
The board also approved a policy into the manager's office budget In
"T h e in s tru c to r m ight help a
with Redland School D istrict which addition it includes a CETA-funded
homebound student learn how to hold a
would allow currently enrolled Redland adm inistrative assistant to aid in
pencil, tie his shoes or develop name-
students, as well as their younger grantsmanship. Reimbursement tor
Jack Peters
color
re c o g n itio n ." Nelson said
siblings, to attend Sandy High on a that position would lower the city's
"A ctually, toilet training, might even
participation in the process.
tuition
basis with transportation actual expense to $57,342
he a part of it."
Earl Meier spoke in favor of the
provided by the Redland School
The legal and judicial budget
D istrict.
There are three class instructors and
planning approach. "1 think building
decreased from last year despite the
stop gap facilities is a nearsighted
Graduation requirements for the high
four aids for the two dozen MR-DD
solution to the distict's problem.” he school were discussed, with no action addition of a part-time municipal judge classroom students. One full-tim e and
taken by the hoard Dennis Crown, the and a raise in the city attorney’s one part-time instructor assist the
said
Superintendent Jack Peters pointed
school's administrative assistant, w ill re ta in e r to handle general ad homebound children
out that reroofing project is not
lead community-staff task force to m inistrative matters That budget is
The student rang in age from
something which can be postponed
study the problem The task force met $11,600
"We've had a lot of rain this week, and
for the first time Wednesday, and has
The finance office has been separated newborn to five or six, according to
we don't have enough visqueen and scheduled a public hearing May 23
Easter bunny Jim Guffey
from the city manager's office, because Nelson Working with kids at an early
Keeping Posted
A
Board cuts budget,
plans for re-roofing
Easter bunny brings early treats