NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Friday, September 23, 2016
New York irm gets
$1 million contract
to review ODOT
Community college not free for some
Oregon students with heavy course loads
perfectly into the tuition gap.
She’s going to Linn
Benton Community College,
the cost per student credit
hour is at least $5 more than
the state average, according
to a state spreadsheet.
She’s also enrolled in 15
credits starting next week,
and the Oregon Promise is
only designed to pay grants
for students taking 12 credits.
Nicholson’s out-of-pocket
costs are likely above
Cannon’s $300 estimate
because of her heavy course
load.
The Nicholsons didn’t
take out any federal student
loans, and they don’t qualify
for either grant program for
low-income students.
Sen. Mark Hass, D-Bea-
verton, said the state had
to ind a solution to cap
the tuition, and a statewide
average seemed like the way
to go.
“This is a basic no-frills
plan that is all we could
afford,” said Hass, who
sponsored the legislation.
Hass, who has been
touring some community
colleges
and
meeting
with hundreds of promise
students, said lawmakers
did not intend for students to
have a tuition gap. “If there
are some bugs to work out,
we will (ix them),” he said.
Hass said the turnout for the
program, and the students’
personal stories are “heart-
warming.”
Cannon said the state has
been expecting to hear from
students for months about
situations like the Nichol-
sons.
But he described the
situation as “rare” and added
that many Oregon families
wouldn’t pay for any tuition.
Cannon said the higher
education commission may
take a look at increasing
the amount of state grants
to students like Makayla
Nicholson who want to take
a heavier course load.
Hass agreed he would like
to see the credit level raised.
The state only funded
the program for one school
year, and Hass said he will
push hard for continuing the
grant in the next legislative
session.
By ANDREW THEEN
The Oregonian/OregonLive
PORTLAND — Thou-
sands of community college
students will start fall
classes next week through
the Oregon Promise — a
program designed to make
school more affordable.
But the costs of attending
school won’t necessarily be
completely covered by the
state program, which may
come as a surprise to some
parents and students who
heard about “free community
college” and missed the ine-
print.
Last July, Gov. Kate
Brown touted the program
after she signed the bill into
law. “In rural and urban
communities alike, recent
high school graduates will
now be able to earn their
undergraduate
education
tuition-free at their local
community college,” Brown
said.
But according to the bill
itself, Brown and others,
may have overstated the
program’s reach.
While the largest share
of expected Oregon Promise
students said they would
receive zero inancial support
from their parents on federal
inancial aid applications,
state oficials said several
thousand students can expect
to pay at least some tuition
this fall.
The promise grant is
available to Oregon residents
who inished high school
with at least a 2.5 grade
point average or obtained
a GED and enrolled in a
community college at least
part-time within six months
of inishing high school.
Oregon chipped in $10
million for the irst year,
but the overall plan works
because the state is banking
on students qualifying for
other grants available to
low-income students.
Ben Cannon, Oregon’s
Higher Education Coordi-
nating Commission, said the
state doesn’t know how many
promise eligible students
will show up and remain in
school. But according to his
ofice, about 3,700 students
- or more than one-third of
EO ile photo
New students walk to a preview lecture at Blue
Mountain Community College’s Welcome to the
Wolfpack event in 2015.
eligible promise students —
would expect to pay some of
their tuition.
For many, that could mean
a couple dollars, Cannon
said, for others it “could
be up to about $300 for the
year” depending on where
they are enrolled.
Cannon stressed that for
the thousands of low-income
promise students who do
qualify for the federal Pell
Grants or the Oregon Oppor-
tunity Grant, tuition will not
be an issue. Those two grants
will cover the cost of tuition.
But not all of the roughly
10,379
students
who
submitted valid promise
applications and are eligible
for the program receive those
assistance programs. And
some students attending
more expensive community
colleges could be on the
hook for paying a portion of
their tuition because of how
the state law established the
speciic grant amounts.
“This nuance has gotten
lost,” Cannon said, “and we
may be partly to blame for
that.”
This year, the maximum
Pell Grant is $5,815 per year
— depending on a student’s
inancial need. In Oregon,
the state may provide an
additional $2,250 per year
for needy students through
its Opportunity Grant.
The Oregon Promise
deducts the amount of those
grants from the cost of tuition
irst, if a student qualiies.
The student is responsible
for $50 per term under the
bill’s language. For those
low-income
Oregonians,
their annual promise grant is
capped at $1,000 annually.
That’s money they could use
to pay for books or additional
student fees, or other costs
not covered by the grant.
So where does the poten-
tial for a tuition gap come
into play?
When Oregon lawmakers
approved the program, the
law speciied the maximum
grants to students would be
capped at the average cost of
tuition statewide. That igure
was based on a 12-credit
course load.
The average community
college tuition is approxi-
mately $3,398 per year. If
a student chooses a more
expensive school, or takes a
heavier class load, they will
owe the difference.
Sherrie Nicholson, a
Corvallis resident, said her
daughter’s expected cost to
attend Linn-Benton Commu-
nity College took the family
by surprise.
“It’s not what the kids
were told in the schools, at
all,” Nicholson said Monday.
Her daughter, Makayla,
attended West Albany High
School, where she recalled
she was told the Oregon
Promise pays for her to attend
the school. The Nicholsons
expected to owe just $50 per
term.
“I think people have been
misled and they’re inding
out now that these kids are
enrolled that they’re not
getting what they were told,”
she said.
Makayla Nicholson fell
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Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group
SATURDAY
Sunny and breezy
Mostly sunny and
pleasant
65° 48°
68° 43°
SUNDAY
Sunny and
beautiful
MONDAY
Plenty of sun
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
76° 48°
82° 54°
83° 50°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
68° 46°
72° 40°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
56°
75°
91° (1975)
47°
48°
31° (1902)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.14"
0.63"
0.37"
8.02"
5.82"
8.79"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
68°
76°
96° (1967)
46°
46°
31° (1932)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Trace
0.45"
0.29"
5.44"
3.48"
6.44"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Sep 23
Sep 30
First
Oct 8
83° 49°
86° 50°
Seattle
60/51
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
80° 46°
6:44 a.m.
6:50 p.m.
none
2:33 p.m.
Full
Oct 15
Today
TUESDAY
Mostly sunny and
beautiful
Spokane
Wenatchee
64/43
66/45
Tacoma
Moses
61/47
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 69/40
62/42
60/49
61/46
69/40
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
56/49
64/50 Lewiston
69/46
Astoria
69/50
64/51
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
61/50
Pendleton 62/39
The Dalles 68/46
65/48
66/47
La Grande
Salem
64/44
61/46
Albany
Corvallis 60/48
62/45
John Day
65/45
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
71/47
62/47
60/35
Caldwell
Burns
71/49
63/30
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
64
64
60
59
63
62
62
63
68
65
57
64
61
64
59
64
71
70
65
61
62
61
64
60
59
64
69
Lo
51
34
35
50
30
39
47
41
46
45
31
44
41
45
48
49
47
44
48
50
32
46
43
38
48
50
40
W
r
s
pc
r
s
pc
r
s
s
s
pc
s
s
pc
r
r
c
s
s
r
pc
r
pc
s
r
s
pc
Hi
69
66
71
70
70
63
73
68
72
69
72
66
63
82
64
70
71
73
68
69
73
72
66
64
68
68
73
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
57/31
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
51
29
39
52
29
38
45
35
40
45
37
36
36
48
49
48
41
41
43
50
35
47
42
32
47
47
42
W
pc
s
s
pc
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s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
Lo
63
80
62
52
53
45
51
60
59
58
70
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
r
s
pc
pc
pc
r
Sat.
Hi
86
87
80
73
72
52
77
77
80
71
77
Lo
63
80
65
59
54
39
57
59
62
56
71
W
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REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: Sunny near the Idaho
border, in the mountains and the Cascades today;
sunny in the north, south and in central sections.
Cascades: A shower in spots today. Partly
sunny; more clouds across the north.
Northern California: Increasing cloudiness
at the coast today; sunny to partly cloudy
elsewhere.
Today
Saturday
WSW 8-16
WSW 10-20
SW 3-6
W 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Coastal Oregon: Periods of rain today;
breezy across the north. Mostly cloudy
tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly sunny
today; however, some clouds in the south
and upper Treasure Valley.
Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today
with a little rain. Mostly cloudy tonight.
Clouds and sun tomorrow.
Corrections
A news brief in the Thursday, Sept. 15 edition of the
East Oregonian incorrectly stated the daily bag limit for
steelhead ishing on the Columbia River above McNary
Dam. The limit is one hatchery ish per day.
The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and
sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in
the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
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Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
83
86
77
66
72
48
74
76
78
69
74
“McKinsey had the
most responsive proposal,
and they are a national
company recommended for
their expertise,” Hockaday
said.
McKinsey has 25 days
to deliver its work plan for
the review and until the
end of February to submit
a inal product, Hockaday
said.
DAS reached out to
several irms with expe-
rience in management
reviews and received
proposals from McKinsey
and Boston Consulting
Group, Hockaday said.
Craig, who won the
original $350,000 contract
to do the review, oversaw
the agency’s $1.3 billion
outsourced bridge repair
and replacement program
for six years. He stepped
down as program manager
of Oregon Bridge Devel-
opment Partners just 15
months ago.
After
questions
arose whether Craig’s
connections with ODOT
employees presented a
conlict of interest, a trans-
portation
commissioner
dug up an old email from
Craig in which he appeared
to be seeking agency
Director Matt Garrett’s job.
Tammy Baney, chair-
woman of the Oregon
Transportation Commis-
sion, received the job solic-
itation email from Craig in
January.
She said she didn’t
read the entirety of its
contents until after Craig
landed the contract for the
ODOT review, when she
recalled he had previously
reached out to her. After
reading the email in July,
she recommended that
state oficials revoke his
contract.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sat.
WINDS
Medford
64/45
SALEM — The state
has awarded a nearly $1
million contract to New
York-based McKinsey &
Company to conduct a
long-awaited management
review of the Oregon
Department of Transpor-
tation before lawmakers
approve a transportation
package in 2017.
State oficials in late July
nixed a previous contract
with John L. Craig after
revelations about his close
ties with ODOT and an
unearthed email showing
he had sought to replace the
agency’s director.
Lawmakers have said
they want an independent,
third party review to ensure
that ODOT is operating
eficiently before they
approve a transportation
package in 2017. That
legislation — one of Gov.
Kate Brown’s priorities as
governor — could hike gas
taxes and fees on drivers
and funnel hundreds of
millions of dollars in
additional funding to the
agency.
In an effort to get a
review inished in time
for the 2017 session, the
Department of Adminis-
trative Services launched
an emergency process for
selecting a new contractor.
Brown
selected
McKinsey based on the
recommendations of a
DAS procurement team,
said Bryan Hockaday, a
press secretary in Brown’s
ofice.
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
Previous contract
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0
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Much cooler air with spotty rain will push southward from the Great
Lakes to New England today. Warmth will hold over much of the Central and Eastern states.
A cool storm will bring rain to part of the West.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 99° in Hays, Kan.
Low 18° in Boca Reservoir, Calif.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
75
89
82
87
60
94
67
82
84
89
79
82
94
82
75
90
49
68
88
90
87
89
88
80
93
82
Lo
46
70
67
64
47
71
45
56
70
62
66
61
76
47
61
65
35
61
74
76
67
70
69
60
73
62
W
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pc
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pc
c
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Sat.
Hi
73
92
73
78
57
95
67
66
86
89
78
74
92
71
71
85
51
76
88
89
86
90
85
86
95
92
Lo
51
70
57
54
44
72
44
49
70
62
67
54
74
42
57
62
35
53
76
76
66
70
66
65
73
64
Today
W
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Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
Wichita
Hi
92
96
90
68
66
93
93
87
91
89
89
87
73
85
82
75
72
82
91
53
76
71
60
84
88
90
Lo
70
75
76
61
60
67
77
62
72
70
65
63
47
56
65
49
45
57
70
48
63
57
51
61
67
70
W
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Sat.
Hi
92
94
91
70
77
92
93
73
85
81
77
90
66
71
88
67
78
91
92
63
84
78
66
88
80
85
Lo
70
74
77
63
59
67
77
53
66
59
54
68
41
46
66
42
45
56
73
44
64
59
52
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62
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
s
s
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c
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