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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2015)
OPINION 6A T HE D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 GUEST COLUMN Funding failure is a disservice to students a $7.8 billion SSF. This For the Astoria School level of funding would District, an SSF of $7.2 JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager allow for a much more billion would mean reduc- DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager positive impact on our stu- RZ VHHPV WR EH D ¿WWLQJ ing our budget by $118 per GHQWV 6SHFL¿FDOO\ IXQG SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager time to consider the state student. That equates to ing at this level will make larger class sizes, no cap- of K-12 public education in ital improvement projects, it possible for a decrease Oregon. in class sizes in our K-12 no new math curriculum, classrooms, provide in- As our representatives meet in and possible staff reduc- FUHDVHGVWDI¿QJIRUWHDFK tions. This is clearly a step 6DOHP WR ¿QDOL]H D EXGJHW IRU WKH ing our English Language in the wrong direction. Martin next biennium, we should pause to Learners and allow for in- In order to maintain Dursse consider a few important facts. creased Career Technical the status quo, the Asto- 'XULQJWKH¿UVW\HDUVRIWKHLU ria School District would Education offerings for educational career, a student in Or- require an SSF of $7.5 billion. We our high school students. We would also be able to provide egon will attend school a full year would be able to implement full- less than the national day kindergarten, but improved building safety through average. Our class would not be able to capital improvement projects. The The sizes are among some offer strategic invest- education of our children is an in- of the largest in the ments to our Hispanic vestment in our future. To continual- education t was unfortunate to see the Oregon Court of Appeals re- nation. students and students ly underfund our K-12 schools does ject the lawsuit brought by Steve Fick and Jim Wells. Fick of our The decade from living in poverty. a great disservice to our students, 2003 to 2013 saw the Helping to close the their future employers, and our en- of Fishhawk Fisheries and Salmon for All President Wells K-12 share of the state children achievement gap be- tire community. contested rule making by the Oregon Department of Fish and budget decrease from Our state legislators have some tween these students is an tough decisions to make this session. 44.8 percent to 39.7 and the rest of our Wildlife. percent. In January investment student population is Funding our schools at an appropri- This lawsuit was about former From our perspective, the co-chairmen of the a priority in our dis- ate level should not be one of those Gov. John Kitzhaber’s surprising Kitzhaber’s gillnet decision had a state Ways and Means in our decisions. We cannot afford another trict. GHFLVLRQWRHOLPLQDWHJLOOQHW¿VKLQJ lot to do with the political potency Committee, Sen. Were the Leg- round of cuts to our public schools. future. islature to approve They must be funded at a level on the lower Columbia River. The RIWKHXUEDQVSRUWV¿VKLQJLQGXVWU\ Richard Devlin and Rep. Peter Buckley, funding at this level, which will allow all of our students outcome of Kitzhaber’s directive DQG OLWWOH WR GR ZLWK ¿VKHULHV VFL proposed a state school fund (SSF) of it would merely send a message to to thrive. ²WRPRYHIURPJLOOQHW¿VKLQJWRD ence or conservation. The folks in Salem are some- $7.2 billion. That same month, sev- the citizens and students of Oregon VHLQHQHW¿VKHU\²LVQRWWKHVXF One consequence of the former eral Clatsop County superintendents, that an education with the afore- WLPHVTXLFNWRSRLQWRXWGH¿FLHQFLHV cess story Kitzhaber said it would governor’s decision is the eco- school board members and parents mentioned shortfalls is totally ac- when it comes to test scores, school performance and graduation rates. be. nomic devastation of some long- met with Sen. Betsy Johnson and ceptable. Maybe it’s time to remind them of Rep. Deborah Boone to discuss what A more meaningful message, For Kitzhaber’s successor, time gillnet families as well as de- one simple adage: You get what you that level of funding would mean to in contrast to both of the previous Gov. Kate Brown, the gillnet creased business to the businesses their respective districts. funding levels, would be to approve pay for. situation represents the oppor- WKDW UHFHLYH WKHLU ¿VK DQG WKRVH tunity to make a bad situation who sell equipment to gillnet boat better. While we do not have the owners. At the time of Kitzhaber’s most recent numbers for seine sudden directive, state Sen. Betsy net fishing, prior reporting indi- Johnson criticized it as an exercise Suggestive sign consider retuning to the previous instruction on hydro-dynamics and cated that mortality rates for re- in “picking winners and losers in a am very disappointed in the signage. KROLVWLF¿WQHVV leased wild salmon are no better tough economy.” graphic image that Annie’s Sa- “So what the heck is water aero- CINDY MAGIE overall than for gillnetting. Far Kitzhaber rebuffed invitations loon has chosen to place so prom- Astoria bics?” you ask. Water aerobics is a low-impact sport for all ages. How- from being “walls of death,” as IURP NQRZOHGJHDEOH ¿VKHULHV H[ inently and unavoidably on Ma- ever, you get back whatever you put rine Drive. This location means rhetorically suggested by uned- perts such as Steve Fick to engage $VWRULD¶VEHVW¿WQHVVVHFUHW LQWRLWWKHKDUGHU\RXZRUNWKHZD the image will not only greet any ucated detractors, modern gill- in a dialogue about the outcome of ’m writing to tell you about As- ter, the more you will get out of it. tourists entering Astoria from U.S. nets and recovery tanks permit his gillnet decision. Gov. Brown Highway 30, but it will be seen re- WRULD¶VEHVWNHSWVHFUHWIRU¿WQHVV It’s great to tone up and it’s also a great specificity in what sizes of would advance the discussion by peatedly by many of our youngest Clatsop Community College offers a lot of fun. Gruhlkey has dedicated the last fish are caught, while providing opening a door to that valid and in- Astorians as they make the trip to water aerobics class (“Aquatic Fit- ness”) taught by Mary Jo Gruhlkey 25 plus years of her life to helping Astor School. wild salmon a chance to regain sightful perspective. I am not passing judgment on from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednes- SHRSOH JHW ¿W +HU TXDOL¿FDWLRQV strength before going back in the We look forward to seeing our also include teaching Pilates, aer- the individuals who patronize this day and Friday afternoons. water. new governor in Clatsop County. I have been taking this class from obic step and muscle conditioning. establishment, as adults they are By MARTIN DURSSE For The Daily Astorian CARL EARL, Systems Manager N Gov. Brown could make a bad situation better I Science is not supporting Kitzhaber’s gillnet directive Open forum I I CEDR awards honor partners, entrepreneurs T he annual CEDR Oregon. The results are the awards, conferred last tremendous new Astoria week at the Seaside Civic Sports Complex, essential and Convention Center, are future expansion space for a consistently inspirational CMH, long-term stability glimpse into the lives and IRUDQROGODQG¿OODQGXWLO businesses of people doing ities for Recology. innovative things here in Ultimately, this will WKH &ROXPELD3DFL¿F UH mean even better health Kevin Leahy gion. care services for people CEDR — Clatsop Economic throughout the lower Columbia re- Development Resources — thanks gion, in addition to obvious immedi- to Executive Director Kevin Leahy ate gains for local student athletes and and an active board, is a particularly spectators. effective example of a local busi- In a way resembling the modern ness-support organization. Too often, medical strategy of arranging mul- economic development can seem like tiperson organ transplants in which an exercise in going through the mo- everyone gives something and comes tions without much genuine prospect out with what they need, this multi- for making a difference. But CEDR party community negotiation could and Clatsop Community College’s be applied to countless other situa- Small Business Development Center tions around the country. Effective, — Leahy leads both — have been ex- good-faith bargaining ended up with ceptionally active in terms of provid- everyone coming away a winner. ing local entrepreneurs with the skill What an award-worthy outcome that sets they need to have a legitimate is. shot at success in today’s complicated All the private-sector CEDR competitive environment. award winners are great examples of SBDC was recently singled out as tenacity, good thinking and brave in- the best such entity among 19 in the vestment. As outlined in our story last state by the federal Small Business Thursday, Warrenton Fiber-Nygaard Association. This model of getting Logging, Astoria Brewing Co., business education out of the class- Buoy Beer Co., Englund Marine & URRPDQGSXWWLQJLWDWWKH¿QJHUWLSVRI Industrial Supply, Vintage Hardware, people making real-world decisions Main Street Market, and Fairweather is one that deserves widespread at- House and Garden all deserve ap- tention. Far too often, good business plause for making Clatsop County a ideas and aspirations aren’t paired place where people can make a living with the pragmatic skills needed to in one of the country’s most beautiful succeed over the long haul. SBDC settings. HIIHFWLYHO\¿OOVWKLVJDS Businesses must never be taken Another notable award went to the for granted. The U.S. and the world parties that managed to cut through are littered with enterprises that failed vast spools of red tape and give the to prosper and have faded away. The Astoria community a big multipart CEDR Awards are an annual remind- victory. The Community Partnership er that many of our neighbors work Award went to Columbia Memorial hard and are rewarded for their ef- Hospital, Astoria School District, the forts. This is a big deal. Please join city of Astoria and Recology Western with us in congratulating them. free to do so, but I would prefer that my young daughters remain unaware of what transpires with- in the building. By replacing the old, much more subtle, sign with the image of a woman in such an sexually suggestive pose, we are introducing the idea of women as objects, and is hardly the image and message we want for our little girls or boys. It is frustrating that after our efforts to shield our kids from in- appropriate sexual images on TV and movies, our kids will now be exposed to this very graphic image every morning riding the school bus to elementary school. Please her for the past 24 years. We started at Tapiola Park in the summers, and we had to scrounge for other venues (the KOA, and The Dunes, for ex- ample) during the fall, winter and spring months. That is, until the As- toria Aquatics Center opened. Now we are so lucky to have a year-round gig. Let me tell you about Mary Jo *UXKONH\ 6KH LV D FHUWL¿HG JURXS ¿WQHVV LQVWUXFWRU ZLWK \HDUV RI DTXDWLF¿WQHVVEDFNJURXQG6KHJRHV to annual trainings to maintain her FHUWL¿FDWLRQIRUH[DPSOHODVWVXP mer she completed “Aquatic Exer- cise for Rehabilitation and Training” in New York. This class included She teaches three separate water aerobics classes a week, but the morning classes, 7 to 8 a.m., always ¿OOXSIDVW1RZZHDUHIRUWXQDWHWR have the class offered in the after- noon. The college charges $39 per term (next term: March 30 through June 5) and the only other thing that is re- quired is to purchase a punch card or pool pass from the Aquatics Center. You may want to get a pair of water shoes as well. So hop to it and register for spring WHUP FRPH KDYH VRPH IXQ DQG JHW ¿WZLWKXV JOSIE PEPER Astoria cational benefits to help get them started in the process. One hundred local businesses and individuals donated mon- ey and/or door prizes this year, an outstanding contribution to opening the gateway to a prom- ising and productive future for these women. Undoubtedly, the support we received with front- page stories in The Daily Asto- rian, Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach Gazette facilitated the largesse from our donors and the enthusiastic turnout of the 2015 Women of WINGS. Thank you so much. ANE MCINTYRE Gearhart he Warrenton Community Center Advisory Board held its annual “Breakfast with Santa” Dec. 20. The breakfast was a great success, and we want to thank the community for their support. We served 173 people. We would also like to thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars Detach- ment 1228, Lektro Inc., and Star- bucks Coffee in Warrenton, and the Pig ’N Pan- cake, the Bar Pilots and Ocean Beauty in Astoria for their dona- tions. Students Jose Contreras, Joey Justice and Asia Lambert from Warrenton High School worked very hard taking breakfast orders and serving the attendees. Our next breakfast will help the community celebrate the Fourth of July. FRANK BECKER Chairman, Warrenton Commu- nity Center Advisory Board N.E., H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1431. Web: www. leg.state.or.us/witt/ Email: rep. bradwitt@state.or.us • State Rep. Deborah Boone (D): 900 Court St. N.E., H-375, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503- 986-1432. Email: rep.deborah boone@state.or.us District office: P.O. Box 637, Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone: 503-986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.or.us/ boone/ • State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D): State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., S-314, Salem, OR 97301. Tele- phone: 503-986-1716. Email: sen. betsy johnson@state.or.us Web: www.betsyjohnson.com District 2I¿FH 32 %R[ 5 6FDSSRRVH OR 97056. Phone: 503-543-4046. )D[ $VWRULD RI¿FH phone: 503-338-1280. • Port of Astoria: Executive Director, 10 Pier 1 Suite 308, As- toria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-741- 3300. Email: admin@portofasto- ria.com • Clatsop County Board of Commissioners: c/o County Man- ager, 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR 97103. Phone: 503- 325-1000. IN GRATITUDE WINGS takes flight R e: “Free conference gave local woman WINGS” (The Daily Astorian, Feb. 24): The American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Astoria and Seaside want to say a big thank you to the EO Media Group for publishing Andrew Tonry’s story about Nich- ole Soares, a 2010 WINGS grad- uate. Her front-page story of strug- gle and triumph resonated with local women who signed up for this year’s March 7 WINGS Con- ference, co-hosted by Clatsop Community College and AAUW. Designed for Women Interested in Going to School, our all-day free conference was attended by more than 50 women this year. They re- ceived information on all aspects of returning to school, enjoyed free lunch and child care and edu- Thanks from Santa T Where to write • U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Wash- ington, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District office: 12725 SW Mil- likan Way, Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005. Phone: 503-326-2901. Fax 503-326-5066. Web: bonami- ci.house. gov/ • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Web: www.merk- ley.senate.gov • State Rep. Brad Witt (D): State Capitol, 900 Court Street