'cIVËD
JAN ù 0 7003—
Oregon Historio«! Society
Spilyay Tymoc
P.O. Box 870
Warm Snrinns n o 077c -i
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1230 SW PARK AVE.
PORTLAND, OR 97205
U.S. Postage
Bulk Rate Permit No. 2
Coyote News, est. 1976
January 23, 2003
Voi. 28, No. 2 ?
Warm Springs, OR 97761
5 0 cents
Election
important
locally
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
The outcome of Ballot Mea
sure 28 will be important to the
reservation, especially in the ar
eas o f health care and elder care,
and schools. The vote on the
measure is set for Tuesday, Jan.
28.
T he Warm Springs Indian
Health Services clinic and High
Lookee Lodge could see direct
and fairly substantial cuts in
funding, if Measure 28 fails.
The planned new Warm Springs
Elem entary School could see
further delay, and some p ro
grams at the current elementary
school could be cut, as would
happen throughout the 509-J
district. The cuts could be ex
pected to school counseling pro
grams, physical education and
music, and all-day kindergarten.
Statewide polling this week
indicated the outcome o f the
vote on Measure 28 is too close
to call. The measure, if adopted
by voters, would impose a tem
porary increase in the state in
come tax.
The increase, lasting three
years, would raise $725 million
for the state in the years 2002
to._ 2 0 0 3 .
income tax
w ould increase by a half a per
cent, from 9 to 9.5 percent.
I f the measure fails, the state
would see $325 million in bud
get cuts during 2002-03, begin
ning next month. An estimated
$95 million would be cut from
schools.
For the 509-J school district,
passage o f Measure 28 would
bring in an additional $600,000.
T hat would help, said district
superintendent Phil Riley, “but
people shouldn’t think that pas
sage o f th e m easure w ould
solve all our problems.”
The district, he said, is already
facing a significant budget re
duction even if voters carry
Measure 28 at the polls.
O n the reservation, mental
health programs, including drug
and alcohol treatment, could see
budget cuts if the measure fails,
said Jim Q uaid, d irec to r o f
Warm Springs Family Services
Branch. The cuts would be be
yond the reductions in these
programs that already have been
im posed in recent years, said
Quaid. Payments for foster care
could also be reduced, he said.
I f M easure 28 fails at the
polls, then the Oregon Health
Plan and Medicaid would see
losses in revenue. This then
would have a direct impact on
revenue at the Warm Springs
Indian Health Services Clinic,
said Russ Alger, clinic director.
The same would be true of
High Lookee Lodge, said Gayle
R odgers, d irec to r o f W arm
Springs Social Services.
High Lookee may be look
ing at a 28 percent reduction in
the state portion paid for the
tenants who are Medicaid eli
gible, said Rodgers. “It is a sub
stantial reduction,” he said.
INSIDE
MHS senior..............page 2
Powwow court........ page 3
Letters...........;................... 4
Languages.........pages 8,9
Museum exhibit............... 10
Smith is distinguished principal
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
For nearly 30 years Dawn
Smith has dedicated herself
to teaching, and help in g
young people to learn. D ur
ing those years, she has been
a Warm Springs Elementary
School teacher, counselor,
vice-principal, and she now
serves as the school princi
pal.
Smith is also the special
education coordinator and
special education teacher. In
these times o f shrinking bud
gets, she takes on many roles
at the school.
“This year with one less
cook in the cafeteria, Dawn
helps serve lunches to the
students,” said Sara Ohman,
teacher.
Recently, Ohman recom
mended Smith for the N a
tional Distinguished Principal
Award. Upon the recommen
d atio n , the E lem en tary
School Principals Association
for the central region o f the
' state chose Smith as its nomi
nee.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Warm Springs Elementary School Principal Dawn Smith
She was chosen from among
the principals at schools from
H ood River to LaPine.
“Eve known Dawn for the
nine years that I’ve been in the
district,” said Steve Johnson,
m iddle school principal and
m em b er o f th e asso ciatio n
board.
“I ’m always impressed by her
energy, and her commitment to
providing students with every
opportunity to grow academi
cally and socially. It’s amazing
how much she gives to the
community,” said Johnson.
Smith first began teaching
at Warm Springs Elementary
School in 1973. O v er the
course o f the years, she has
come to know countless stu
dents and their families.
She has seen m any
changes, but at the same time
some things have remained
the same. For instance, Smith’s
office at Warm Springs E l
ementary School is- the same
room where she first started
teaching all those years ago.
Another thing that has not
changed over the years is the
reason why Smith enjoys her
w ork at the . elem entary
school. “My favorite part of
the job, by far, is being with
the kids every day,” said Smith.
She added, “I also enjoy
working with a talented and
dedicated staff. And the work
is not the Same day to day.
There are always new chal
lenges.”
Dealing with the budget
cuts in coming years will no
doubt be a major challenge,
Smith said.
Tribes pay dose attention to dam proposal
Tribal leaders are paying close
attention to a Jefferson County
Commission suggestion that a
public utility district acquire
o w nership o f p a rt o f th e
Pelton-Round Butte hydroelec
tric facilities.
“We are definitely going to
watch this closely, and we’ll be
very interested in seeing how
they might acquire the asset,”
said Jim Manion, general man
ager o f Warm Springs Power
Enterprises.
Manion also emphasized that
the county commission sugges
tion w ould involve issues o f
g rea t com plexity. “T h ere is
much more to the picture than
meets the eye,” he said.
County commissioner Mary
Zemkevwho took office earlier
this month, also said that acqui
sition o f part o f the dams by a
public utility district (PUD)
would require much planning. “It
would be a long road,” she said.
T h e C o n fed erated Tribes
own one-third o f the Pelton-
Round Butte facilities. Portland
General Electric (PGE), an as
set o f bankrupt E nron Corp.,
owns the other two-thirds, val
ued at $1.8 billion.
As part o f the bankruptcy,
PG E is for. sale, and it is pos
sible that a tax-exempt entity
could acquire the company as
sets. In th at case the county
co u ld stan d to lose a large
source of tax revenue.
This possibility led county’
‘There is language (in
commissioners Zemke and Walt
Ponsford, who also took office
this month, to consider the idea
o f a PUD that would acquire
the dams through the process
o f condem nation. T he third
commissioner, Bill Bellamy, said
he did not favor the idea.
Residents within a proposed
P U D àrea w ould v o te on
whether or not to form the new
district. Such a vote could hap
pen this year, said Zemke.
W hatever the outcom e o f
this idea, the tribal interest would
be protected, said Manion.
“T he agreem ent betw een
P G E and the tribes speaks to
the agreement) th a t
protects the tribal inter
ests. ”
Jim Manion
WSPE general manager
the sale by P G E to a third
party,” he said. “There is lan
guage that protects the tribal
interests.”
Zemke said, “I would want
to honor the agreement that the
tribes have with PG E.” She said,
though, that the PU D would
have its own five-member board
o f directors, which would set
policy for the district.
2003 Miss
Warm Springs
ilda Walsey, 22,
was nam ed Miss
W arm Springs
2003. T h e p ag
eant was last Friday at the
Agency Longhouse.
Walse$ who describes her
self as a “powwow baby,” dis
played extraordinairy talent by
singing along with the drums
of her brothers and father.
She also demonstrated her
ability to dance traditionally.
Another talent she shared
with the pageant audience was
her ability to sew traditional
clothing. Walsey brought sev
eral items she has sewn, in
cluding her first scarf, made
for a cousin, and a beaded
vest made for her brother.
She also sews her own
powwow dresses.
“I’m drug and alcohol free,
and sewing keeps my mind
off it,” Walsey said.
Walsey’s traveling experi
ence with powwows appeared
especially well-suited for the
public relations skills expected
o f Miss Warm Springs.
“I ’ve traveled all over the
United States,” she said.
Walsey competed with one
other contestant, Tashina Smith,
21. The final score for the two
Contestants differed only by 38
points. Judges said both contes
tants had “maximum excellence
in all categories.”
The categories included con
temporary talent, questions and
answers, and traditional talent
and dance.
Michael Bobb provided the
flute music. Lola Sohappy of
fered the invocation.
K eynote speaker U rbana
Ross spoke o f the importance
o f competing, and not neces
sarily o f winning.
Miss W arm Springs 2002
Cecilia H errera visited from
Colorado, where she attends the
university, to pass the crown on.
M any fo rm e r Miss W arm
Springs attended the ceremony.
Approximately 100 tribal mem
b ers atten d e d . D in n e r was
served afterwards.
Shannon Keaveny/Spilyay
Tilda Walsey, the new Miss Warm Springs.
Report on
gym fire
presented
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
An insurance adjustor last
week briefed the 509-J school
district board on the fire dam
age to the Warm Springs E l
ementary School gymnasium.
Three tribal members from
the W arm Springs E ducation
B ran ch a tte n d e d th e b o ard
meeting, and expressed their
desire for the gym to be re
placed.
The adjuster said an estimate
for an insurance claim on the
school’s loss should be available
in about a month.
A fter the final appraisal is
provided, the district has 180
days to declare a replacement
plan.
Urbana Ross, chairwoman o f
E ducation Com m ittee, com
mented to the 509-J board, “As
an advocate for Warm Springs,
I would like to see the gym re
placed, and a new school.”
Ross added, “We need it as
soon as possible. The gym is not
only for the students, but is also
used as a community building
in the evenings.”
Jo Ann Smith, o f the Head
S tart A dvisory C ouncil, ex
p lain ed th e h isto rical im p o r
tance o f the gym to the com
munity.
“T he absence o f the gym
leaves a void for the commu
nity, and an empty history. The
loss is devastating. We hope re
placement is expedited, and is
done as soon as possible,” said
Smith.
T rib al m em b er M arth a
Wiriishut agreed with her col
leagues.
T he school district board
members used the opportunity
to confer with Stone on the pos
sibility o f using the insurance
claim money to build a new gym
at a different location.
Stone assured that a differ
ent location was an option.
H e said that although the
building has been valued at $1.2
million, adjustments could be
made to account for upgrading
o f the building codes.
Board member Jeff Sanders
expressed his concern regarding
long-term water damage to the
building.
Sanders and Steve Earnest
p ressed fo r in fo rm a tio n on
compensation.
A lthough storage costs are
covered this year, Stone said he
was u n su re w h e th e r new
modulars could be built with in
surance money.
H e said walls in dam aged
classro o m s w ere cu t a b o u t
fo u r feet up to reveal floor
dam age. W ater fo u r to six
inches high tunneled through
p a rts o f th e s c h o o l w h en
firefighters attem pted to extin
guish the blaze, w hich h ap
pened Dec. 20.
O ther important news at the
meeting last week was that the
board granted district superin
tendent Phil Riley early retire
ment, effective Jan.l.
Riley is taking early retire
ment in order to take advantage
o f the current Public Employee
R etirem ent Services (PERS)
rates. Riley said he would not re
tire before his contract is up in
July o f 2004.