6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2017
Forum
from 1A
supplemented by more students.
My perception of the board is
they shouldn’t be affecting (stu-
dents) other than providing
opportunities for (them).”
Muenzer said, “The board
plays a key role in ensuring the
institution is holding up its end
of the bargain to the community
by making sure we are using the
resources we have wisely, taking
into consideration the impacts
budget decisions have, and
knowing full well we have a $10
million gap that has to be
addressed.”
S IUSLAW P UBLIC L IBRARY
Next, Sneddon called up the
four candidates for three Siuslaw
Public Library Board of
Directors positions. Current
board members Susy Lacer and
Mark Tilton, along with first-
time candidate Brad Miller, dis-
cussed the changing roles of
libraries, the general excellence
of the Siuslaw Library District
and their backgrounds. Current
board member Michael Falter
could not attend the forum.
Miller is a former librarian
and library services manager
who said he is running “because
I have background and experi-
ences that I thought might be of
use.”
This includes more than 20
years in various positions in
library services, as well as a mas-
ters degree in public administra-
tion.
Tilton has a background in sci-
ence and a history of working
with various government agen-
cies. He was appointed to fill a
board vacancy in February,
though he has been a longtime
member of the Friends of the
Siuslaw Public Library.
“I’m a strong library support-
er. … I see libraries as a very
important and valuable commu-
nity asset. In fact, when my wife
and I moved here 12 years ago,
one of the primary reasons was
the quality of the library here,”
he said.
Lacer has served on the board
since 2014. She is a self-
employed grant writer and vol-
unteers with several other com-
munity and nonprofit groups.
“Libraries provide an essential
role these days as far as informa-
tion for all across the demo-
graphics, across the socioeco-
nomic scale,” she said. “It’s open
information and access to info
for everyone. Our library serves
16,000 each month. We are an
amazing resource for our com-
munity.”
Sneddon asked all three what
the library district faces as it
moves forward.
Lacer said, “One of the
biggest challenges is for libraries
to continually grow and be rele-
vant in our changing world. ...
Maintaining that relevance and
educating people on all the
things they can do is one of our
biggest challenges.”
Miller said, “Libraries have
become clearinghouses for a
variety of information and
media. The book is no longer
‘king.’ It’s now, at best, first
among equals in the library
world. Helping patrons and users
find their way through a much
more complicated information
environment jungle is more of a
role now.”
Tilton said, “The focus of our
library system is on lifelong
learning and community enrich-
ment. One of the things we need
to be aware of is how our
patrons’ tastes are changing and
how are they going to get the
materials they want.”
S IUSLAW S CHOOL B OARD
The third board Sneddon
brought forward was the Siuslaw
School District. Both John
Barnett, Director Position 2, and
Bill
McDougle,
Director
Position 7, are running unop-
posed for their current positions.
McDougle is a retired teacher
and Barnett works in property
appraisal.
McDougle asked for the
microphone to give a quick
announcement.
“In the last election, there
were 1,200 votes that were not
counted because people did not
sign the back of their envelopes.
Please be sure to sign them
before you mail them in,” he
said.
Both Director Positions 4 and
6 have two candidates each.
Twelve-year board member Paul
Burns, who works as a biologist,
is running against Elizabeth
Miller, who has a background in
public relations and who did not
attend the event. Current board
member Suzanne Mann-Heintz
is running against Jesse
Chapman.
Burns said, “As a board, our
main task is setting policy for the
district and setting overarching
goals and objectives. Hiring the
superintendent is one of those
main jobs that we have to lead
the district.”
Chapman said he was running
since Siuslaw is his alma mater,
and many of his family members
have graduated from the school.
He has also been involved in stu-
dent athletics as a coach.
“When I graduated from
Siuslaw, I went into the U.S.
Army,” he said. “I found out I
had an awesome education from
SHS, and I want to maintain
that.”
He brought up Siuslaw’s low
ranking among Oregon schools
and its 68 percent graduation
rate, as well as the importance of
the district’s sports programs.
Mann-Heintz said she is on
the board because she wants to
be a voice for the 1,500 youth
under 18 years old in the com-
munity.
“They need people like Jesse,
me, Paul, Bill and others, those
seven board members, to repre-
sent them and their true right to a
free, appropriate public educa-
tion,” she said.
Her background in teaching
and involvement with communi-
ty organizations gives her “a han-
dle on what our community and
its kids need,” she said.
Sneddon guided the discus-
sion about budgets, the role of
the board, the possibility for a
charter system and the future of
sports before getting to one key
issue.
“I had at least three people ask
me a specific thing,” Sneddon
said. “Is the Siuslaw School
District obligated, and what
would your feelings be, to pro-
vide an education for students
who don’t have legal status in
this country?”
“I believe that we need to
honor federal regulations and
state regulations,” Chapman
said. “We can’t pick and choose
what level of government law we
want to serve. We are one nation
under God; we are not a half
nation.”
Sneddon asked him again
what his personal thoughts were
on the issue. “No, I do not,”
Chapman answered.
Mann-Heintz said, “Oregon
law says that we have an obliga-
tion to educate children that are
enrolled in the schools. … That’s
what law says, that students get
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