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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2015)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015 School: ‘It’s more of an opportunity gap than it is an achievement gap’ Continued from Page 1A Aguilera said she enjoys the activities teachers do with their kids in America, the materials students are provided and the spacious classrooms. Quarters are cramped in her schools in Mexico, Aguilera said, and En- glish instruction is mostly avail- able to only those who can afford private schools and teachers. Closing the gap A gap in academic achieve- ment between the general stu- dent population on one side, and economically disadvantaged and ethnic minorities on the oth- er, pervades Oregon’s schools. The migrant summer school, largely serving the Hispanic mi- nority on the North Coast, is one of many efforts to close the gap. Each student coming into the migrant education program undergoes a pre-assessment of their academic skills, and a post-assessment gauging their academic growth. Tucker said 95 percent of students who at- tended the migrant summer school in 2014 showed growth in reading and math scores based on their assessments. “It’s more of an opportunity gap than it is an achievement gap,” Hoppes said in January, updating the Astoria School Board on the district’s efforts to make education more equitable. “We have some kids who don’t have the opportunities of other kids.” During the January presen- tation, Astoria’s Curriculum Director Melissa Linder said faculty at Astoria often lack the Spanish to adequately help stu- dents. This year, the district is starting to embed English as Second Language teachers into two or three targeted classrooms per grade level, kindergarten WKURXJK¿IWKJUDGH “Through research and train- ing, we feel the push-in model is more effective over time,” Hop- pes said, adding it won’t affect non-ESL students. Success story Gema Garcia, one of the two teaching assistants this summer, could be considered a success story of the migrant school. A graduate of Astoria High School this year, Garcia was Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian From left: Cassandra Valadez, Xochitl Perez, Sergio Cipriano, and Nadia Lopez, work on con- structing a pinata during a migrant summer school class at Astoria Middle School Thursday. recently named Oregon’s mi- grant student of the year by the Northwest Regional Education Service District’s migrant edu- cation program. Like Borja, Garcia said she attended the migrant school around the time she was transi- tioning from elementary to mid- dle school. “I guess I was shy, and the school helped me” make friends, she said. Garcia now heads to Port- land State University, where she will study chemistry in hopes of becoming a nursing anesthetist. Like her older sister Rosalita and brother Salvador, Garcia said she plans on returning in the summer to help at the mi- grant school. Road plan: ‘The transportation Dunning: ‘The V\VWHPLVQRWJRLQJWR¿[LWVHOI¶ support from Continued from Page 1A “Elements of the proposal that emerged late in the legis- lative session represent an en- couraging starting point for fu- ture discussions, especially the proposed $80 million in funding for transit systems,” said Chris 5DOO 1RUWKZHVW ¿HOG RUJDQL]HU for Transportation for America, a national group that backs state and federal funding. The proposal attempted to couple funding for road and bridge work, and for public tran- sit operations, with alternatives for greenhouse-gas reductions from transportation. The funding for road and bridge work would have come from a 4-cent increase in Ore- gon’s gasoline tax — now 30 cents per gallon — and increas- es in vehicle registration fees. Under the Oregon Constitution, those sources are earmarked. For transit operations, a tax on employee wages was pro- posed for districts that already have authority to levy a payroll tax on employers. It would have raised $80 million annually for two of Oregon’s largest sys- tems, TriMet and Lane Transit District, plus smaller systems in Wilsonville, Sandy and Canby. Last year, the League of Or- egon Cities and Association of Oregon Counties issued reports saying they are a combined $500 million short each year of what they need to maintain roads and bridges. The Oregon Department of Transportation maintains 8,000 miles of highways that carry about 60 percent of Oregon’s WUDI¿F 7KH GHSDUWPHQW UHSRUW- ed in 2014 that 87 percent of its pavement was in fair or better condition. While that is above its goal of 78 percent, the de- partment also said it is unlikely to remain there without an infu- sion of cash in the next couple of years. A sticking point But the legislative proposal foundered on the alternatives proposed to a low-carbon fuel standard, which Democratic majorities pushed through over Republican opposition. While senators from both parties were willing to craft alternatives, House Democrats and environ- mental groups were unwilling to jettison the standard after just three months. “I was assured there were alternative ways of approaching this issue that would be accept- able, but that turned out not to be true,” said Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, one of the bipartisan negotiators. One of the alternatives, which mirrors a potential 2016 ballot measure sponsored by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Several Clatsop County bridges, such as the West Broad- way bridge in Seaside, are in need of repairs. fuel distributors, would have proposed graduated reductions in the carbon content of fuel. But the total reduction would have amounted to 5 percent, less than the 10 percent set by the standard over a decade. Another alternative over- stated the reduction of green- house-gas emissions projected WKURXJK LPSURYHG WUDI¿F ÀRZV to relieve congestion. “Given more time, we could KDYH UH¿QHG WKH QXPEHUV DQG shown a carbon reduction that would have beaten the low-car- bon fuel standard,” said Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, another ne- gotiator. “But now we have not been given that opportunity.” Republicans argued that the standard would result in high- er fuel prices, which they said would be too much on top of a smaller tax increase. A tax in- crease requires 60 percent su- permajorities for approval, and that means at least one Republi- can in the current House. “I think the most important thing for us to know in advance is how much give there is in the standard,” Bentz said. “If they are going to refuse to modify it in any way, this conversation is going to be pretty short.” But Andrea Durbin, execu- tive director of the Oregon En- vironmental Council, said Ore- gon needs both the standard and a funding plan put forth by the Oregon Transportation Forum, which it is a member of. “To put one against the oth- er is a false choice and helps no one,” Durbin said. State Sen. Lee Beyer, '6SULQJ¿HOG VDLG WKH GLVSXWH may be resolved outside the Legislature. Fuel distributors have gone to U.S. District Court with a lawsuit that asserts the standard violates the federal constitu- tional guarantee of interstate commerce, although a similar argument failed to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to California’s stan- dard in 2014. Fuel distributors also have ¿OHG WZR EDOORW PHDVXUHV DO- though neither has received enough signatures to start the petition-circulating process for the 2016 general election ballot. “I think you will not see much of an effect on the cost of fuels,” said Beyer, one of the bipartisan negotiators, who also ZDV WKH ÀRRU PDQDJHU IRU WKH fuel-standard bill. “The envi- ronmental groups have the skin they want to hang on their wall.” A turning point? In the 2013 Oregon Values & Beliefs Project survey conduct- ed by DHM Research of Port- land for a coalition of public and QRQSUR¿W DJHQFLHV SHUFHQW of those sampled say road and highway maintenance is very or somewhat important — fourth of 20 government services. New roads and highways, on the other hand, ranked 19th. One economist said Oregon, like other states and the federal government, must consider that fuel taxes alone can no longer shoulder the costs of road and bridge upkeep. “When you adjust it for in- ÀDWLRQ\RXDUHORZHULQJLWDQG it’s not generating as much rev- enue,” said Joe Cortright, who leads the Portland consulting ¿UP ,PSUHVD DQG LV D IRUPHU legislative staffer. “People also DUH GULYLQJ PRUH IXHOHI¿FLHQW vehicles and they are driving less.” Multnomah and Washing- ton counties levy their own gasoline taxes, and so do 22 cities. Among them are Canby, Milwaukie, Sandy and Tigard; 3HQGOHWRQ DQG 6WDQ¿HOG DQG Astoria and Warrenton. But there has been local re- sistance to increasing fees for street and road repairs, most re- cently the shelving by the Port- land City Council of a proposed street fee and voter rejection in Washington County last year of a registration fee increase. “What people are saying when they oppose higher gas taxes is that they hate being VWXFNLQWUDI¿FEXWWKH\GRQRW stick a value to it,” Cortright said. “We do not want to spend more money to get more roads.” Public opinion may be changing, however, at least in the Portland area. Asked in a fall 2014 survey conducted by Oregon State University for the Oregon De- partment of Transportation how VHULRXVWUDI¿FFRQJHVWLRQZDVWR them, almost 60 percent of the 1,288 respondents said it was minor or nonexistent. But 43 percent said it was somewhat or very serious — up 7 percentage points from two years ago. In Portland, 63.4 percent RI WKRVH VDPSOHG FDOOHG WUDI¿F congestion somewhat or very serious — far more than in any other area of the state. What’s next? Gov. Kate Brown acknowl- HGJHG WKDW WKHUH LV ³VLJQL¿FDQW statewide support” for trans- portation spending, “and I am willing to continue those discus- VLRQV´%XWVKHKDVQRWVSHFL¿HG when or how they will happen. While Beyer thinks there’s little chance of anything hap- pening before the 2016 election — when Brown will be up for the two years remaining in the term she assumed when John Kitzhaber resigned in February — he said there may be some hope in the blue-ribbon panel Kitzhaber named to look at Or- egon’s system over the next 30 years. “I was originally skeptical when he put it together, but ac- tually, a couple of the meetings of the group that I was at were pretty productive,” Beyer said. Also on that panel is Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, who was one of the bipartisan negotiators. She thinks there is still value in having the group of eight resume meetings. “We were briefed so thor- oughly on many of the elements that would have to be included in a comprehensive transpor- tation package that I think it would be a shame to start all over again,” Johnson said. “This group spent so much time together and is now so knowledgeable.” AAA’s Campbell said the recent closed-door talks in the JRYHUQRU¶VRI¿FHGLGQRWDOORZ participation by many of the transportation users and local government members of the fo- rum. “If you do not get the right people in the room for the dis- cussion, you can make mistakes that cost you time,” he said. “But I am sure this will be just as important in 2017 as it is now. The transportation system LVQRWJRLQJWR¿[LWVHOI´ The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Me- dia Group and Pamplin Media Group. the community is phenomenal’ Continued from Page 1A The world’s cultures are connected by water. “It goes beyond borders,” Smith said. Pilot logs The museum contains books, photos, newspaper clippings, charts, maps manuscripts and more, in- cluding pilot logs from the Columbia River Bar Pilots dating back to the 1940s. The oldest of those records had been turned into scrap- books, the logs serving as the templates with addi- tions glued over them. That history-rich envi- ron is where Dunning has found herself. “I’m learning a lot about submarine captains in World War II,” she said. “Who was doing what, where and when.” Dunning also some- times recognizes street and local names from the histo- ries of the area. She’s found memoirs of sailors and older na- val histories. She’s even VHHQ VRPH ¿FWLRQDO ZRUNV among the collection. “There’s always anoth- HUVWRU\WR¿QG´VKHVDLG Walks dogs When she’s not knee- deep in history, there’s a good chance that she’s pur- suing her other passion by volunteering to help man’s best friend. She walks dogs three afternoons a week for the Clatsop County Animal Shelter Volunteer Group, where she’s volunteered for six and a half years. The group received the accolade of Outstanding Volunteer Group this year from the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners after being nominated by Animal Control Supervi- sor Stephen Hildreth. Dun- ning was one of the many volunteers included in the honor. Dunning said that she can be having a horrible day, but when she takes a dog for a walk, they’re both happy. The second half of her devotion to animals is her work with Clatsop Animal Assistance, which helps support the shelter. The QRQSUR¿W IXQGV YHWHULQDU\ care for shelter animals, helps get animals adopted and helps pay for pets to be spayed and neutered. Dun- ning has worked with the JURXSIRU¿YH\HDUVDQGLV the group’s president. “I’ve found that a lot of the skills I developed in running a small business are helpful in being the SUHVLGHQW RI D QRQSUR¿W´ she said. She helps main- WDLQ WKH QRQSUR¿W¶V ZHE- site, assists with fundrais- ing and event planning and writes grants. “It’s a lot of fun — I love it,” she said. Community support The group is current- ly running a GoFundMe campaign to raise $4,000 for L’il One, a dog who needs surgery to repair his shattered kneecaps. Community involve- ment and support has helped buoy the group. Dogs Allowed Cannon Beach and The Wine Shack are among local business that have contrib- XWHGWRWKHQRQSUR¿W7KH\ donated all proceeds from their collaborative “Dogs Allowed Wine” line to the group. The Inn at Cannon Beach also has sponsored a fundraiser, “Mutts and Moms,” to help support the group. Warrenton Kia and Lum’s Auto Center both sponsored adoption events. “The support from the community is phenome- nal,” she said. Clatsop Animal Assis- tance also brings adoptable animals to their booth at the Astoria Sunday Mar- ket every other week from May through part of Sep- tember. Their next appear- ance is Aug. 9. “All our pets have been either strays or rescues,” Dunning said. Dunning and her hus- band, Bob Potter, have one dog of their own, an 18-year-old terrier mix rescue. He’s named Yogi after baseball hall-of-fam- er Yogi Berra. They’ve had him nearly 17 years. “He’s a pistol,” Dun- ning said. — McKinley Smith Hayne: ‘He seems to be at war with law enforcement’ Continued from Page 1A Hayne was arrested in 2014 at his mother’s home in Svensen, where he moved in un- invited. His mother, who was 87 at the time, had been subjected to threats and physical contact, including being put in a head- lock by her son, who screamed in her face. She told police she feared for her life. “Our intention was to protect his mother, and the bigger issue is protecting the community,” pros- ecutor Scott McCracken said. “He seems to be at war with law enforcement. He doesn’t seem to think they are human beings just EHFDXVHWKH\DUHRI¿FHUV´ When deputies arrived to arrest Hayne in May 2014, he attacked them by punching a deputy in the face and kicking a police dog. Hayne has a history of such crimes. He was sentenced to prison in 2000 for third-degree DVVDXOWRQDSXEOLFVDIHW\RI¿FHU In 2011, he was arrested when KH VFXIÀHG ZLWK SROLFH ZKLOH holding a knife. Similar assaults RQ SXEOLF VDIHW\ RI¿FHUV ZHUH how he was arrested in 2013. In addition, investiga- tors found several rantings on Hayne’s Facebook and YouTube accounts where he threatens to kill police, and offers anti-Se- mitic and neo-Nazi statements. Clatsop County District At- torney Josh Marquis applauded his deputy, McCracken, for pros- ecuting the case that resulted in a 29-year sentence. He said the prison sentence could likely save people’s lives, including Hayne’s. “This guy is really danger- ous,” he said. At a hearing last month, Hayne requested a delay for sentencing so he could obtain a lawyer. He was appointed defense lawyer Thomas Freedman Jr., who represented Hayne at sen- tencing. Hayne declined to speak Fri- day, and only asked the court to “get on with it.”