NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Saturday, February 25, 2017
PENDLETON
School board releases
superintendent’s
only formal evaluation
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
More online
For a full copy of the performance
review visit eastoregonian.com
Before announcing his resig-
nation Feb. 13, Pendleton School
District superintendent Andy
Kovach scored poorly on an evalu-
ation compiled by the school board.
The board had met multiple
times with Kovach behind closed
doors to discuss his performance,
but an executive session meeting
held Jan. 30 was the first formal
evaluation.
The official evaluation docu-
ment was obtained by the East
Oregonian through a public records
request.
Across six different standards,
the board rated Kovach on four-
point scale. Board members were
give the option of scoring Kovach
as being, “developing,” “basic,”
“accomplished”
and
“distin-
guished,” with “developing” the
lowest possible score and “distin-
guished” the highest.
Kovach was rated as “devel-
oping” on the “Shared Vision,”
“Culture of Learning,” “Ethics”
and “Management” standards. On
the other two standards, “family
and community” and “societal
context,” the board determined that
Kovach was “basic.”
Despite the poor marks, most of
the written comments featured in
the evaluation were positive.
The evaluation praises Kovach
for how he handled the district’s
lead testing, establishing relation-
ships with local and state organiza-
tions and showing genuine care for
students.
It states that Kovach had shown
improvement in his time manage-
ment skills, running administrative
meetings and communicating with
the public since the start of his
tenure in July.
The document also notes a
“confrontational start” with Mid
Columbia Bus Co., although he
is now “working well” with the
company.
The most direct criticism comes
under the “shared vision” standard.
“Andy is still learning district
operations and has not focused yet
on advancing our educational goals
consistently,” the board writes.
“The board goals were approved
in June 2016. Andy worked with
his administrative team to create an
action plan, eventually presenting
one to the board in December 2016.
Andy states that he did not appre-
ciate the size of this task and was
mistaken in how he approached the
issue.”
The board concluded the eval-
uation by recognizing that Kovach
was a first-time superintendent and
expected to see “continued growth
and improvement” from him in the
future.
Kovach and board chair Debbie
McBee signed and dated the evalu-
ation Feb. 23, the same day Kovach
announced his resignation.
When asked to comment on
incongruity of the board’s ratings
and written comments, McBee sent
a written statement.
“Our superintendent evaluation
process, based on board policy, is a
well-established method designed
to recognize strong areas of perfor-
mance and to evaluate weak areas,
allowing for support by the board
and professional growth by the
superintendent,” she wrote.
McBee went on to reiterate some
points were made in the evaluation
after just having acknowledged
Kovach’s decision to step down.
“We recently accepted Andy’s
resignation and respect his privacy
as he made a decision that he felt
was right for his family,” she wrote.
“He remains an authentic, down-
to-earth person who cares deeply
about students.”
Kovach was also asked to
comment on his evaluation and also
sent in a written statement.
Kovach wrote about being a first-
time superintendent, the growth
he’s made during his first year as
superintendent and the things he’ll
need to focus on through the end
of his tenure, but otherwise steers
clear of discussing the specifics of
his evaluation or his resignation.
Kovach will continue to earn
his $127,500 salary through June
30, when the new superintendent is
expected to take over.
The board expects to announce
the district’s next superintendent by
early May.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at
asierra@eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0836.
BRIEFLY
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — A
leaking radioactive waste storage
tank on the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation has been pumped of
its contents.
The Department of Energy says
Tank AY-102 was pumped “to the
limits” of current technologies.
The wastes are left over from
the production of plutonium for
nuclear weapons.
Tank AY-102 was taken out
of service in 2012 after it was
discovered that nuclear waste
from the inner tank had leaked
into the space between the inner
and outer walls of the double-
shelled tank. The waste was
contained in that space and the
Energy Department says there is
no sign that any leaked into the
environment.
Waste retrieval began last
March and 725,000 gallons of
radioactive and chemical wastes
have been removed. That amounts
of 98 percent of the tank’s original
waste volume.
Officer fired after
probe into Black Lives
Matter posts
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
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and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to
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Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
SUNDAY
Cold with some
sunshine
Cloudy with a bit
of snow; cold
41° 29°
39° 25°
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy with
snow showers
Intervals of clouds
and sun
46° 35°
Cloudy to partly
sunny
49° 35°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
41° 23°
43° 29°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
42°
49°
72° (1986)
27°
31°
10° (1993)
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
0.00"
1.88"
0.98"
3.53"
2.33"
2.36"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
44°
51°
67° (1964)
25°
30°
15° (2005)
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
0.00"
1.57"
0.82"
3.26"
1.44"
2.10"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
Feb 26
Mar 5
47° 34°
51° 37°
Seattle
46/37
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
40° 28°
Full
6:41 a.m.
5:36 p.m.
6:12 a.m.
4:54 p.m.
Last
Mar 12
Mar 20
Today
WEDNESDAY
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
38° 27°
Corrections
Spokane
Wenatchee
32/25
34/24
Tacoma
Moses
46/34
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 36/25
36/29
46/36
46/34
42/26
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
42/36
43/32 Lewiston
44/30
Astoria
43/30
46/36
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
45/33
Pendleton 30/14
The Dalles 43/29
41/29
44/31
La Grande
Salem
36/23
48/34
Albany
Corvallis 47/33
48/35
John Day
33/18
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
37/21
47/34
37/19
Caldwell
Burns
38/24
29/7
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
46
34
37
49
29
30
47
37
43
33
35
36
32
49
46
50
37
45
41
45
39
48
32
33
45
43
42
Lo
36
19
19
35
7
14
34
22
29
18
12
23
20
27
37
37
21
30
29
33
24
34
25
18
35
32
26
W
pc
pc
s
sh
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
Hi
46
35
35
44
29
29
44
36
41
31
33
35
32
44
46
48
37
42
39
44
40
44
32
32
45
39
41
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
29
53
44
47
47
18
41
41
24
67
39
W
s
c
s
r
s
sf
c
c
s
sh
pc
Lo
32
19
22
37
13
20
34
23
23
23
20
26
25
31
35
38
22
27
25
31
24
33
22
23
32
27
25
W
r
sn
sn
r
sf
sn
r
sf
sf
sn
sf
sn
sn
c
r
r
sf
sf
sn
r
sn
r
sn
sn
r
sn
sf
Lo
28
59
47
43
49
26
46
42
24
69
40
W
s
c
s
r
s
pc
c
s
s
sh
pc
WINDS
Medford
49/27
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
35/12
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Intervals of clouds and
sunshine today; showers in the south. Rain
and drizzle tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Cold today.
Partly to mostly sunny in the north and
mostly cloudy in the far south.
Western Washington: Times of clouds and
sun today, but sunnier across the south; a
shower in some spots north.
Eastern Washington: Partial sunshine
today. Snow tonight.
Cascades: Clouds and sun today; cold.
Increasing snow from north to south tonight
and tomorrow.
Northern California: Mostly cloudy today;
a shower, but snow showers in the interior
mountains.
Today
Sunday
WSW 6-12
SW 4-8
SW 4-8
SW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
2
3
2
0
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
Sun.
Hi
57
65
65
52
78
29
55
61
46
75
53
NEWS
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fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com
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editor@eastoregonian.com.
• To submit sports or outdoors information or tips:
541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sun.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
55
58
64
51
78
29
50
62
44
72
50
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
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Single copy price:
$1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday
KLAMATH FALLS (AP) — A
man suspected of killing a woman
in Northern California has been
wanted in Oregon since a 2006
felony assault in Klamath Falls.
The Herald and News
reports a woman told police
that her boyfriend Robert Vogee
strangled her past the point of
consciousness.
A warrant for Vogee’s arrest
was issued in November 2006.
Vogee is now is suspected
of killing Pamela Sue Johnson.
Her remains were recovered
Tuesday after a fire at Vogee’s
home in Alturas, California.
The 59-year-old suspect was
hospitalized after being found
unconscious.
Modoc County District
Attorney Jordan Funk says
authorities believe Vogee set the
fire as both a suicide attempt and
an effort to destroy evidence of a
homicide.
Funk says Vogee and Johnson
were casual acquaintances who
served on the Modoc County Arts
Council.
A candlelight vigil for Johnson
was held Thursday outside the
county courthouse.
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.
SEATTLE — Dr. Johnny
Delashaw, Oregon’s top public
pension recipient, is in hot water
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
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52 weeks
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26 weeks
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13 weeks
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www.eastoregonian.com
Alturas homicide
suspect wanted in
Klamath County
PORTLAND (AP) — Officials
say two Panama-flagged cargo
ships have been detained on the
Willamette and Columbia rivers
because of safety issues.
The U.S. Coast Guard said in
a news release that the Atlantic
Ruby in Portland and Amber L
in Kalama, Washington, were
detained Thursday after routine
inspections.
The Coast Guard says a fire
extinguishing system on the
Atlantic Ruby was improperly
serviced with disconnected time
delays, which if connected allow
personnel to escape before a fire
extinguishing agent is released.
On the Amber L, inspectors
found cooling water leaking from
the main engine and multiple
issues with the steering system.
Through the Port State Control
program, the Coast Guard verifies
that foreign flagged vessels
operating in U.S. waters comply
with laws and regulations.
The vessels will remain in
place until the discrepancies are
corrected.
Top PERS recipient
under investigation
Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255
before noon Tuesday through Friday
or before 10 a.m. Saturday
for same-day redelivery
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
WALLA WALLA, Wash.
(AP) — Officials say a farmer in
southeast Washington has died
after he was run over by a tractor
in his barn.
The Walla Walla Union-
Bulletin reported Thursday that
74-year-old Charles Emery Jr.
of Dayton had been loading hay
onto the tractor when the accident
happened.
Columbia County Deputy
Coroner Dale Slack says the
tractor slipped into gear and rolled
over Emery on Saturday, killing
him immediately.
A news release from his wife’s
employer, Columbia County
Health System, says Emery
moved to Dayton in 2012 after
retiring from a position as a
first mate for Washington State
Ferries.
He spent much of his time
working on the farm.
Coast Guard detains 2
Panama-flagged ships
PORTLAND (AP) — A police
officer in northwest Oregon
has been fired following an
investigation into posts on his
Facebook page that appeared to
endorse violence against the Black
Lives Matter movement.
The Oregonian/OregonLive
reports that West Linn Officer Tom
Newberry was fired Wednesday.
He had been on paid
administrative leave since July,
when the police department began
an investigation into whether
Newberry violated department or
city policies.
Police Chief Terry Timeu says
the investigation is closed, but
Timeu and the city manager have
declined to say why Newberry was
terminated.
In one Facebook post,
Newberry shared a story of
protesters blocking a road with his
comment that when facing “such
mobs” to push the “right” car
pedal to the floor.
Newberry worked for the police
department for seven years.
Subscriber services:
For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255
Washington state man
killed by tractor in barn
at his current job as a high-ranking
neurosurgeon at a Seattle hospital.
A recent investigation by The
Seattle Times claims the Swedish
Health Services’ neurosurgery
institute shifted to a “high-
volume” practice in recent years,
“where the aggressive pursuit of
more patients, more surgeries and
more dollars has … placed patient
care in jeopardy.”
Delashaw, who practiced
neuro surgery at Oregon Health
& Science University for 20
years before leaving in 2012, is
presented as a key player in that
transition.
In the wake of The Seattle
Times story, Washington state
health regulators have launched
an investigation into the hospital’s
practices. The state’s medical
commission is investigating two
unspecified complaints against
Delashaw.
On Tuesday, Swedish’s CEO,
Tony Armada, resigned.
Delashaw received an annual
benefit of $663,354 — $55,279.53
a month — in 2016 from the
Oregon Public Employees
Retirement System, the agency’s
latest data show.
Hanford pumps out
contents of leaking
nuclear waste tank
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. ©2017
-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: Heavy, gusty thunderstorms will mark the leading edge of colder air
pushing into the East Coast states today. Snow showers will occur over the Great Lakes and
interior West with rain in Northern California.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 95° in McAllen, Texas
Low -4° in Bridgeport, 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
54
62
60
68
33
58
36
60
82
56
31
49
58
38
41
65
33
33
78
69
36
81
44
59
53
64
Lo
31
36
38
31
18
32
24
38
42
27
23
26
42
14
25
41
23
17
65
47
23
43
28
42
31
50
W
s
pc
r
r
sf
s
c
c
pc
sh
sf
r
s
pc
sf
s
c
pc
pc
s
sf
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
Sun.
Hi
47
61
49
50
34
62
37
47
66
48
48
44
69
39
44
69
35
27
80
76
47
69
50
60
62
62
Lo
31
44
33
31
19
46
27
31
44
32
32
35
58
17
34
45
15
20
67
64
36
48
28
45
46
50
Today
W
sh
s
s
s
s
s
c
s
s
pc
pc
c
sh
c
pc
s
sn
pc
c
pc
pc
s
c
pc
pc
pc
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
43
52
85
31
32
48
68
64
52
36
74
67
50
62
79
37
39
55
42
36
62
53
46
69
68
48
Lo
29
33
65
23
23
29
48
38
33
23
35
49
32
36
35
14
21
33
28
20
54
42
37
45
36
28
W
c
s
s
sf
pc
pc
s
r
s
pc
r
s
sh
c
t
sf
sf
c
pc
sf
pc
sh
pc
s
r
s
Sun.
Hi
52
62
83
47
37
57
71
46
64
45
47
66
44
47
60
38
42
57
51
39
63
56
44
64
51
55
Lo
42
48
70
28
22
42
61
36
41
20
33
48
26
29
36
16
24
38
37
30
53
44
32
42
37
31
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
pc
c
c
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
c
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
c
pc
s
pc