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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2021)
SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021 | 5A WLAD from page 1A PAC is a profession pub- lic administrative support organization started in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The group was created to encour- age active participation in community affairs by American corporations. PAC is made up of profes- sionals involved with hun- dreds of municipalities and public affairs organizations in the U.S. and abroad, with whom they advise and con- sult on a wide range of is- sues having to do with gov- ernance and organizational integration. The group holds semi- nars, webinars and confer- ences to gather data and ideas from leaders of cities large and small, urban and rural, and then shares their analysis with members who pay for the guidance and information PAC provides. The presentation on Jan. 20 was designed specifical- ly for WLAD. Locally, the importance of a future levy option to has been documented at previous board meetings. WLAD’s fiscal projections indicate a renewal of the levy is essential to provid- ing adequate services to area residents and main- taining its current opera- tion and response levels. During the meeting, there was the opportunity for the public to comment SCHOOLS from page 1A Brown said that Ore- gon’s school boards, su- perintendents, educators and staff will be working toward that goal “to the greatest extent possible.” Since then, ODE and OHA have been working on Version 5.5 of Ready Schools, Safe Learners, https://5il.co/itws. The update details the “tran- sition to advisory metrics for local decision-making for returning to in-person instruction” and replaces prior guidance. In a new introduction, ODE and OHA wrote, “Returning to in-person instruction is one of Or- egon’s highest priorities. This priority goes hand- in-hand with supporting the health and safety of our students, staff and the families they return to each day. Schools not only provide the education that on the topic of the levy pri- or to the PAC presentation, and a single member of the community — a mem- ber of the WLAD Budget Committee, R.J. Pilcher — spoke. He was opposed to any type of levy and what he perceived as a lack of candor by directors. “I find it very disturbing that the board of directors is thinking about hiring an outside firm to convince the public, using taxpayer funds to an option levy at the district’s cost of $60,000 to $100,000,” Pilcher said. “The idea of using oper- ating income or taxpayer funds to do this is beyond outrageous. Why don’t you just be honest in the press release that the board did not have the backbone to impose a last and final of- fer with the rank and file in contract negotiations to right the financial ship? In- stead, you are anticipating coming to the taxpayers for an option levy ahead of schedule.” Pilcher set the tone for the meeting with his de- nouncement of the public option levy renewal and us- ing operating funds to hire an outside firm as a mar- keting strategy. His skepticism was echoed by WLAD Direc- tor Larry Farnsworth, who stated he would be opposed to any levy at this time and felt it would be unfair to voters to approach them with the levy considering the current state of the dis- trict’s financial affairs. “Speaking for myself, I would be the director — maybe more than one — who would oppose the levy at this point,” said Farn- sworth. “We have excel- lent directors and we have excellent staff here at the ambulance district, but our cost structure is just unsus- tainable. If we kick the can down the road without a full strategic plan, there is no possible way I can sup- port the levy and would ac- tively advocate against it.” The need for an updated long-range strategic plan has been a point of conten- tion at previous meetings and continued to separate directors. The current plan was written and approved in 2014 and has been up- dated as recently as 2018. Farnsworth has been ad- amant in past meetings that he believes the financial situation facing WLAD re- quires a more comprehen- sive update in order to ade- quately ascertain what level of financial support to seek from voters. The creation of a new strategic plan for WLAD is in the works. There is a work session planned with the Lane Council of Gov- ernments in April to update WLAD’s strategic plan. During the meeting, Schick described WLAD’s financial shortfalls. He shared charts and graphics detailing the need for the monies provided by the tax levy and was supportive of the plan to create a strate- gic plan, polling questions and a timeline for these inflection points. People can view these in the meet- ing minutes at www.west ernlaneambulance.com/ board-information. As the discussion pro- gressed, Director Mike Webb was direct in his belief the levy was need- ed; further, he insisted the sooner it could be crafted and presented to the public, the better. “I am very comfortable going out early, I am very comfortable in going out in May of this year. I think it’s the proper time to go. It does make sense to have that extra time to recover, recoup and re-address it if we have to go back to the voters again,” Webb said. “Without an operating levy, we can’t operate — and we are doing a disservice to the people in our district if we do not go out for a levy.” Webb and Farnsworth have disagreed on the need for the continuance of the levy as well as other aspects of the operation of WLAD related to future PERS ob- ligations and ongoing reve- nue losses. Directors were then asked to decide if a levy should be forwarded for public consideration, with only Farnsworth voting against it. The second question was the timing for the measure, and the board eventually agreed a November time- line would work best. The final determination of the rate of increase was a general agreement that the levy rate should remain the same, pending the results of the strategic plan and polling data. Director Cindy Russell was the sole supporter of an increase in the levy rate, sharing data which shows calls for transport have doubled in the past few years and an increase was warranted. The need for the levy has been discussed for more than a year by directors and the presentation from PAC was intended to offer op- tions to the WLAD Board as to the level of services needed to assure support from voters for the levy op- tion. PAC’s level of services are directly tied to the lev- el of expenditure WLAD wants to dedicate to the consulting service. The most significant point made, based on the response from directors, was in regard to the advan- tages and disadvantages of polling to determine the public’s perspective on the levy. Director Rick Yecny sug- gested that incorporating polling questions to be used for developing an ac- ceptable levy option would help in determining possi- ble points in a new strategic plan. “The board has talked about having a strategic plan, and part of that plan could be polling the com- munity. Your proposal in- cludes a poll of up to 300 people. Could we combine some of the questions to help us beyond the levy and with strategic planning?” Yecny asked. Sieng said, “The district as a tax paying entity can fund an information cam- paign that does not include advocacy of any kind. So, you can hire a consultant and do a messaging cam- paign and all aspects of our proposal could be under an informational campaign.” WLAD Directors even- tually decided to submit a renewal levy measure in November, contingent on the development of a clear strategic plan. Farnsworth joined in this decision, postponing his opposition to a levy until the LCOG work session was completed and he was satisfied with the strategic plan produced at the ses- sion. The next WLAD meeting is a virtual joint meeting with Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue on Jan. 28, begin- ning 6 p.m. For more infor- mation, visit www.western laneambulance.com. Oregon’s children need to succeed, but schools also provide for social-emo- tional growth and sup- port, nutritious meals and access to medical care. “We have been living with COVID-19 for ap- proximately one year in Oregon and it will be with us for a long time to come. … Through a measured and thoughtful approach, we can prioritize a quali- ty education for Oregon’s children.” One of the reasons that reopening will be possible this spring is because vac- cinations have begun to be administered in Oregon, with the state’s educators scheduled to be inoculated beginning this week. In addition, health or- ganizations have learned best practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in structured and regu- lated environments like schools. As of Jan. 1, the health metrics for returning to in-person instruction shifted from a mandatory requirement to advisory recommendations. This allows schools to work with public health author- ities to determine when it is appropriate to shift to in-person instruction through an on-site or hy- brid instructional model. They will look at the fol- lowing factors: • County COVID-19 conditions as well as more localized health condi- tions, • Readiness to meet the public health and safety requirements, • Staff capacity across instructional models, • Impacts on student academic growth and suc- cess, • Impacts on student physical and mental health • Disproportionate im- pacts of COVID-19 and education under various models. “It remains critical that the community case counts are low enough that the community is not regularly introducing new COVID-19 cases into the school — which destabi- lizes the learning environ- ment as contact tracing leads to quarantining,” ODE and OHA wrote. In addition, any reopen- ing will also include entry health screening, mandat- ed face coverings, physical distancing, cohorts, sani- tation and handwashing. The Ready Schools up- date also includes “Plan- ning for COVID-19 Sce- narios in Schools,” which can be read at https://5il. co/ovsm. This document outlines the potential scenarios for illness iso- lation, temporary school closures and returning to on-campus instruction af- ter illnesses in the event of COVID-19 cases on cam- pus. As for school athletic programs, they will be op- erating under the indoor and outdoor recreation guidelines based on coun- ty level risk assessments. The Oregon School Activ- ities Association (OSAA) will update the conditions for school athletics as al- lowed by the OHA on Feb. 8. This week, Siuslaw School District held Re-Opening Information Sessions on Jan. 25 and 26, with the last of three fo- rums held tonight, Jan. 27, from 6 to 7 p.m. in Zoom, and can be accessed through the following link: https://siuslaw.zoom. us/j/94881368376. These sessions will help students, parents and the community understand the recently released guidelines from the state and Siuslaw’s reopening framework. “Thank you to all for your patience as school staff navigate implemen- tation of these directives from the state as we all strive to do what is in the best interest of students, families, staff and the community,” said Siuslaw Superintendent Andy Grz- eskowiak. “The adminis- trative team looks forward to answering your ques- tions now that detailed guidance is in hand.” For an update from both the Siuslaw and Mapleton school districts on their reopening plans, read the Saturday, Jan. 30, edition of the Siuslaw News. Blazing Fast Internet! Get Results...List With Melody. ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY 19 . 99 $ /mo. where available 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE America’s Top 120 Package MO. 190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 for 12 Mos. 1-866-373-9175 Offer ends 1/31/21. 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