SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018
Digital (cont.) from 8A
because our community said,
‘Yes, we want to support our
schools.”
Following a vote in favor of
the school’s general obligation
bond, a perfect storm of funding
and fiber transformed a tiny dis-
trict with outdated infrastructure
into an educational paragon of
modernity.
“Our community was gracious
enough to pass a $4 million
bond,” she said. “And then we in
turn got a $4 million matching
grant from the state of Oregon
and then on top of that we
received a $1.5 million seismic
grant for the elementary and a
$1.5 million seismic grant for the
high school.”
The influx of funding allowed
for badly needed infrastructure
renovations to begin last spring,
which also opened the door for
high-grade Cat 6A Ethernet
cables and new wireless access
points to be installed.
Then, in a fortuitous turn,
months of working with Lane
ESD to bring better internet to
Mapleton ended in a pleasant
surprise when collaboration
between CenturyLink and Lane
ESD saw fiber installed to dispel
the district’s bandwidth woes.
While the bond and grants
massively helped the district
commit to its infrastructural
needs, O’Mara adds that the fiber
alone would have been an enor-
mous boon to the schools’ class-
room integrity.
The funding to upgrade part-
nered with the introduction of
fiber, Mapleton School District's
bandwidth issues were virtually
eradicated, which freed teachers
to take full advantage of class-
room devices and tools, turning
SVFR
from 1A
districts’ overall finances, initiat-
ed after payroll irregularities
were brought to light by mem-
bers of the Western Lane
Ambulance District.
Recent staff changes were
connected to the issues raised by
the EMTs, and according to
9 A
the district into nothing short of a
success story.
Though the Mapleton district
was the recipient a fortunate
series of events, bringing schools
up to date is more than just a roll
of the dice. Grant writers and
tenaciousness go a long way and
much of a school’s good fortune
starts with community support
for bonds. O’Mara believes the
funding is there to create more
success stories like hers.
“I think there’s a big push in
the state of Oregon for access to
technology,” she said. “We've
had some great grants given to us
through
Western
Lane
Community Foundation and
Mapleton Community
Foundation that have helped to
provide for some of those tablets
and get technology in the hands
of kids.”
Upgrading a school's technol-
ogy, however, is only one among
many considerations as officials
contemplate the flow of funds.
Siuslaw High School, for exam-
ple, is marked for potential
replacement and ongoing delib-
erations over the school’s long-
term outlook have waylaid other
development ideas. An invest-
ment in technical infrastructure
now lacks appeal.
“We’ve delayed doing it just
because we know we've got the
new high school potentially com-
ing up,” said Grzeskowiak, “and
so spending the money to do it
now wouldn’t necessarily be a
wise use of the funds.”
Doing nothing is not an attrac-
tive option, either. As it stands,
the school's current infrastructure
puts a cap on its technological
capacity.
“We’re limited on several
fronts,” Grzeskowiak said. “Just
because of the way that building
is designed … running wiring is
a problem — and on top of that
we're kind of maxed out for our
electrical capacity.”
In order to update any further,
Grzeskowiak is faced with a sim-
ple obstacle of logistics. “We
physically don't have the space
for it,” he said. “We’ve got trans-
formers in buildings that are at
capacity. We cannot build up any
more.”
If the new high school does
get built, there are plans to estab-
lish it as the district’s new tech-
nology infrastructure hub, run-
ning a district-wide digital sys-
tem for phones, intercoms and
bell systems.
Building a new school and
streamlining such a system, how-
ever, doesn’t come cheap.
A general obligation bond for
construction projects is anticipat-
ed for May, though the school
board hasn’t formally approved a
project list or project amount yet.
While a new high school is the
primary concern, seismic proj-
ects at the elementary and
mechanical improvements for the
middle school are also under
review.
“The reality is, commercial
construction is not getting cheap-
er,” said Grzeskowiak.
Moreover, public entities such
as schools must meet higher stan-
dards than residential construc-
tion projects — and higher stan-
dards mean higher costs.
Regardless of how May’s vote
turns out, Grzeskowiak’s main
concern with the high school lies
in meeting modern standards by
giving the high school the infra-
structure and technology to “do
collaborative workgroups so kids
can participate in meaningful
effective discussion that leads to
critical thinking, synthesis and
analysis,” he said. “And to make
sure every class happens in a
classroom,” referring to classes
that have been relegated to small-
er rooms due to lack of space.
T HE D IGITAL F UTURE
Providing the adequate envi-
ronment for these goals involves
not just increasing space, but
increasing the number and quali-
ty of devices that can be placed
in students' hands. Future educa-
tional environments will likely
demand more hi-tech access and
both superintendents see greater
integration of technology in the
future.
Ideally, O’Mara is looking to
achieve a one-to-one student-to-
notebook ratio for grades above
elementary, which could possibly
enable students to take devices
home with them after school.
Grzeskowiak also envisions
this kind of digital immersion.
“Our education foundation just
wrote a grant for us and we're
looking to try to go one-to-one
Chromebook/notebook for all
kids grades four through 12,” he
said.
The Siuslaw district has also
purchased a learning manage-
ment system that interfaces with
the school information system. In
effect, every student has a
records profile, which is linked
to their teacher’s profile, which
has all of their class records and
grades.
“It’s meant to be a one-stop
shop for teacher planning, grade
submission and then student
notes and … assignment submis-
sion as well,” said Grzeskowiak.
“So if you miss class, the notes
are there. The videos are there.
You can submit your homework
through there. If you miss a quiz,
you can log on and take the
quiz.”
The convenience to teachers
and students is intended to be
matched with off-campus bene-
fits as well. “It takes a lot of the
paper out of the system,” said
Grzeskowiak, “and makes it an
easy check for parents instead of
‘Hey, where’s your homework?
You didn't bring it home.’ A par-
ent could then download that
piece to do at home.”
Future developments in the
tech industry will also urge
schools to keep pace not just as
an advantage, but a necessity.
Subjects such as science, busi-
ness and computer technology
often have little choice but to
match modern standards.
Before its upgrades began,
Mapleton School District had
fallen short of those standards,
but O’Mara feels they are on the
cusp of meeting the definition of
a modern school system, espe-
cially once remodeling of the
high school is finished.
For Siuslaw, “We're close, but
we're not all the way there yet,”
said Grzeskowiak. The district
has adopted a somewhat patch-
work method as funds are made
available, picking a couple class-
rooms a year and building the
infrastructure as needed.
Seamlessly
integrating
upgrades into an infrastructure
that lacks physical capacity,
however, remains Grzeskowiak’s
main concern.
The future of technology in
the classroom points to more
robust and integrated applica-
tions.
The U.S. Department of
Education itself endorses a
model of embracing technology
in such forms as online classes,
digital textbooks and games
which inspire critical thinking.
Resources and possible applica-
tions abound on a horizon that
may only end with an educator’s
creativity.
Though it’s hard to accurately
forecast the applications of class-
room technology in years to
come, O’Mara and Grzeskowiak
agree smartphones will see more
use in the classroom setting.
“It would be nice to see it
become an educational tool,”
said O’Mara. “Because most stu-
dents have it and those that don't
would then have access to one
through the school.”
“The classroom computer
became the glorified typewriter.
And then the computer became
the
glorified
presentation
machine,” said Grzeskowiak. “In
essence you’re going to see the
phone become more than just a
glorified computer and that's
really the next kind of evolution
in this.”
If change truly is the only con-
stant, it’s evident the coming
generations must be equipped to
face it.
Modest improvements to the
classroom have their place, but
addressing leaps of progress in
an increasingly technologically-
dependent society will require
forward-thinking educators,
well-equipped classrooms and,
as in Mapleton’s case, communi-
ty support.
Striking the right balance
between the digital and analog
world will be an ever-present
responsibility for teachers and
parents alike as technology
becomes more immersive and
potentially less interpersonal.
“It is funny, too, though,”
Timpe said about her Mapleton
Elementary School students.
“You do have the occasional per-
son who does not enjoy it. And
they'll be like, 'Can I read my
book instead?'”
She added optimistically,
“And that’s okay!”
Chief Director Langborg, Mahr
was preparing the information
gathered during his audit to pres-
ent to both boards and needed an
additional month to finalize his
report.
Langborg has assured direc-
tors Mahr has not found any
examples of malfeasance, simply
improperly handled transactions.
The audit update was listed as an
agenda item for both boards and
the delay was accepted from all
directors with few comments.
Langborg then mentioned that
all administrative functions for
the WLAD had been shifted to
the main SVFR Station. This
transition had gone smoothly,
according to Langborg.
The department presentations
to the SVFR board continued
with an update on software
upgrades and acknowledgement
from Director Green that the
software was similar to what he
has and used at OPB.
Director Hickson added the
software was “ Easy to use and it
didn’t take long to figure out how
to navigate from one screen to
another.”
Langborg then advised the
board the district’s civil service
position had been reclassified
and filled by an internal promo-
tion. He also advised the direc-
tors the district would be switch-
ing over to a new payroll service,
ADP, and would be utilizing
ADP’s time keeping and HR
management tools moving for-
ward.
Langborg next responded to a
concern expressed by a member
of the public in a previous meet-
ing. The question posed during
the public comment section of
last month’s meeting asked for
the costs to the tax payers of
Florence that were associated
with Mahr’s audit.
Langborg stated the total costs
incurred to this point were
approximately $2,650, with a
slight increase in expenditures
possible as the payroll correction
situation was nearing comple-
tion. Langborg also told the
directors that negotiations were
set to begin with union Local
851 and requested directors
decide which board members
would participate in the negotia-
tions.
Perhaps the most interesting
information
shared
at
Wednesday’s meeting was pro-
vided by Chief of Operations,
Jim Dickerson, who reported on
the year’s statistics for the calls
SVFR had responded. The com-
prensive data presented was the
subject of a short discussion
among the directors.
Dickerson pointed out the
majority of calls for assistance
were received on Saturday and
Sunday, the two days the district
was not staffed.
He added that there were
many more calls for medic serv-
ices than for fire response, but
highlighted the higher degree of
danger and damage that fire call
outs entail.
Dickerson’s report also stated,
“Many of our calls, in fact, 44.62
percent, are rescue and EMS
based. As we look towards the
nature of calls that we respond to
and activation of the emergency
responders, SVFR must meet the
expectations of the residents and
visitors. The data suggests that
we train at least once per month
on the EMS/Rescue side of emer-
gency response.”
The numbers presented by
Dickerson for 2017 were consis-
tent with previous years, with a
slight upward trend evident.
Total call volume was 493,
with an average response time of
10 minutes per roll out.
Only eight and a half percent
of calls were for fires and five
percent were for dangerous situa-
tions that were not fire related.
Dickerson pointed out that in
the future, staffing changes
might have to be made to reflect
the high percentage of calls that
come in on the weekend.
Reports were entered into the
record from Recruitment and
Retention Coordinator Pete
Wa r r e n , C h a p l a i n L o r i
Severance, Interim Fire
Prevention Officer Tony Miller,
SVFR Captain Andy Gray and
Training Officer Jeff Larson.
The board then approved pay-
ing the monthly bills for the dis-
trict which totaled $276,288.
The WLAD Board meeting
was held at noon on Thursday.
The first order of business was
the swearing in of a new full time
member of WLAD, Ben Taylor.
Following Taylor’s ceremoni-
al induction, much of the same
information that was discussed at
the SVFR meeting was repeated
to the WLAD Board.
There was a quorum present,
but Director Yecny and
Operations Chief Matt House
were not in attendance.
The shift of location for
administrative personnel from
WLAD to SVFR Station 2 was
the first topic to be mentioned
and the new software roll out as
well as the shift to ADP for pay-
roll services was recapped for the
board.
Director Farnsworth then stat-
ed he had received the informa-
tion he had requested during the
Dec. meeting regarding overtime
expenditures and the situation
had been clarified to his satisfac-
tion.
“I did receive the overtime
analysis and it makes much more
sense in the new format. As we
continue to sharpen our budget
process, these issues will be
addressed, and the information
provided to the board will be
clearer and easier to understand.”
Statistics from 2017 were
entered into the record showing
WLAD had responded to 3,176
calls.
There were few questions
from the directors regarding the
information presented and was
the digital report from House
were entered into the record.
Department reports detailing
budget were received from Chief
Langborg
and
Chaplain
Severance with little discussion
and the members approved
expenditures of $296,224 to
cover the district’s monthly bills
and adjourned the meeting.
Following up on the possibity
of a second occupant prior to the
incident, several local agencies
canvassed the area near the
shooting and interviewed poten-
tial witnesses.
The investigation led to the
identity of a “home of interest”
in the same 500 block, where
authorities attempted to make
contact with residents inside.
Several people exited the
home and were questioned by
police, which lead to the identity
of a second man who had been
an occupant of the vehicle but
was not involved in the incident.
The man is cooperating with
the Lane County Interagency
Deadly Force Investigation
Team (IDFIT), which is com-
prised of law enforcement offi-
cers from multiple agencies
tasked with investigating deadly
force events in Lane County.
Due to the ongoing nature of
the investigation, the passenger
is not being identified at this
time.
Responding agencies includ-
ed Oregon State Police, the
Eugene Police department, The
Cottage
Grove
Police
Department, the Springfield
Police Department, the Florence
Police Department, Santa Clara
Rural
Fire,
and
the
Eugene/Springfield
Fire
Department.
An update will be issued after
the District Attorney’s Office has
reviewed the case.
From the Friends of the
Florence Events Center’s
Winter Music Festival Committee,
THANK YOU ALL!
OUR ESTEEMED SPONSORS:
Sea Lion Caves
Florence Grocery Outlet
Brandborg Vineyard & Winery
OregonFAST.net
Th e Waterfront Depot
Mapleton Community Foundation
Banner Bank
Ninkasi Brewery
Elks Lodge #1858
Ladies of Elks
Florence Regional Arts Association
KCST Coast Radio
Jenna Bartlett / Th e Siuslaw News
KLCC
KVRM
Oregon Coast Magazine
Th e River House Inn
Old Town Inn
Th e Lighthouse Inn
Drift wood Shores
Florence Best Western
1285 Restobar
Best for Hearing
Treehouse Signs
Homegrown Public House
ICM Restaurant
Oregon Pacifi c Bank
Th e Eye Center
Florence Dental Clinic
Jeff & Lis Farm
Johnston Motors
W.G. Peterson Woodworking
C&M Stables
Hunt Dentistry
Bay Street Grill
Sue Gilday / State Farm Insurance
Precision Printing
Villa West Motel
KEY PERSONNEL & VOLUNTEERS
Th e Friends of the FEC Volunteers & On Call Volunteers
Reedsport, Mapleton, and Siuslaw Elementary School Educators
Marty Adams, Th e Flo-Tones, and the WMF Gospel Group
Dolly Brock, Donna Mlinek, Paul Pearson, Ken Janowski, Burney Garelick
Charley Th ompson & Janet Wellington, Jam Session Organizers
Jesus Peralta, Shannon Hunt, & the Pavilion Catering Crew
Cassandra Caputo, Judy
Caputo & SK Lindsey for Social Media
Bob Macduff ee & Volunteers for Th e Pie Sale
Kevin Rhodes & the FEC Staff
Pete and Trina Yoakum for fi ve days of Sound Engineering
B onnie Macduff ee our FFEC Treasurer and Guardian Angel
Margaret McDiarmid
&
Lighting Crew
Claudia Brown,
FRAA Artisan Fair Coordinator
Co-producer Howie Cusack who created
the Gospel Gathering and so much more
Kirk Mlinek and Rachel Pearson, Co-Producers
Leah Goodwin & the “Ladies in Black Plus 1” Stage Crew
And you, our Wonderful Patrons and Ticket Buyers, who made our dreams for
2018 come true in such grand fashion...
THANK YOU ALL, AND SEE YOU NEXT YEAR !
Shooting
from 1A
was uncooperative and in pos-
session of a firearm.
Martinez was shot and imme-
diately transported to a local
hospital, where he later died.
There were multiple address-
es on file for Martinez, with his
last known residence listing a
home in Deadwood. However,
when asked, no area residents
could recall Martinez living in
the area.
“We go by addresses in our
system,” said Sergant Carrie
Carver of the Lane County
Sheriff’s Office. “If we haven’t
had contact with him for some
time, it might not have been cur-
rent.”