Polk County Education/News
18A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 28, 2016
Prepare your mind
for emergencies
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
First graders at Lyle Elementary School eat lunch on Monday. Dallas has made cost-saving measures in its lunch program.
DSD aims for savings on food service
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The food serv-
ice program in Dallas School
District is supposed to run
independently of its partner
of two years, Central School
District — eventually.
After a review of the 2015-
16 year that showed a need
for cost savings and more ef-
ficiency, the district is taking
a step in the that direction
sooner than expected.
“We did need to have a re-
ally hard look at (if we could)
shift some responsibility to
our district staff, who are re-
ally competent, and see a re-
duction there,” said Tami
Montague, the district’s
business manager.
She presented last year’s
review and this year’s plan
during the Dallas School
Board’s Sept. 12 meeting.
During 2015-16, the dis-
trict budgeted $990,000 for
the program and expected
to spend $975,000, leaving a
$15,000 carryover.
Montague said they weren’t
far off target, ending the year
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Students can select from vegetables at the salad bar.
with $12,690, but by spring,
program managers knew the
cost of the program would be
increasing more than the dis-
trict could pay in the future.
She said the management
services contract, which in-
cludes half the salary of Cen-
tral’s Food Services Manager
Mike Vetter, was one of the
biggest concerns.
“We knew that at point that
we were going to have to have
the conversation with Central
about not being able to afford
the entire half of Mike’s
salary,” Montague said.
The estimated cost of
management service for this
year was $117,900, including
half of Vetter’s salary and that
of the in-district manager.
Montague said she talked
to Vetter about reducing that
and he said the in-district
manager, with some train-
ing, could take on the bulk
of the responsibility. The dis-
trict would pay him as a
consultant for 10 hours per
month.
The move significantly re-
duced the contract cost.
“We are really pretty excit-
ed about this — and mostly
because we are going to save
about $51,000,” Montague
said. “That’s a big cushion.
We are pretty thrilled with
that plan.”
Overall, the district has
seen growth in the program,
with a 15 percent increase in
breakfast and 4 percent in
lunch sales. That is during a
time when the district saw a
1 percent decrease in stu-
dent enrollment.
Montague said the ele-
mentary schools are per-
forming especially well.
LaCreole Middle School and
Dallas High School could
stand to improve, though.
She said the student popula-
tion at the middle school fell
slightly and the high school
has always struggled to serve
students in the allotted time,
both of which affect sales.
“What we do recognize
from this information is that
we really need to focus on
what our older students
need from the program and
try to meet those needs,”
Montague said.
Other areas of focus will
be restructuring the food
service program in Luckia-
mute Valley Charter School
to make it self-sustaining
and using commodities in a
more efficient manner.
SALEM — You’re dumb
during a disaster.
It’s not your fault. It’s your
brain going into “survival
mode” and shutting off higher
function.
That’s according to Steven
Eberlein, with the American
Red Cross Cascades Region
Foundation Partnership. Eber-
lein was the main speaker for
the Red Cross’ disaster pre-
paredness presentation “Pre-
pare Out Loud,” in Salem on
Thursday.
His presentation thoroughly
covered the subject of the ex-
pected Cascadia subduction
zone earthquake, from the ge-
ology that creates the mega
quakes to preparedness tips.
He also discussed how peo-
ple behave during an earth-
quake.
He showed video clips of
people in earthquake-aware
Japan doing things that didn’t
seem logical. Instead using
“drop, cover and hold” to pro-
tect themselves, people were
putting themselves in more
danger by trying to hold up
grocery store shelves or run-
ning from buildings.
Eberlein said the culprit is the
brain’s “fight or flight” response
and our tendency to follow
what other people are doing in
times of high stress.
The only way to overcome
those sometimes detrimental
instincts is to practice what
you should do, he said. In
other words, earthquake drills.
He acknowledges how silly
that seems when Oregon
doesn’t have that many earth-
quakes and “The Big One”
may not happen for decades.
Eberlein stresses doing it any-
way.
“Eye roll your way through
it,” Eberlein said.
He said practice still works
even if you don’t take it as seri-
ously as you should.
“We are not trying to make
you smarter,” he said. “We are
trying make your instincts bet-
ter.”
Eberlein added another
thing will help your state of
mind in a disaster: preparing
beforehand and remember
items that will make a disaster
situation seem normal — as
much as possible, anyway.
“Comfort items — you
need deodorant. You still are
going to have to brush your
teeth, even after Cascadia,”
Eberlein said. “This is where
you start to take control again
and resume you’re your sense
of normalcy, so don’t forget to
put shampoo in your kit.”
For emergency kit weeks 15
through 18, go to
www.polkio.com.
SCHOOL NOTES
Constitutional Essay contest open
POLK COUNTY — The 2016 Polk County Women for Agricul-
ture Constitutional Essay contest is now open.
Students in grades 9-12 from Polk, Marion or Benton Coun-
ties may enter.
Contestants are asked to answer the question, “If the 1787
Constitution were presented today, would it be ratified? Why or
why not?”
Each entry will receive a pocket copy of the Constitution.
Each winner receives two books on the Constitution by Oregon
author Mary Webster. Prizes will be awarded to first place
($300), second place ($200) and third place ($100).
Essays must be 500 words or less.
Submissions will be submitted electronically and must be re-
ceived by Dec. 31.
For full contest rules, visit www.owaonline.-
org/chapters/polk/.
Email entries to Arlene Kovash, kovasha@gmail.com.
For more information: Kovash, 503-838-3512; or Carol Marx,
503-362, 6225.