Page 12A
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Saturday, April 21, 2018
WELLNESS: School received $2,500 check that will go toward programs
Continued from 1A
“It gets the kids more
awake and ready to go.
Sometimes
we’ll
have
conversations about what’ll
happen that day,” he said.
Angie Treadwell, the
nutrition education coordi-
nator for OSU Extension
Service, nominated McNary
Heights for the award. They
were one of only three
schools in the state to receive
the honor from the Oregon
Department of Education.
The school received a $2,500
check that will go toward
wellness programs.
“Their participation rate
is in the high 90s,” Tread-
well said of the breakfast
program. “They make it easy
for everyone to participate.”
Treadwell noted the other
programs that Umatilla
School District provides,
such as its summer foods
Staff photos by E.J. Harris
LEFT: Fifth-graders eat breakfast at their desks Friday morning at McNary Heights Elementary School in Uma-
tilla. McNary Heights Elementary is being recognized by the Oregon Department of Education for their school
food programs. RIGHT: Child nutritional assistant Nan Schock opens boxes of cereal while preparing breakfast
on Friday at McNary Heights Elementary School in Umatilla.
program where students
can eat breakfast, lunch and
dinner for free at the school.
“That’s highly unusual,”
she said.
They also had a guest
speaker, former University
of Oregon and NFL player
Anthony Newman.
Newman, an Oregon
native,
congratulated
students on their commit-
ment to physical health.
“Your day is like a game,”
he said. “My first year in the
NFL, I didn’t eat before a
game in Green Bay.”
Newman recalled that he
felt lightheaded during the
game, and went to his trainer.
“The first thing he asked
me was, ‘what did you eat
today?’”
“And then I got in trouble,”
Newman said. “You have to
make sure you put something
in your system so you can
perform at a higher level. If
you put the right food in your
system, it’s going to help you
take that test.”
Newman
said
it’s
important
for
students
to exercise and eat right
together, like a family.
“You may not even realize
it, but you have role models
around you,” he said.
Students
were
also
rewarded for running the
“McNary Marathon,” where
students over a period of
two weeks pledge to walk
or run a certain number of
laps around the track during
recess. The top three boys
and girls from each grade
were given a certificate and a
prize at the assembly.
“Teachers, staff and
parents make sure our kids
have a chance to celebrate
exercise,” said McNary
Heights P.E. teacher Brandt
Lind.
–——
Contact
Jayati
Ramakrishnan at 541-564-
4534 or jramakrishnan@
eastoregonian.com.
DISTRICT: New tax goes into effect for the county that passes it
Continued from 1A
What would the new tax
revenue pay for?
Both agricultural research
and 4-H, though the specifics
will be decided with each
new budget. Corp said she
could not pin down what
percent of the funds would go
toward 4-H, but the Extension
Service is proposing to use
the revenue to expand 4-H
education by adding a new
educational program assistant
and a 4-H educator.
Corp said the tax would not
go to support administration.
Could the tax revenue
support building projects or
improvements?
Yes, but Corp and other
Extension Service personnel
stated their plans are more
about staffing support and
better equipment. Besides,
Corp said, the local Extension
Service lacks capacity for
building improvements.
How much would I pay
in property taxes if this
passes?
Maybe nothing, maybe
something — thanks to tax
compression.
Oregon voters approved
Measure 5 and Measure
50, which cap government
taxes to a maximum of
$15 per $1,000 of assessed
value. Once a taxing district
reaches that ceiling, it is under
compression. New taxes
that voters approve do not
increase the size of the pie,
rather the slices get thinner as
new districts carve out their
share.
Hermiston
is
under
compression.
Property
owners there would not see
an increase in their taxes if
Measure 30-126 passes. The
new service district would
cut into the revenues for other
districts, including public
safety districts.
Milton-Freewater, mean-
while, is not under compres-
sion. Those residents would
see their property tax increase
by that 33 cent rate. So the
owners of a $150,000 home
there would see an increase of
$49.50 to their property taxes.
The tax rates are available
at www.co.umatilla.or.us/at/
index.html.
Who would oversee the
new district?
Umatilla County counsel
Doug Olsen said the county
board of commissioners
would be in charge because
the district would be a county
service district, the only one in
the county. Likewise, Morrow
County’s
board
would
oversee the district there.
County service districts
are not the same as special
districts, such as fire protec-
tion or water districts, which
have their own boards of
directors.
County
commissioners
also would appoint a budget
committee for the district.
Corp said Oregon law spec-
ifies the budget committee
would have to consist of
the three county commis-
sioners and three non-board
members. Again, one for
Umatilla County and another
for Morrow County.
Umatilla County Commis-
sioner George Murdock said
with similar districts in 25
of Oregon’s 36 counties,
the county could look for a
model “that is working well
elsewhere should it become
necessary.” An advisory
committee would be part of
the model, which Corp and
others already formed.
boards could seek less than
the rate, however.
What are the tax rates
of the 25 other Extension
Service districts?
They range from 1.5 cents
to 56 cents per $1,000. The
local proposals would be the
second highest rate among the
districts.
What happens if this
passes in only one county?
The new tax goes into
effect for the county that
passes it. If voters in Morrow
County approve it and voters
in Umatilla County don’t, the
tax would take effect only in
Morrow County.
Will
the
counties
continue to fund the district
even if the taxes pass?
Yes, in the short term. Olsen
said should the districts pass,
the tax collection deadline is
April 30, so revenues would
not be available until 2019.
Umatilla County is giving
about $397,000 for fiscal year
2018-19, and Morrow County
also plans to provide funds.
Morrow County for fiscal
year 2017-18 gave about
$167,000.
How long the counties
would provide the fiscal
support remains an open
Could the county raise
the rate?
No. The measure calls for
a maximum permanent rate
of 33 cents per $1,000 of
assessed value. That means
the county board of commis-
sioners could not increase the
rate beyond 33 cents. County
question.
How would the new tax
affect the broader mission
of the Columbia Basin Agri-
cultural Research Center?
CBARC, which has a
facility in Pendleton and
another in Moro, specializes
in regional crops production
research. It focuses on dryland
wheat, Corp said, and 40
percent of the dryland wheat
Oregon produces comes
from Umatilla County alone.
Morrow County next door
adds around 10-20 percent.
The Extension Service
already puts in budget requests
each year with Umatilla and
Morrow counties, and Corp
said in her experience the
commissioners know the
value of ag and know its the
local economic driver, but
they don’t try to micromanage
what research scientists are
doing.
“I can’t foresee that,
really,” she said.
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