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
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