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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 21, 2015 4A EDITORIALS How to Contact Officials Kindergarten tests leave us wondering Kindergarteners statewide were tested during the first few weeks of school in September. Last week, the Oregon Department of Education released the results of those tests. The assessment is intended to show where kids are on the first day of entering the public school system, more of an analysis of pre-kindergarten education than anything having to do with K-12. Children are given simple math problems and asked to an- swer them. Their score reflects how many they got right out of 16. They are then shown a sheet of 100 English letters, in- cluding duplicates, uppercase and lowercase letters. The teacher points to a letter and notes if the child can recall the name of the letter. However many they can recall in 60 sec- onds is their score. State average for this test is 17.7. So, on av- erage, Oregon children can recall 68 percent of the alphabet. Having such a large choice for letters and sounds seems unreasonable. Even when using both lowercase and up- percase letters, why not give children just 52 choices? ODE representatives say children are not expected to score 100 on these tests — even though two Oregon kindergarteners did score 100 — but that is how the score is listed: 0-100. We wonder about the methodology and timing of an as- sessment such as this. Because the results aren’t released until halfway through the school year, most of our local teachers cannot use the information to guide curriculum. They continue, instead, to do what kindergarten teachers have done for decades: their own assessments. The state and our public schools are so obsessed with testing and assessments, we wonder if they are not failing our children. It makes us long for the days of stressing the three Rs, “Sesame Street” and “School House Rock.” PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503- 623-2395) or email (kholland@polkio.com). — WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Polk County Extension Service District Board — 12:30 p.m., Polk County-OSU Extension Service Office, 289 E. Ellendale Ave., Suite 301, Dallas. 503-623-8395. • Polk County Public Safety Local Option Tax Hearing — 6 p.m., Monmouth Public Library, 168 Ecols St. E., Monmouth. Polk County Board of Commissioners-hosted public forum to discuss proposed countywide public safety levy. 503-623-8173. • Luckiamute Valley Charter School Board — 6:30 p.m., Luckiamute Valley Charter Schools, Bridgeport Campus, 17475 Bridgeport Road, Dallas. 503-623-4837. • Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. THURSDAY, JAN. 22 • Polk County Public Safety Local Option Tax Hearing — 6 p.m., Chemeketa Viticulture Center, 215 Doaks Ferry Road NW, West Salem. Polk County Board of Commissioners-hosted pub- lic forum to discuss proposed countywide public safety levy. 503-623-8173. FRIDAY, JAN. 23 • Polk County Health Advisory Board — Noon, Academy Building, Room 214, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. 503-623-9289, ext. 2332. MONDAY, JAN. 26 • Dallas School Board — 2:30 p.m., Oakdale Heights Elemen- tary School, 1375 SW Maple St., Dallas. 503-623-9664, ext. 2334. • Independence Library Board — 4 p.m., Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1811. TUESDAY, JAN. 27 • Independence City Council — 7:30 a.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Polk County Public Safety Local Option Tax Hearing — 6 p.m., Roth’s Fresh Market, 1130 Wallace Road NW, West Salem. Polk County Board of Commissioners-hosted public forum to discuss proposed countywide public safety levy. 503-623-8173. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. GOVERNOR Gov. John Kitzhaber (Dem.) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-378-4582 Email: via website, http://governor.oregon.gov/ — STATE LEGISLATORS Sen. Arnie Roblan (District 5, Democrat) S-417 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Public safety levy must get on ballot Someone is trying to break into your house. You call 9-1-1. The person says, “sorry, there’s no one on duty to respond.” Wait, it’s only 11 o’clock (a.m. or p.m. — doesn’t matter). A drunken driver nearly sideswipes you as he or she weaves from lane to lane well over the speed limit. You pull over, stop and report it only to receive the same response. An apprehended felon does not get prosecuted be- cause the district attorney’s office does not have ade- quate staff. The foregoing may sound like the plot for a scary movie. It’s not. It is reality. Polk County public safety funds are at an all-time low. There are too few patrol offi- cers to cover the county full time. There are too few pros- ecutors to handle what ar- rests are made. The remedy for this situa- tion is relatively simple — get the public safety levy on the ballot for the May election. Proposed cost is 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Do the math. On a $200,000 home, that would be $90 per year. That’s 25 cents a day, folks. Pretty inex- pensive for peace of mind. For all the facts, attend one of the commissioner hearings on the issue being held in the next week (see schedule under “Public Agenda” on this page). Russ Noll West Salem Don’t blame police for recent car thefts This is in response to the letter “Public responsible for crime in area” (Jan. 7 Itemiz- er-Observer). I believe that the residents of Polk County are tired of having their taxes increased to fund public safety meas- ures. When the county would like to sit down and disclose what it spends its money on and why it is short when it comes to hav- ing 24/7 patrols on the street, then the citizens of Polk County may just pass your public safety measure. To blame the sheriff’s of- fice for the theft of these two Toyota trucks is wrong. These where stolen within the city limits. This would be Dallas Police Department’s jurisdiction. I do believe that the officers of Dallas do a fantastic job preventing crime in the Dallas area, but again can’t be everywhere at the same time. It is great to blame the po- lice in the time of reduced pa- trols, but let’s look at the cir- cumstances as to when and how these trucks were stolen. I am sure it came to a great shock to the owners, but yet did they contribute to the rea- son these trucks where stolen? In times of shorten pa- trols, we must come togeth- er as a community and start policing our own neighbor- hoods while at the same time we should stop using this as a scare tactic to vote in a levy to raise our taxes for increased patrols. David Christensen Independence Wrestling event at DHS was first-rate At a time when we often hear from correspondents regarding what our schools are not doing right, along comes the Brunner Invita- tional Wrestling Tourna- ment, held Jan. 10 at Dallas High School, to prove just the opposite. The tournament featured several of the state’s top teams from recent seasons, including Dallas, Crook County and Willamina. An abundance of great wrestlers were competing. However, the most im- pressive aspect of the event, named to honor Janet Brun- ner, arguably the best wrestling tournament direc- tor ever, was the atmosphere of good sportsmanship and positive attitudes. Everything about the tournament was first-rate: wrestling, coaching and officiating — even the clam chowder, among other items at the concession table — was top-notch. Alice Bibler did a wonder- ful job as tournament direc- tor. Coach Tony Olliff and his staff did their share in insur- ing a positive atmosphere. Well done, DHS. Paul Mannen Dallas No excuse for not supporting levy idea I view citizen refusal to fund countywide law en- forcement to be a self-cen- tered logically flawed excuse perpetrated by those who seek local government flexi- bility or personal political power at the expense of other county residents. Polk County residents can no longer wait for someone else to pay for our law enforce- ment services. Yes, there are those of you who view a public safety property tax levy as a pig in a poke. The excuses I have heard include: • Let someone else pay for county services — commu- nity responsibilities are not mine. • At the final hour some- one else, federal grants or increased timber harvest severance taxes, will once again fund Polk County public safety services as they have in the past — wishful magical thinking. • There really are ade- quate funds tucked away to support Polk County public safety needs — distrust and flawed information. • I have been the victim of an unjust application of the law by county law enforce- ment personnel, so I refuse to support any public safety tax measure — injustice collecting. • Increases in property taxes are never a good thing — anti-government thinking. • I am land rich but cash poor — cannot afford $90 more a year on a $200,000 home to fund the sheriff, the district attorney, parole/pro- bation, the county jail, etc. Sadly, such reasoning does not bring back the levels of law enforcement and public safety the citizens of Polk County deserve. Join me and support law enforcement and public safety in Polk County by asking our county commissioners to once again submit a public safety levy to Polk County voters. Sen. Jackie Winters (District 10, Republican) S-301 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1710 sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters Sen. Brian Boquist (District 12, Republican) S-305 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1712 sen.brianboquist@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist Rep. David Gomberg (District 10, Democrat) H-471 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1410 rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg Rep. Paul Evans (District 20, Democrat) H-281 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1420 rep.paulevans@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans Rep. Mike Nearman (District 23, Republican) H-378 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1423 rep.mikenearman@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman — U.S. CONGRESS Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem.) 221 Dirksen SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Fax: 202-228-2717 Salem office: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov E.M. Easterly West Salem Warm clothing drive a success We would like to thank all the people who made our “Warm & Fuzzy” clothing drive for 2014 so successful. Every year we are amazed at the generosity and the amount of warm clothing that is donated for those in need in Polk County. We re- ceived coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, socks and cash to buy needed things to make someone’s winter warmer. Thank you Starlite Lanes staff for once again allowing your business to serve as a drop site for our mission. Deb Darr Falls City (More LETTERS, Page 5A) Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem office: 495 State St. SE, Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-362-8102 Email: via website, www.merkley.senate.gov Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.) 108 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5711 Fax: 202-225-5699 Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-588-9100 Fax: 503-588-5517 Email: via website, www.schrader.house.gov — POLK COUNTY Board of Commissioners 850 Main St. Dallas, OR 97338 Phone: 503-623-8173 www.co.polk.or.us — CITIES Dallas 187 SE Court St. Dallas, OR 97338 503-623-2338 www.ci.dallas.or.us Falls City 299 Mill St. Falls City, OR 97344 503-787-3631 www.fallscityoregon.gov Independence 555 S. Main St. Independence, OR 97351 503-838-1212 www.ci.independence.or.us Monmouth 151 W. Main St. Monmouth, OR 97361 503-838-0722 www.ci.monmouth.or.us HOW TO REACH US Vol. 140, No. 3 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Polk County — One Year $27 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $33 Outside of Oregon — One Year $38 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in adver- tisements. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault. 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