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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015
Budget
from 1A
“I want to make sure I
state this clearly — this
budget is not enough and I’m
committed to fighting for
more,” added Roblan, who
voted to approve the K-12
education budget.
Angal said, “I can’t argue
with anything Sen. Roblan
said. Where kids need health
care, where families need
counseling, it’s all true. At
the same time, those very
issues are what cause us to
need more support staff for
students, more specialized
instruction, smaller class
sizes, so that whether or not
they get all the support at
home they need, when they
come to school they have it.
“I have no doubt that Sen.
Roblan cares about schools.
He has a history as an educa-
tor. I hope he can make it
happen because we are not
going to have the kind of
quality education that
Oregonians expect from their
schools, and used to have
from their schools, when we
are down at the bottom of the
states in length of the school
year and in funding for edu-
cation. It’s not going to hap-
pen.”
During the Siuslaw School
Board meeting April 8, Angal
presented her 2015-2016
budget message.
She said, “I am saddened
and deeply disappointed in
our state legislature’s actions
of the past two months.
Despite a growing state econ-
omy, schools have fared
poorly in terms of a share of
that growth.”
Angal went on to report
that the ending fund balance
surplus that has helped the
district maintain programs
and bridge state funding
shortfalls will be exhausted at
the end of the 2015-2016
school year.
“This fund has been
decreasing each year,” she
said. “It is estimated that the
2015-2016 school year will
be the last year that this
resource can be utilized while
maintaining the fund balance
established by the school
board.”
On the positive side, Angal
said the district continues to
receive community support
from a local option levy that
allows the district to maintain
several programs. The district
also continues to offer honors
and advanced placement
classes in core subjects.
“We have added Lego
robotics, film and video pro-
duction and technology
opportunities in both the mid-
dle and high school,” Angal
said. “Our after-school pro-
grams, funded through the
21st Century Community
Learning Center Grant, serve
about 200 students Monday
through Thursday providing
tutoring, enrichment, STEM
(Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math) activ-
ities and homework help. At
the elementary level, we are
excited to add a kindergarten
annex to house full-day
kindergarten.”
Angal also reported that
the district will begin its self-
operated food service pro-
gram this fall.
“We anticipate that it will
not only provide better quali-
ty and healthier meals that
will fit nicely into our well-
ness program for the district,
but will afford us local con-
trol of our food services,”
Angal said.
The school board budget
committee met for the first
time Wednesday. Angal said
they have not had time to
evaluate the budget and make
recommendations to the
board.
“We presented them with a
conservative budget that may
result in an unfilled position
or two, due to vacancies,”
she said. “We are trying very
hard to hang onto the little
steps we made to recoup
some of our elective pro-
grams in middle and high
school. We will see, as the
process unfolds.”
CROW
from 1A
“It’s both exciting and terri-
fying,” Heard added.
CROW’s assistant director
Genevieve Meltzer said, “I am
beyond excited.”
The nonprofit community
arts program will use the build-
ing for classes, rehearsals,
camps, prop and set storage and
making and storing costumes.
Cameron Utz, who plays
Prince Dauntless, said, “It gives
us a place to do our stuff and
gives us more liberty. It makes
it much easier for CROW. Trust
me, it’s very exciting.”
CROW will officially break
in the building when the crew
strikes the set of “Once Upon a
Mattress” after the last perform-
ance at 2 p.m. on Sunday and
stores the castle there.
“The people that work on
these productions have such
good hearts. They’re all volun-
teers and they all want the show
to be the best it can be for the
kids,” Heard said.
Before
opening
night,
CROW performed outreaches
for clubs and community cen-
ters. On Thursday, they invited
1,000 students from area
school districts to attend two
vocal training, life skills and
dance.
“We want this program to be
available to the kids because we
feel like they really need it,”
Heard said.
“But we need help still,” she
added. “CROW will be reach-
ing out to the community again
to ask for folks who believe in
the importance of the arts to
step up and support this project.
... These kids are really wonder-
ful human beings and very spe-
cial people. We want to do this
for them.”
Catch CROW in “Once
Upon a Mattress” today at 2 and
7 p.m. and tomorrow at 7 p.m.
at the Florence Events Center,
PHOTO BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
715 Quince St.
Tickets are $16 for adults and
CROW’s new building at 3120 Highway 101 in Florence has the space the performing
arts group needs to hold classes and rehearsals, have a small stage and store and build children under 12 are $8.
Purchase tickets at the FEC box
sets, props and costumes.
office window before each
performances.
Tristin Reber, who plays youth who want to be involved show, or call 541-997-1994 or
These shows are some of Queen
Aggravain,
said, in the arts — not just acting, but go online to www.eventcenter
Heard’s favorite part of CROW. “CROW is like a family. It real- set design, stage management, .org.
“When the kids watch, they ly is. If one of us messes up,
just absorb so much of the someone else steps in to support
show,” she said. “The energy an them. There’s nothing else like
audience brings is really power- it.”
ful. It’s a relationship between
This year’s cast ranges from
the actors on the stage and the the youngest at 3 years old up to
audience members. There’s 19 years.
nothing like the power of live
CROW fills a niche in the
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theater.”
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