A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Draft a wish
list for your
Oregon
legislators
T
oday we’d like you to
draft a multimillion
dollar wish list and
send it off to your Oregon state
senator and state representa-
tive.
Each of Oregon’s 30 sen-
ators can spend $4 million in
federal funding — almost as
they please. And each of the
60 members of the House has
command of $2 million.
Who knows better than you
where it should be spent? Or
at least, they should listen to
your suggestions and thank
you for them.
The total $240 million
comes courtesy of the federal
American Rescue Plan Act.
This deal for spreading around
the money was struck to keep
Democrats and Republicans
in the Oregon Legislature
focused on passing legislation,
not fi ghting. All the lists sub-
mitted may well be rounded
up into what they call a Christ-
mas tree bill, so everybody’s
goodies are rolled into one.
That way the bill will surely
pass.
Now you could be a penny
pincher and tell your Ore-
gon legislators not to spend
a penny. You have to know,
though, other legislators won’t
let the money sit around.
They will spend it. Might as
well take local control of the
money. The overall state bud-
get is in good shape. The early
session pandemic fi nancial
fretting melted away with the
spring, because the total Ore-
gon is expected to get from
the federal rescue plan is some
$2.6 billion.
One-time spending of $4
million or $2 million can’t
fi x many of the big issues we
face.
It can’t fi x wildfi re risk in
the Blue Mountains. It won’t
build enough child care cen-
ters or preschools to eliminate
the shortage.
There are a lot of things it
won’t do; some targeted dol-
lars, though, can change lives.
It perhaps makes sense not
to spend it on hiring people
for new jobs or to start up new
programs. How do you pay
for them next year? That said,
it might make sense to spend
it on a pilot program if there’s
a good idea that needs test-
ing out.
There’s such a big need for
so many things it’s not going
to be easy to divvy up a few
million. Are some needs more
acute right now? Would it help
to spend some more to encour-
age more people to get vacci-
nated? Is there a program in
the schools that could make
a real diff erence for students
who lost learning because of
the pandemic? Could some-
thing be done to help keep
businesses operating? Is there
anything needed for public
safety training? Aff ordable
housing, fi ghting child abuse
and so many more ideas that
we have not mentioned also
are deserving.
It’s not going to be so easy
for legislators to pick. You
may have a good idea that
your legislator never thought
of. You may have a good idea
that your legislator is on the
fence about. Let them know.
If you are not sure who
your legislator is, you can
enter your address at this web-
site: oregonlegislature.gov/
FindYourLegislator/leg-dis-
tricts.html and it will tell you.
Click on their name and their
email address should pop up.
Then plan your wish list.
WHERE TO WRITE
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@centurylink.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 ongcreek.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.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
EDUCATION CORNER
Why test so much?
T
esting-Testing-Testing Why?
Testing has become quite
controversial in education. We
often hear about students’ test scores
or teachers reporting test results.
Then in social groups, you might
experience people discussing that
there is too much testing imposed
on our children in schools. Is there a
misconception?
Depending on your generation
and when and where you attended
school, perspectives on student test-
ing have probably changed dra-
matically. Testing in schools in the
past was most often for determin-
ing grades in classes over material
taught by the instructor. Often those
tests were teacher-developed or may
have come with the curriculum cov-
ering the information taught during
the instruction. As we have moved
to a more mobile society we have
come to expect students to learn
the same material whether in a lit-
tle country town or a large city, and
no matter what geographical loca-
tion education looks diff erent than
25 years ago. Publishers created cur-
ricula for all subjects along with
creating tests to hopefully ensure
that all students receive the same
instruction.
Testing/assessment in educa-
tion has changed over the years,
and we have also been able to learn
more about how our brains learn
and develop, thanks to sciences.
We have learned that waiting for
a student and allowing additional
time for them to catch up may not
be the best and may make it even
harder for the child to learn because
of what we now know about brain
development. Then borrowing from
the sciences and
using the scientifi c
process of gaining
a baseline, apply-
ing theory and
then checking for
change means edu-
Dr. Scott
cation takes a dif-
Smith
ferent path. In edu-
cation, if the child
is not showing understanding, we
are now able to provide specifi c
instruction at their level and check
for understanding by monitoring,
which is often referred to as testing.
If the child understands the concept,
they are ready to move on; if not,
some reteaching is necessary. Past
practice often was to assume stu-
dents had it because we taught it to
the whole group or they will catch
up and some will, but many don’t
and fall behind. This is true in both
math and reading. Moving on and
hoping in time they will catch up is
more of a myth than reality.
Back in the 1970s, publishers
were creating reading materials as
fast as they could (“Dick and Jane”).
Then they set out to show how their
programs were superior to teach-
er-based programs. These curric-
ula provided instructional materials
along with assessments. During the
1980s, studies were completed show-
ing if teachers used and followed
their programs with fi delity students
scored higher. They took their results
to the U.S. Department of Education
getting them to sign off that teachers
needed to follow the programs with
fi delity.
We have all experienced changes
in the medical fi eld and the impact
on our health and lives. Look at dia-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
‘County leaders,
‘Let’s be civil
who didn’t create the problem, and
who literally do the most in provid-
step up, take
and work together’
ing services to the public. These are
To the Editor:
the people that actually put in 40 hour
responsibility’
To the Editor:
The county is in a budget cri-
sis. The shortfall is alleged to be in
the realm of half a million dollars. It
seems that whenever I ask why, the
answers are pat. They include state-
ments similar to the county created
too many new positions or extended
existing positions without knowing
the long-term ramifi cations. What
it ultimately boils down to, without
some other detailed and demonstrated
explanation, is mismanagement of
county fi nancial resources.
A proposal to right the ship is for
county employees (with the excep-
tion of elected offi cials) to take a cut
in hours per week from 40 to 32,
or alternatively take furlough days.
These employees had no say in the
mismanagement of county fi nances,
and ultimately have no say in how the
county resolves this budget shortfall.
This should not be a viable option.
I may be the elected offi cial of
my offi ce, but I know that my offi ce
would not function without my staff
doing most of the heavy lifting. It is
unreasonable for them and the staff
of the other county offi ces to bear
the brunt of the county’s fi nancial
mismanagement.
County leaders need to go back to
the drawing board and come up with
a solution that does not penalize those
weeks. They don’t get to arrive late,
leave early and come and go as they
please. Most of them go above and
beyond their offi cial job duties with-
out receiving extra compensation in
the form of stipends as many elected
county offi cials do.
Forecasting the future can be
tricky, and sometimes missteps are
made. It should be counterintuitive to
have those that make those missteps
be the same ones we turn to for fi xing
them. However, that is how govern-
ment works. In this instance, a bet-
ter plan needs to be formulated than
punishing those who had no say in
the process that got us here. County
leaders, step up, take responsibility
and protect those who do your heavy
lifting.
Jim Carpenter
Grant County District Attorney
Just saying
To the Editor:
So many eating establishments
have signs that say “No shirt — no
shoes — no service.” Why can’t we
help these establishments get more
business by honoring a new sign that
says “No shirt — no shoes — no
COVID-19 vaccination card — no
service”?
Gary and Virginia Miller
Mt. Vernon
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
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Phone: 541-575-0710
Grant County commission-
ers need to do the job they were
elected to do for the citizens of
Grant County. Rise above petty
politics and personal biases and
take the right steps for what is best
for the people of Grant County.
When the bridge and road in
Canyon City experienced the need
for repairs from the same 2019
fl ooding event that caused the
Fourth Street damage, the county
cooperated and approved funds in
a timely manner.
The repairs need to be com-
pleted this summer to ensure
FEMA funding of 75% of the
cost. Grant County has the neces-
sary funds to be part of this criti-
cal project; action just needs to be
taken.
If there are legitimate reasons
for not partnering with the city of
John Day, the commissioners need
to communicate those reasons to
the John Day City Council and the
voters of Grant County.
In this unusual and challeng-
ing time, let’s be civil and work
together to make our lives less
stressful, care for each other in
neighborly fashion and work
to make our county better and
stronger.
Nancy Collins
Canyon City
Periodicals Postage Paid
at John Day and additional
mailing offi ces.
POSTMASTER
send address changes to:
Blue Mountain Eagle
195 N. Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845-1187
USPS 226-340
Offi ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, offi ce@bmeagle.com
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
betes for example. Twenty years
ago the way we tested sugar lev-
els is much diff erent than today. It
has been life-changing for many and
widely embraced. Schools that have
embraced using data to inform edu-
cation rather than teaching what a
teacher feels is best have experienced
greater student learning growth.
There are not many people who
would want the doctors to treat their
cancer as they did 40 years ago. The
same should be true with how we
educate our youth.
Students are assessed more in
today’s schools than in the past. In
the younger grades, the short screen-
ers used can determine if the stu-
dent knows the skill or needs addi-
tional support and are usually less
than 10 minutes. As a teacher having
to screen each student can seem over-
whelming and feel like all they do is
test, but the students are not spend-
ing all that time testing. The teacher
can then use that information to
adjust their lessons to give additional
instruction on skills a student might
be struggling with within the curricu-
lum. This then allows the student not
to fall behind and keeps their skills
moving forward whereas in the past
students often fell so far behind that
it was hard for them to catch up with
their classmates.
Dr. Scott Smith is a Umatilla
County educator with 40-plus years
of experience. He taught at McNary
Heights Elementary School and
then for Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity in their teacher education pro-
gram at Blue Mountain Community
College. He serves on the Decoding
Dyslexia — OR board as their par-
ent-teacher liaison.
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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