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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2017)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Class-size bill isn’t a cure for the problem A bill that’s been introduced in the Oregon Legislature that originated with the chairwoman of the House Education Committee seeks to make class size a mandatory part of collective bargaining with teachers. While every Oregonian should be concerned about our children and the relationship of class size to quality education, we think it’s a bad idea because class size is a symptom of a much larger problem, which this bill doesn’t address. The full Education Committee should dismiss it when it comes to a vote. The bill was proposed by Rep. Margaret Doherty, D-Tigard, who is a former contract negotiator for the Oregon Education Association, which represents teachers. Class sizes are not currently negotiated as part of working conditions covered by collective bargaining. Doherty’s bill comes at a time when the state is generating record revenue but yet still faces a $1.8 billion shortfall because of legacy costs like the Public Employees Retirement System and Medicaid cutbacks. The full Legislature is struggling to provide even close to adequate, sustainable funding for existing faculty sizes, which would need to increase to lower class sizes. As Chuck Bennett of the Confederation of School Administrators said during a committee hearing last week, “There is no debate on class size; smaller classes are better for kids. … The problem is the funding is just not there for the level of personnel we believe would be required.” Bennett also told the committee the requirement would give teachers’ unions another bargaining chip without giving school offi cials resources to meet their demands. “You’ve got a bucket of demands; I’ve got a bucket of nothing,” Bennett said. While we will always argue for smaller individual class sizes, better teaching conditions and higher quality eduction, Bennett is right. Legislators should avoid bills like this that create mandates and don’t do anything to address the real causes that determine class size. They instead should focus their efforts on fi nding a cure for the overall problem rather than simply trying to treat a symptom. W HERE TO W RITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541- 575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu- rylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541- 575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@cityofl ong- creek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net. • Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. • Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com. SALEM • Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378- 3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www. governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY • State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (Dis- trict: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1460. Email: rep.cliffbentz@state. or.us. Website: www.leg.state.or.us/bentz/ home.htm. • State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R — (District 30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-986-1950. Email: sen. tedferrioli@state.or.us. Email: TFER2@aol. com. Phone: 541-490-6528. Website: www. leg.state.or.us/ferrioli. • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch- board: 202-456-1414. • U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Email: wayne_kinney@wyden.senate.gov Website: http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510?. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email: senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202- 228-3997. Oregon offi ces include One World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278- 1129. Fax: 503-326-2990. • U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R — (Second District) 1404 Longworth Building, Wash- ington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct email because of spam. Website: www.walden.house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774. Medford offi ce: 14 North Central, Suite 112, Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4646. Fax: 541-779-0204. O THER V IEWS Cascadia, from Eastern Oregon You might not even notice it. west will be homeless. And the budget is already trying to climb out A low, distant rumble may be all economic hub of the northwest will of a sinkhole of its own. We cannot rely on a specifi c Eastern Oregon feels of the most be devastated. destructive natural disaster in this The infl ux of people to and Cascadia reality. Scientists believe country’s history. through our area will be enormous. the plate shifts every 250 years Cascadia: a massive earthquake The quake itself is terrify- or so, and we’re 50 years behind off the Pacifi c coast registering ing, and as a state and region we schedule. The best guess is a 30 above 8.0 on the Richter scale. must do what we can to mitigate percent chance the massive quake is triggered in our life- The quake itself time. There will be a will likely leave a tremendous difference disaster zone many We cannot rely on a specific in the result depend- hundreds of miles ing on where, when wide. Thousands of Cascadia reality. Scientists and how it hits. people will be dead But we can learn to and missing. The Or- believe the plate shifts every depend on ourselves. egon Coast will be 250 years or so, and we’re 50 We can learn les- left unrecognizable. sons from Minamiso- Everything west of Interstate 5 in both years behind schedule. The best ma, New Orleans San Francisco. Oregon and Wash- guess is a 30 percent chance and We can be personal- ington will be dam- We can aged. the massive quake is triggered ly talk prepared. with our loved The short-term ef- ones about emergen- fects in our area will in our lifetime. cy preparation and not be so immediate- options. We can have ly catastrophic. But the lights will go out. Cellphones its most fatal effects. Schools in a plan to meet if communication will be inoperable. Service stations tsunami zones should be rebuilt systems go down. We can and may soon run out of gasoline. Gro- on safer ground. Key economic must keep an emergency food and cery store shelves will have diffi - and emergency buildings in Port- water supply, and include fl ash- culty staying replenished. land, Salem, Seattle and Vancouver lights and candles and emergency While the initial quake won’t should be made earthquake-resis- radios. Even if the “big one” doesn’t topple our region or its buildings, tant, despite the high price tag of shake in our lifetimes, lesser emer- the impact will be felt for at least doing so. a generation. But we cannot rely on government gencies will surely come our way. We can be ready, come what may. Hundreds of thousands, if not to make such investments, especially — East Oregonian millions, of people in the North- at a time in Oregon when the state L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Advertisement was not self-promotion To the Editor: I would like to express my disap- pointment with the way “Paid for by Russ Denton” was displayed like some self-promotion above my article last week (in a paid advertisement), rather than the simple acknowledgment of my involvement, placed at the end, rightly required by your paper. Over the last few months, I have spent money I didn’t have to spare, to forward information in your newspaper, much as I have done, in various ways, for the last 17 years. From around 1990 to 2000, I “penned” a book entitled “Rev- olution Number Ten” under the name George Bailey, out of rev- erence for the “spirit” associ- ated with that name. From that day to this, I have offered it for free on the Internet (currently at thebookofanswers.us). I say “penned” because the solutions it offers presented themselves to me: much as the location of heav- en did after a quarter century of doing as I was commanded to do in Scripture. Likewise, I was given a copy of “The Money Masters” when it was still on VHS tape, and I have anonymously shared its rev- elations, along with many oth- ers, with as many as I could, as soon as I could, for as long as I could, out of a devotion to God and country and for the sake of the children. So let me be clear. This is not self-promotion. I don’t want to be “somebody.” Like you, I am somebody to our Father in heaven, and that’s enough for me. This is simply me trying to do what the press and the clergy have failed to do: shed light into the darkness, even at the cost of my anonymity, as we are all com- manded to do. Russ Denton Prairie City Both sides have opportunity to be heard To the Editor: To quote Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter in the article “Man who killed John Day cop will be freed,” dated Feb. 22, 2017, by Sean Hart of the Blue Mountain Ea- gle, “a defi ning principle of our legal system is that both sides have the opportunity to be heard before deci- sions are made which affect them.” How does this same principle apply to each and every member elected by voters of the Grant County, Oregon, Public Forest Commission? Frances M. Preston Prairie City L etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT ........ J ACKIE O SBORNE , JACKIE @ BMEAGLE . COM R EPORTER ............................... R YLAN B OGGS , RYLAN @ BMEAGLE . COM C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... 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