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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2018
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
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OUR VIEW
Sen. Kruse’s resignation is a relief
S
tate Sen. Jeff Kruse had to go.
His flouting of Oregon Senate
rules against sexual harassment
was egregious. His repentance, if any,
was short-lived. His resignation is a
relief.
When it came to changing his behav-
ior, including his routinely breaking state
law by smoking in his Oregon Capitol
office, Kruse was known for promising
one thing and doing another. That is why
Senate leaders initially were careful to
say little about his resignation, not want-
ing to irritate him into rescinding it.
But Tuesday’s deadline passed
and Kruse’s Feb. 8 resignation now is
irrevocable.
It is unfortunate that the Roseburg
Republican set March 15 for his depar-
ture, which enables him to still draw his
legislative pay until then while leaving
his constituents unrepresented for the
rest of the 2018 Legislature. An imme-
diate departure might have enabled his
successor, who will be a Republican, to
be selected and sworn into office before
the legislative session ends. March 11
is the constitutional deadline for the
Pamplin Media Group
State Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, denied
allegations he inappropriately touched
female colleagues and staff members,
saying he would resign so that the Senate
could get on with its work.
Legislature’s adjournment.
At least Kruse is out the Capitol door.
His victims won’t be forced to recount
his shameful behavior and their pain-
ful experiences before a special Senate
Committee on Conduct. The Senate
won’t face a potentially divisive vote on
expelling him.
This ordeal demonstrates that Kruse
is not the only person with much to
learn.
An outside investigator found a
repeated pattern of sexual harassment
by Kruse toward female legislators and
female staff, including members of the
Senate Republican caucus staff. Yet the
caucus’ statement about that detailed
investigation report said, “The behavior
alleged in the report, if true, is obviously
not acceptable to the Senate Republican
caucus.”
... If true …
Those two words underscore why
victims of harassment are reluctant to
speak up. Even when supported by com-
pelling evidence — like the Kruse inves-
tigation report — they fear not being
believed.
A power imbalance exists in our
nation’s capitols and many other insti-
tutions. Staff members, and sometimes
lawmakers, owe their jobs and their
political careers to the people in power
— people to whom they are expected to
be deferential.
When allegations arise, these power-
ful people often close ranks. They say
the unwanted behavior was simply mis-
understood. They question how “sup-
posed victims” can remember incidents
from long ago, not comprehending that
traumatic memories can last a lifetime.
They cast the complainants as atten-
tion-seeking whiners.
Some of that occurred among Kruse’s
defenders. They did not grasp the grav-
ity of his misconduct and its searing
impact on his victims.
But other senators did. On the
morning after the investigation report
was released, Senate President Peter
Courtney asked Kruse to keep out of the
Capitol. That afternoon, Sen. Tim Knopp
broke with his fellow Republicans, said
he believed the women and called for
Kruse to resign.
“For too long, there has been a cul-
ture in the Oregon Capitol and some
places of public and private employment
that women need to put up with harass-
ing behavior to keep their jobs,” Knopp
said. “That culture must end now.”
That is a moral imperative. For the
Oregon Legislature. For our state and
nation. For the world.
Everyone deserves to be treated with
respect. Harassment, even if uninten-
tional, is morally and ethically wrong.
LETTERS WELCOME
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GUEST COLUMN
Astoria schools seek public input on facilities
I
n our continued support of the Astoria
School District’s mission, we are in
the process of evaluating our school
facilities.
The school district has received
grants from the Oregon Department of
Education to complete a facility assess-
ment, long-range facility plan and an
evaluation of seismic needs; the district
began this evaluation
process in August 2017.
The district has hired
BLR&B Architects to
assist.
During the 2015-
2016 school year, the
CRAIG
Board of Directors
HOPPES
approved a strategic plan
in support of the school
district’s beliefs, mission and goals. Staff
and community members also created a
mission statement, which is to prepare
each student to his/her fullest potential for
a life of learning, citizenship and work.
The strategic plan embodies six
core beliefs — statements that school
staff strongly believe in, and that guide
the work we do with our students. One
states that our schools will be a safe and
healthy place for students to learn. This is
a challenge in our district due to the age
and architecture of many of our facilities.
They were built with a different set of pri-
orities, compared to the educational needs
of today; 20 years ago, safety and security
were not at the forefront of school-facility
design.
Through the facility assessment
process, we have learned the importance
of every angle of school safety, and have
made it a requirement to ensure our
schools are a safe place for students to
learn and for staff to work. We have also
learned of the profound impact school
facilities have on both staff and student
outcomes. Facilities affect staff recruit-
ment, retention, commitment and effort,
and have been shown to affect student
health, behavior, engagement, learning,
and growth in achievement. The school
district is determined to provide an atmo-
sphere that is conducive to teaching and
learning in modern and safe facilities.
During the 2017-2018 school year,
the architects from BLR&B have worked
with school staff and a district facility
committee of more than 30 community
members, parents and staff to review
education research concerning facilities
and student learning, and to research our
school facility security and current needs
thoroughly.
As part of the charge, the district
facility committee has created several
guiding principles help guide the work of
the committee and architects. They will
help to evaluate the greatest facility needs
and prioritize facility projects within the
district.
Astoria School District Schools will:
• Be healthy environments that support
physical, mental, and emotional wellness
• Be flexible and adaptable
• Be learner-centered environments
• Promote meaningful collaboration
• Celebrate the uniqueness of Astoria
In 2000, the Astoria community
passed a bond for district facility
upgrades; that bond ends in 2020. The
school board will make a decision
whether to pursue a new bond this spring.
They will consider many factors when
coming to this decision — the completed
facility assessment, the long-range facility
plan and recommendations from the dis-
trict facility committee, as well as input
from the community.
The board has placed a special
emphasis on what the public thinks. There
are two planned opportunities for you
to attend, learn, and share your opinions
about the district’s facilities.
On Wednesday, Feb. 21, the school
board and interested community members
will tour school facilities as part of a
special school board meeting. Attendees
will take a look at Astoria High School
and use district transportation to see Astor
Elementary and Astoria Middle School.
If you plan to attend, please meet in the
library at Astoria High School at 5:30
p.m.
On Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m.,
there will be a community facility engage-
ment event at Astoria Middle School. The
architects from BLR&B will provide a
short presentation and lead a public dis-
cussion concerning our school facilities.
As part of the event, the architects have
planned a building tour. Dinner and child
care is complimentary to all attendees.
All information will be available in
English and Spanish at both events.
Our school facilities are an integral
piece of student learning. It is vital that
the district receives community input as
we review our needs. I look forward to
hearing from you on both Feb. 21 and 22.
If you have any questions or would
like to discuss the facilities, please call me
at (503) 325-6441 or feel free to email me
at choppes@astoria.k12.or.us.
Craig Hoppes is superintendent of the
Astoria School District.