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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2019)
PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 15, 2019 main function of the Board is passing a budget that refl ects the needs of our students and continued from Page A2 employees in an equitable manner. At the end of the day, In addition to the sadness the Board needs to take an ac- we are seeing in our students tive role in lobbying the legis- faces, we are seeing them dis- lature for complete funding of engage in what should be our schools. Current funding the best years of their lives. is not even close to providing Whether we blame that on the resources that our stu- technology or not, disengage- dents need and deserve. My experience ment is a se- and contacts at rious issue. It the legislature fosters a lack make me the of ownership, legitimate and self-worth and best candidate the feelings of for this posi- acceptance. I tion. am seeing stu- KT: Giv- dents work en all the im- less towards p rove m e n t s something coming to the they once en- district in the joyed, and near future, harder to fi nd what do you more excuses hope to ac- to fail than to complish in succeed. We the oversight are losing our role the board children’s in- — Chuck Lee will have? terest in edu- DB: We cation, we are can look at the pushing them opportunities down a tunnel we have at our that only earns ready and fi nd them adult- new ways to hood, without get access to feeling and liv- students across ing the joys of the district to childhood. We those oppor- have lost the importance of knowing what tunities. I would like to look is developmentally appropri- at creating a new path of ac- cess for students to reach out ate for children. We need to take a deep and gain CTE skills, and not look at what is preventing have to transfer from their student investment. We need home school. We have done to talk to those on the ground an excellent job as a com- level, students and parents, munity supporting CTEC, they are the experts. We need now we need to fi nd a way to build on their passions, and to broaden the access to what investments and create envi- we already have in place. I ronments everyone wants to know fi rsthand what it looks be in. Creativity doesn’t have like in the job market today, I to cost money, it may just re- work with hundreds of local quire thoughtful listening and businesses who are beggin g for access to young, capable adjustment. CL:The school board has minds, who present well with one employee and that is the a base set of skills. CL: During the past two Superintendent, Christy Perry. bond measures I was the lead Mrs. Perry has demonstrated the willingness and ability to Board member on the cam- address the major issues facing paigns. I helped raise over our District and students. It $200,000 for both successful is important for the Board to campaigns. I advocated for monitor her performance on keeping Keizer kids at Mc- critical issues and support her Nary rather than opening a where appropriate. The other new school. Instead, we will SCHOOL, “The Board needs to take an active role in lobbying the Legislature for complete funding of our schools.” be increasing the capacity at McNary. I was pleased that we were able to negotiate a win-win with St. Edward [Catholic Church] for the needed additional land need- ed for expansion while giv- ing St. Edward funds to meet some of their needs. I have been invited to attend the fi rst meeting with contractors on March 15 at McNary to get updated on the project. In the next four years, I am commit- ted to transparent and respon- sible oversight of the 2018 bond measure; providing the fi scal and policy leadership to give students hands-on inte- grated learning opportunities that blend academic, profes- sional and technical skills. KT: What issues, if any, would you like to see the school board address with greater urgency in the next four years? DB: I want to look long and hard at the impacts of mental illness in our schools, identify what is missing and charge after solutions. I want to work within our commu- nities to bring parents, neigh- bors and professionals to the forefront to solve the tragedies we are seeing far to often. I would like the board to take a deep long look at the behavior issues we have within every building in our district. I want to review the policy and hand tying that has been done to prevent our spaces from being safe for all children to be successful/hap- py learners in. I would like to see a task force developed community-wide to take on both of these major issues, and if necessary, work with state level leaders to undo policies or develop policies that give the professionals in our build- ings the tools they need to focus on educational success. I want to meet these kids where they are, let them be seen, show them they are loved and that we all want them to succeed. I want them to want to succeed and we need to collaborate and secure the tools, steps or whatever necessary to get them there. CL:I can not emphasize enough the important and urgent need to stabilize public education in Oregon. In De- cember, the governor released a recommended budget for the State School Fund at $8.9 billion. This is barely current service level! The Co-chairs of Joint Committee on Ways and Means released their pro- posed budget for 2019-21 last week which was a reduction of $100 million from the gov- ernor’s proposed budget. If this amount is approved, it would mean a reduction of $3.5 million or $7 million for the biennium. This is equiva- lent to approximately 33 few- er teachers across our district. Without adequate and consis- tent school funding, we can not address class size, gradu- ation rates, and best practice education. In reality, the most import- ant thing for the school board is to work with the superin- tendent and district leadership to identify the really import- ant work, remove personal in- terests, and establish laser-like focus on our students. Measles case confi rmed in Marion County The Oregon Health Au- thority (OHA) has confi rmed a case of measles in a resident of Marion County. The case is linked to a traveler who recent- ly visited Marion County. Marion County health offi - cials were monitoring an addi- tional suspect case with lab tests pending at press time Wednes- day, March 13. The county is working with the Oregon Health Authority to notify individuals of their potential exposure and help them take steps to prevent ex- posing others should they be- come ill. Most Oregonians have been vaccinated against measles and their risk is low. Risk may be higher for unvaccinated persons who may have been exposed at one of these locations during these times only: • Youth With a Mission, 7085 Battle Creek Road SE, Salem, Feb. 18, 7 a.m. through March 11, 5 p.m. • Get Air Trampoline Park, 3910 Rickey St. SE, Salem, Feb. 21, 1:45-5 p.m. • Red Robin, 831 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, Feb. 21, 12:30- 3:30 p.m. • Portland International Air- port: Southwest Airlines check- in area and Concourse C, Feb. 22, 12:30–5 p.m. If you or someone you know is not immunized, been exposed and is displaying symptoms, call a health care provider or urgent care center by telephone to create an entry plan to avoid exposing others in waiting rooms. Measles poses the high- est risk to unvaccinated preg- nant women, infants under 12 months of age, and people with weakened immune systems. The symptoms of measles start with a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash that usually begins on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. Common complications of measles include ear infection, lung infection, and diarrhea. Swelling of the brain is a rare but much more serious com- plication. CREATING CHANGE BEGINS WITH US! We go above & beyond what most Realtors do! If selling, we help you paint, pressure wash, move you, and help with staging your home! If buying, there are two of us always available to meet your needs, and help you throughout the buying process. Call Ken and Carolyn for a FREE home valuation. Ken Ream 503- 881- 5335 Carolyn Ream 503-551-3656 FIND OUT MORE. 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