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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2015)
P o l k C oun t y E du c a t i on Po l k Coun t y I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r • Augu s t 26 , 2015 1 5A G e d d e s t a k e s r e i n s a t W h i tw o r t h s c h o o l By Jo lene Gu zman The I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r LUKA S EGG EN / I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r Vo lun tee r shopp ing budd ie s awa i t the a r r iva l o f the k id s a t Shopko . Vo lun tee r s he lped k id s f ind c lo the s to buy . S hopp in g : id :K s ge t new s choo l c lo the s Con t inued f rom 16A Chemeke ta Commun i ty Co l lege s tuden t J a ck Do l - la rh ide wa s S te v en ’ s shop - p ing budd y . “ I gue s s the on l y pa r t tha t wa s k ind o f su rp r i s ing wa s how w e s ta r ted , ” Do l la rh ide sa id . “R igh t f rom the ge t -go , I d idn ’ t know whe r e to s ta r t , whe the r to look fo r shoe s o r pan t s o r wha tno t . ” Lu ck i l y , S te v en had idea s o f whe r e to s ta r t , and the pa i r wa s o f f and runn ing . “W e c l i cked r ea l l y qu i ck - l y , ” Do l la rh ide sa id . “W e had fun f ind ing s tu f f tha t S te v en l ike s to w ea r . I saw wha t he wan ted to look fo r f i r s t and mo v ed on f rom the r e . W e had no p rob lem spend ing $150 . ” Ea ch k id had a shee t w i th the i r c lo th ing and shoe s i z e s , a long w i th an y spe c ia l r e - que s t s fo r spe c i f i c c lo th ing need s f rom pa r en t s , bu t o th - e rw i se , the k id s ran the show , choo s ing wha t c lo the s to look a t and pu r cha se . The shopp ing e x cu r s ion wa s l im i ted to c lo the s and shoe s — an un fo r tuna te l im - i ta t ion fo r S te v en . “H e wan ted one o f the T eenage Mu tan t N in ja Tu r t le to y s , ” Do l la rh ide sa id sm i l - ing . “ I th ink i t wa s the ka tana swo rd . ” Tha t d id l i t t le to dampen S teven ’ s mood , who se fa - vo r i te pu r cha se o f the da y wa s a ha t w i th the Ame r i can f lag in the shape o f the Ba t - man s ymbo l . “ I had fun , ” S te v en sa id . H e lp ing the k id s ha v e fun wa s , abo ve a l l , the a f te r - noon ’ s b igge s t goa l , and a l - low ed bo th vo lun tee r s and k id s a l ike to wa lk awa y f rom the e v en t fee l ing changed . “ I l ike th i s , ” Do l la rh ide LUKA S EGG EN / I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r sa id . “ I t fee l s good to vo lun - K i d s a r r i v e a t S h o p k o a n d p r e p a r e t o m e e t t h e i r s h o p p i n g tee r , to a sk que s t ion s and y . Ea ch ch i ld had $150 to spend on c lo the s fo r the f ind ou t wha t th i s i s a l l budd new s choo l yea r . abou t . ” DALLAS — Wh i two r th E l - em en t a r y S choo l w i l l h a v e a new p r in c ipa l when s tu - d en t s r e tu rn to c l a s s th i s f a l l . Da r lene Gedde s , fo rme r - l y an a s s i s tan t p r in c ipa l a t Da l la s H igh S choo l fo r one y ea r , ha s been named the new p r in c ipa l . She r ep la ce s S te v e Ma r t ine l l i , who ha s be come the d i s t r i c t ’ s d i r e c - to r o f in s t ru c t iona l se rv i c - e s , in cha rge o f r e v iew ing cu r r i cu lum , in add i t ion to o the r du t ie s . Da l la s Supe r in tenden t M iche l le John s tone sa id Gedde s b r ing s e xpe r ien ce in in s t ru c t iona l coa ch ing , coo rd ina t ing ta len ted and g i f ted p rog ram s and p ro - v id ing fo r the need s o f s tu - den t s w i th d i sab i l i t ie s and tho se lea rn ing Eng l i sh a s a se cond language . “ I ’m e x c i ted fo r he r to mo v e in to the e lemen ta ry le v e l be cau se I know w e a r e go ing to see r e su l t s com ing up through the h igh schoo l , ” John s tone sa id Monday du r ing Da l las S choo l Boa rd ’ s mee t ing . Th e bo a rd a l so con t inu ed to d i s cu s s imp l em en t in g a con s t ru c t ion e x c i s e t a x , s im - i l a r to s y s t em d e v e lopm en t ch a r g e s (SDC s ) impo s ed b y c i t i e s on n ew con s t ru c t ion to expand in f ra s t ruc tu re s y s t em s . Th e d i s t r i c t cou ld cha rge up to $1 .20 pe r squ a r e foo t on r e s id en t i a l con s t ru c t ion and 60 c en t s p e r squ a r e foo t on comm e r - c i a l con s t ru c t ion in th e up - com in g s choo l y e a r . Th e i s su e r a i s ed con c e rn s abou t d e t e r r ing con s t ru c - t ion and e conom i c d e v e l - opm en t a t ea r l i e r m e e t ing s . On e c r i t i c o f th e id ea sa id tho s e go v e rnm en t en t i t i e s tha t cha r g e SDC s igno r e th e bene f i t o f deve lopmen t add ing to th e ta x ba s e . S choo l o f f i c ia l s , to the con t ra ry , sa id the s choo l d i s t r i c t wou ld no t b e a d i - r e c t r e c ip i en t o f add i t iona l ta x do l la r s to du e to d e v e l - opm en t . O regon u se s a schoo l fund ing fo rmu la wh i ch in - c lude s p rope r ty ta x r ev - enue in the ca l cu la t ion to p ro v ide d i s t r i c t s w i th the same amoun t o f mone y pe r s tuden t . Thu s , the d i s t r i c t ma y bene f i t f rom add ing mo r e s tuden t s be cau se o f g row th , bu t won ’ t r e ce i v e add i t iona l fund ing ba sed so le l y on i t s ta x ba se g row - ing , sa id T am i Mon tague , Da l la s ’ bu s ine s s manage r . “W e wou ld ge t the same amoun t pe r k id a s e v e ry o the r d i s t r i c t in the s ta te no ma t te r wha t ou r ta x ba se wa s , ” she sa id . The boa rd appea r s to be d iv ided on the concep t , w i th boa rd membe r s M ike B lan cha rd and Ma t t Po se y sa y ing the y wou ldn ’ t sup - po r t the ta x . “R igh t now I don ’ t th ink the bene f i t i s wo r th the po - ten t ia l t radeo f f s , ” B lan - cha rd sa id . H e ’ s sa id h e i s wo r r i ed impo s ing th e ta x wou ld g i v e vo t e r s pau s e wh en th e d i s - t r i c t a sk s fo r a fu tu r e bond . A l so , h e sa id wh i l e th e ta x ba s e in c r ea s e wou ldn ’ t ha v e an imm ed ia t e po s i t i v e im - pa c t on s choo l s , i t wou ld i f th e d i s t r i c t t r i ed to pa s s an - o th e r bond a f t e r th e d e v e l - opm en t i s comp l e t e . Board member Jon Wood s sa id he d idn ’ t th ink imp lemen t ing the tax wou ld be a s ign i f i can t fa c - to r in an e le c t ion . “ I ’ v e n e v e r h ea rd an yon e sa y tha t th e y a r e no t go ing to vo t e w i th th e c i t y b e - cau s e th e y ha v e s y s t em s d e - ve lopmen t cha rge s a t ‘ x ’ l e v e l , ” W ood s sa id . “ I ’m no t fo r e s e e ing tha t a s a r ea son . ” Bo th Boa rd Cha i rwoman Lu Ann M e y e r and boa rd membe r M ike Bo l lman sa id the ta x wou ld p ro v ide an a v enue fo r the d i s t r i c t to pay fo r p ro je c t s w i thou t u s ing the gene ra l fund . “ I ha v e to th ink a t th e end o f th e da y , w e ha v e th i s op - po r tun i t y to do mo r e fo r ou r k id s , ” M e y e r sa id . “ I ha v e a ha rd t im e no t sa y ing i t ’ s t im e . ”
