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School board approves 4-day week
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The Morrow County School
Board voted to implement the
four-day student week for all of
Morrow County schools beginn
ing this fall. The change would
save at least $125,000 a year for
the financially strapped school
district, and, according to many
of the teachers at the Monday
night meeting, would allow them
more time for planning and im
plementing upcoming changes in
education mandated by Senate
Bill 3565.
Board members Marcia Kemp,
Lexington, Gary Frederickson
and Scott Bauska, both Board-
man, and Molly Rill, Heppner,
voted in favor of the four-day
week. Board members Dwayne
Carroll, Irrigon, Bill Doherty,
Lexington, and John Rietmann,
lone, voted against the change.
Carroll, Doherty and Rietmann
said that although the change may
improve the situation for the
teachers, they had doubts as to
whether the change would im
prove children’s education.
“ What the seven of us (board
members) have to realize,” said
Rietmann, “ is that we’re the on
ly true advocates o f the
children.”
Rietmann also questioned
whether scheduling sports on
Fridays in a four-day student
week would actually be a benefit
if extra-curricular activities are
going to be eliminated entirely in
Fate of Kinzua Mill known this week
1995-%. “ I’m not sure whether
that (elim inating sports in
1995-%) will happen,” replied
District Superintendent Chuck
Starr, although that was one of
Starr’s cost-cutting recommenda
tions.
Betty Rietmann, an lone
elementary school teacher, voic
ed concerns that the four-day
week would be detrimental to
young children because of the in
crease in the length of the day and
because of hardships on families
with two parents working.
Dar Merrill, recently hired ex
ecutive director of the Morrow
County Commission on Children
and Families, said that he oppos
ed the change to a four-day week
for several reasons. He said that
lower income families may not be
able to afford day care an addi
tional day, which would result in
more latchkey kids and “ a lot of
kids in dangerous positions.” He
also said the low cost or free
breakfasts and lunches at school
may be the only nutritious meals
low income children have during
the day. Merrill also cited the in
creased idle time for older kids
and increased potential for
problems.
Classroom time in the four-day
student week would be increas
ed about an hour, but some of that
time would come from reduced
lunch periods, for example, in
stead o f lengthened days.
Teachers would work the same
amount of time as they do now.
Savings are expected to be made
in the areas of utilities, transpor
tation, food service and substitute
teachers.
“ The education program
would be harmed to a much
greater extent by losing pro
grams, than by going to a four-
day w eek ,’’ said Heppner
Elementary School Principal Bill
Karwacki. If a four-day week
were not im plem ented in
1994-95, program cuts in art,
music, and physical education
would be made that year instead
of in 1995-96 in order to balance
the budget. Starr estimates that
the district will lose around $150
per student in state school sup
port, to the tune of around
$300,000. The tax rate for
schools is currently $10 per thou
sand assessed valuation. This will
drop to $7.50 per thousand in
1994- 95 and $5 per thousand in
1995- % .
Rill said that she had called
people from several school
districts that have the four-day
week and received no negative
reports from parents, students,
teachers or administrators.
The 1994-95 school year would
begin on Friday, August 26. The
only other Fridays the students
would be in school would be
Sept. 9, Jan. 6, Feb. 24 and June
2, because of Monday holidays.
The last day of school for students
would be June 6.
The board also voted to ap
prove a pay-to-play program for
school sports. Beginning this fall
students would be charged $50
for each sport in which they par
ticipate, with a maximum of $100
per student and $200 per family
a year. Starr said that no waivers
or exceptions will be made, but
students will get the opportunity
to work to pay the charges. Starr
estimates that the pay-to-play pro
gram results in around $40,000
brought in each year. Baseball
will be eliminated at Heppner
Middle School and Columbia
Junior High next year. The move
will save money and student in
terest has decreased.
In other business, the board:
-approved submitting a bond
levy to the voters in Sept. The
levy would provide additional
classrooms and remodeling for
overcrowded north Morrow
County schools, remodeling to
allow for K-5 and 7-12 grade
schools in south county, com
puter technology and handicap
access. A bond levy failed in
March.
-accepted the resignation of
Mick Tolar, A.C.Houghton
Elementary School principal.
Tolar resigns after 31 years as
A.C.H. administrator.
Look for more police during
mushroom season
These logs might not be milled at the closed Kinzua plant.
The Kinzua Corporation is still
closed this week following the
sale of the mill and all its
timberland to Pioneer Resources
of Eugene.
It’s still is not clear whether the
new owners plan to operate the
facility, but general manager
Frank Pearson said Tuesday an
answer to that question should be
available by Friday.
The majority of the manage
ment has been let go, said Pear
son, who has been in meetings
with three of the principals of
Pioneer. A skeleton crew has
been working at the mill, but
should be finished by Wednes
day.
If Pioneer does decide to
operate the mill, not all of the
timberland will be available to
harvest. As of Tuesday public
records show that the Buckaroo
Flats parcel had been sold to
Louisiana Pacific for $2,147,600,
and the Rudio Mountian parcel to
D.R. Johnson of Umatilla County
for an undisclosed sum. The
parcels already sold amount to
about 35,000 acres out of
Candidates forum slated Apr. 25
A candidates’ forum has been
scheduled for Monday, April 25,
at 7 p.m. at the Heppner High
School cafetorium.
Candidates attending the forum
as of presstime Tuesday include:
Lynn Lundquist and Joan Silver,
both for state representative for
District 59; C. W. Smith and Jim
Bradley, both for 2nd Congres
sional District; Jerry Cohen,
superintendent of public schools;
John Jewkes, governor; and Rena
Cusma, Bureau of Labor and
Industries.
The forum is sponsored by the
Heppner Chamber of Commerce.
Everyone is invited to attend.
Refreshments will be served.
Phone company sold
Pacific Telecom, Inc. has an-
unced that it will purchase the
:ppner telephone exchange
>m U.S. West Communica-
ns. According to PTI officials
10 were in Heppner last week
to discuss the sale, local phone
users shouldn't see much change
in service or phone rates.
PTI is a fast-expanding com
munications company that is buy
ing up small exchanges, many
from US West.
180,000 acres that were part of
the sale. The rem aining
timberland has been pledged to
U.S. National Bank as security on
a $75,000,000 loan to Pioneer.
Reports that a second buyer
had stepped in to purchase the
mill and timberland apparently
was premature, and Pioneer is
now deciding what to do. Under
terms of the deal the company has
the mill facility free and clear if
it wishes to auction the equipment
off and close the mill down.
Meanwhile Kinzua manage
ment moved material to office
space above the Coast to Coast
building in Heppner.
Most workers’ last day at the
mill was Thursday, April 14,
and, in response, unemployment
benefits offices were set up at
Columbia Basin Electric Co-op.
These will be moved to the Forest
Service building Thursday where
career, job listings and services
information will also be available.
About 140 workers are laid off
from the mill closure.
Watch for phone scam
The Morrow County Sheriff s
Office is getting reports from
local residents o f a phone
soliciting scam. The caller is
stating that he/she is representing
The Morrow County Sheriff s
Office and is requesting donations
for drug enforcement purposes.
The Morrow County Sheriffs
Office does not solicit for funds
by phone.
Tlie caller also mentions the
Oregon State Sheriff s Associa
tion. They have been contacted
by Sheriff Drago and state they
are not soliciting by phone. If
anyone else has received one of
these calls, contact the Sheriff s
Office or your local law enforce-
ment office. Sheriff Drago
recommends that you check out
any attempt to get money from
you by checking directly with the
organization that they claim to
represent of check with your local
law enforcement.
In an effort to head off any
trouble, mushroom pickers work
ing the woods this spring will see
a larger police and forest service
presence, according to officials in
Heppner last week.
A recent influx of Asian
pickers into the area over the past
several years has caused some
friction in the mountains, and in
an effort to head off what some
see as violence on the way. local
forester W arren Plocharsky
organized a public meeting to
discuss the problem. Members of
the Oregon State Police and the
Morrow County Sheriffs Depart
ment also were in attendance.
Kuaychang Chin, a trooper
with the Oregon State Police, was
on hand to explain and answer
questions about the Asian culture.
Some of the difficulties surroun
ding mushroom picking have oc
curred
as a result of
misunderstandings with the Asian
pickers, who are mainly of Viet
namese, Cambodian and Laotian
origin.
A larger police force in the
mountains during picking season
will also help prevent problems.
“ You’re going to see a lot of us
up there,”' said Morrow County
Undersheriff Verlin Denton. He
also urged pickers to avoid con
froritations. “ We’re asking your
hefp,” he told the room full of
mushroom pickers. “ If you see
a problem, back off and let us
handle it. That's what we get paid
for. There isn’t a mushroom up
there that’s worth getting shot
over.”
Everyone at the meeting agreed
that there are a lot of firearms in
the woods, and lots of shooting
going on during the mushroom
season. Apparently Asian pickers
use gunfire to signal each other
while picking.
Trooper Chin will also be
available during the picking
season as an interpreter. Chin,
who has been with the department
two and one half years and
originaly came from Laos, speaks
four Asian languages. He ex
plained to the group the dif
ferences betweeen the cultures
and how these differences cause
problems while picking in the
woods.
“ Prevention and volunteer
compliance (with the laws) is the
number one thing,” Chin said.
“ Don’t take things into your own
hands,” he urged.
In all there will be officers
from the Oregon State Police,
Forest Service and the Sheriffs
Department in the woods to keep
order this year, many more than
last year. “ We’re going to do a
saturation patrol,” said Denton.
“ We’re going to be as high pro
file as we can be this year.”
For those wishing to pick
mushrooms, there are two types
of permits. The personal permit
is free and good for any 10 days
during the year. You cannot sell
mushrooms picked with a per
sonal permit. The second type of
permit is a commercial permit
available for $2 a day with a $10
minimum. You must have a com
mercial permit, available at the
Heppner Forest Service office, if
you want to sell mushrooms
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