Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
JENNINE PERKINSON
Advertising Director
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Celebrate
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isn’t technically until June 21, last
week’s triple-digit temperatures
made it clear the season arrived
early.
Summer is many things —
freedom from the classroom, more
time for vacation and long evenings
of good light that set people to
recreating and working outdoors.
That all sounds pretty great. But
as we’ve learned already, some of
our favorite summer activities can
also be dangerous and even deadly.
Some of this should go without
saying, but annual reminders to be
conscious and considerate of those
dangers is necessary. Here are a few
tips about how to get through this
summer suntanned but safe:
ƒKnow your limits while
swimming, especially in
unsupervised locations.
We’ve had a disastrous start to the
swimming season across Oregon,
with multiple losses of life. Tragedy
has already struck locally, too,
claiming the life of an Irrigon teen
who drowned earlier this month in
the Columbia.
Especially when you are
swimming in unsupervised rivers
and lakes, take stock of the condition
and depth of the bottom, the
visibility of the water, obstructions
that could make swimming and
diving dangerous, cold temperatures
that can have debilitating effect
on muscles and the possibility of
inclement weather. When going for
a dip in a river or stream or into the
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remember that moving water is a
powerful thing. If you can’t easily
maintain footing in the current or
waves, you had better be an expert
swimmer able to recover from
wherever the water wants to take
you.
If you’re in doubt about anything
above, play it safe and wear a life
jacket. If you’re boating or rafting or
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is a state law that must be followed.
ƒBe smart atop a bike — pedal
or motor — and be considerate
behind a steering wheel.
Eastern Oregon’s country roads
can be a haven for cyclists, both for
those who like to power themselves
and those who like to have an engine
do the work for them.
But these roads were designed
for a narrow range of uses, and cars
often dominate the landscape. That
might not be the best travel plan for
our planet or our health, but it’s what
we’re working with now.
We don’t want to discourage
cyclists, but want to remind them
to take every precaution. Make sure
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route. Wear a helmet and never lose
focus on your surroundings.
And remember, this is working
country. Log trucks rumble down
our Forest Service roads, combines
rumble over our gravel, tractors
occasionally take to the highway to
cover ground. Be ready for it.
And if you’re one of those
cars zooming by, slow down and
give space to bicyclists. We like
to say that every rider you see on
the roadway is one less car to be
stuck behind at the next stoplight.
Encourage more biking by making
them feel safe.
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a hot car.
People of a certain age can all
remember their mother or father
leaving them in the car while they
ran errands. It was a simpler time
when errands were faster and cars
had manual windows.
Now, leaving a living thing inside
a vehicle can be a fatal decision, and
sometimes a criminal one.
According to the American
Veterinary Medical Association,
hundreds of pets die each year due
to being left inside a hot car. In just
20 minutes the temperature inside a
vehicle on a 90 degree day rises to
a brutal 119 degrees. In 40 minutes,
the thermometer rises to a possibly
fatal 128 degrees.
That’s no place for a pet or —
heaven forbid — a child.
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educated the American public on
what a terrible mistake it can be to
leave a child in a vehicle. Take this
as another reminder not to make it.
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If your child is of an age where
they need adult supervision, summer
can be a challenge. Those wonderful
teachers who took on the workload
during the school year are now out
basking on beaches and trying to
reconnect with their sanity.
But don’t panic, because you’ve
got options.
Year-round day care facilities
have openings in most cities in
Eastern Oregon, but in addition there
are a multitude of seasonal options.
There is a 4-H camp in Heppner,
a multitude of fun choices in
Hermiston and Pendleton, out-of-
town getaways, outdoor camps,
church camps, sports camps, music
camps, science camps, overnight
and day camps. (If you’re still on
the lookout for a good summer
camp, though some deadlines have
passed, we recommend typing “2015
summer camp preview + EO Parent”
into your Internet search bar, for a
boatload of information.)
The city of Pendleton, for
instance runs an exceedingly
affordable summer adventure camp
at Pioneer Park. Call Parks and
Recreation directly at 276-8100 for
more info on that.
Obviously, things can go wrong
any time of the year. But summer
is a good time to be aware of your
surroundings, of rising temperatures
and the risks we take to entertain
ourselves. Stay safe this summer,
and enjoy it.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher
Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
How to grade a teacher
T
his is the second column
Such an emphasis isn’t just good
I’ve written about Deborah
politics. It’s also an important way to
Loewenberg Ball, the dean of
help make schools better. “Very few
the University of Michigan’s School
teachers can’t improve,” Ball told
of Education. Ball believes the
me recently. And most teachers want
training that teachers get while they
to improve — but have no means of
are in school needs to be drastically
getting useful feedback. The council’s
improved. Last year, I wrote about
idea was that the evaluations could
her effort to develop a professional
be used not just to rid the system
Joe
training curriculum that would allow
Nocera of incompetent teachers — though
beginning teachers to be far better
it would certainly do that — but
Comment
grounded in their craft than they are
also to give all the other teachers
now.
critical feedback. It also envisions
Recently, I learned about another effort
transforming professional development, which
she has led, which I also think deserves wider
is now mostly a wasteland, into a mechanism
attention. It tackles one of the most divisive
to put that feedback into practice.
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There are two fundamental pieces to the
teachers so that the best can be rewarded and
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teacher observation. In most schools, it’s the
In New York — a state where the issue
principal who observes the teacher, often
has been especially contentious — Gov.
haphazardly, and rates him or her based on
Andrew Cuomo earlier
personal biases, which may
this year pushed through
or may not be sound. Ball
legislation that calls for
and her colleagues would
student test scores to count
instead rely on observers
for as much as 50 percent
who have been trained in
of a teacher’s evaluation, up
using certain tools that
from the current 20 percent.
have been proved effective.
The teachers’ unions were
These observations would
incensed, believing that test
be the basis for the teacher’s
scores are a simplistic and
feedback — feedback meant
unfair means of assessing
to encourage and help,
teachers. So were many
rather than threaten.
parents, who joined a
The second piece is
boycott movement that
what the council calls
resulted in an estimated 165,000 students
evaluating “student growth.” Here the point
opting out of this year’s standardized tests.
would be not to measure student achievement
A teacher evaluation system “is only good
in absolute terms — Does Johnny read at a
if the teachers respect it and trust it,” says
fourth-grade level? — but rather to measure
Vicki Phillips, a director of education for the
whether Johnny had made a year’s worth of
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Teachers
improvement from the level he was reading
are convinced that evaluation systems that
at when he was in the third grade. This would
overly rely on test scores are punitive, which
be a more accurate representation of the
the political rhetoric often underscores. For
difference the teacher made, and would take
instance, Cuomo’s stated reason for changing
into account the wide range of learning levels
the state’s teacher evaluation was that some
teachers often have to contend with.
96 percent of teachers got top grades under
Some of this growth evaluation would
the old process. He scoffed at those results as
undoubtedly be done through tests. But not
“baloney.” That’s hardly going to get teachers
all of it, or even most of it. “You have to look
to buy into your new evaluation system.
at objectives for students for the year and see
Which brings me back to Michigan. In
if they made progress,” says Ball. There are
2011, the state Legislature there changed the
ways to do that that don’t require standardized
WHQXUHODZPDNLQJLWHDVLHUWR¿UHLQFRPSHWHQW testing.
teachers. But it also set up the Michigan
I wish I could tell you that this story has
Council for Educator Effectiveness, which
a happy ending, but it doesn’t. Legislation
ZDVFKDUJHGZLWKFRPLQJXSZLWKLWV¿UVWHYHU that embodied the work of the council failed
statewide evaluation system. Ball was named
to pass the Michigan Legislature in the last
chairwoman of the council. Two years later, it
session. More recently, the chairman of a
came back with its recommendations.
related Senate committee, Phil Pavlov, has
7KH¿UVWWKLQJ,QRWLFHGDERXWWKHFRXQFLO¶V essentially tossed the council’s work aside in
recommendations is that they completely
favor of “local control.”
avoid the divisive political language that has
That is Michigan’s loss. But perhaps other
alienated teachers. Instead of casting teacher
states and school districts can look at the work
evaluation as primarily being about getting
of the Michigan council and learn from it. In
rid of bad teachers, they instead recast it to
which case, it could still be America’s gain.
put the emphasis on teacher improvement. An
Ŷ
evaluation system that stresses improvement
Joe Nocera is an Op-Ed columnist for
instead of punishment has a much better
The New York Times. He joined The Opinion
chance of being embraced by teachers.
Pages in April 2011.
How do we
evaluate
teachers so the
best can be
rewarded and
the worst fired?
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues
and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper
reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and
products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must
be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send
letters to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
OTHER VIEWS
County looks to add employees that bring in new revenue
T
he headline in the
human services and outside
East Oregonian
of the general fund. Those
noting Umatilla
positions are proposed in
County has budgeted for
the budget should special
17 new positions is, at face
funding materialize. They
value, a bit misleading.
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Unfortunately, in an age
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of knee-jerk reactions
that funding becomes
to government growth,
George available. There is also
it becomes necessary to
Murdock provision for added staff in
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the development disabilities
Comment
Umatilla County has
budget with state funding
been engaged in several
supporting that move.
initiatives that are not related to
There are also several new
the general fund. Among those
positions in public health. In
are efforts to return oversight of
those cases there are two driving
both the developmental disabilities forces — an expansion of school-
program and oversight of mental
based health programs, which are
health to the county. That’s because supported primarily by outside
the county wants to assure its
entities, and an expansion of
citizens are receiving quality
maternal child health programs. In
services.
actuality, through new approaches
Many of the new positions — a
and management, the cost to the
third or more to be exact — are in
general fund for 2015-2016 has
been reduced by $165,000.
There are four new positions
being added in the general fund.
Three of those four are in the
public safety budget. In this case,
the new positions are primarily a
result of contracting with both the
cities of Athena and Weston for
patrol services.
And, again, the added positions
are accompanied by payments
from the entities receiving the
services. Plus, as we have noted
publicly, we also have a need to
augment court security.
In the case of the district
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have been added. A part of those
positions should be covered by
funds from local entities who have
called upon the county to provide
services previously provided by
those local entities. But in addition,
by doubling the patrol force in the
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in terms of additional arrests —
sort of a cause and effect idea.
Finally, there is a half time
employee added to the county
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which is a good news/bad news
thing. Umatilla County is now
at or about 80,000 residents and
continuing to lead Eastern Oregon
in economic growth. Prosperity
often breeds dramatic demands on
the system. The department most
impacted by growth is land use
planning. Frankly, we hope that
demand continues.
Umatilla County remains
committed to the idea of operating
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primary focus is on limiting
personnel growth in the general
fund unless it is accompanied by a
new revenue stream. As we have
noted, the actual net increase to the
general fund in the new budget is
one FTE. But we also believe we
have a commitment to the residents
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opportunities to expand programs
and services without adding
additional tax burdens, we are
willing to do so.
We are proud of the fact we
set aside funds in case the PERS
decision went south (which it did)
and we will continue to explore
other avenues of enhancing county
services through both thoughtful
and innovative approaches.
Every department in the county
has been encouraged to think
creatively about how we can make
a positive and profound difference.
Ŷ
George Murdock is chair of
the Umatilla County Board of
Commissioners.