Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1995)
Chuck Starr answers questions concerning 7-12 configuration B F. S S I E W E T Z E L ’- U O F OHE N F Vf S P A I ' K L I 1' F U G F N E OR 9 7 4 0 3 The following article was sub mitted by Morrow County School District Superintendent Chuck Starr. As one more effort to im prove communication between the Morrow County School District and the citizens of Mor row County, I am going to write this weekly column for questions and answers about school district operations and decisions related to them. To help be sure that I am respon ding to your questions about our school district, I am asking that you send them in writing to the following address: Chuck Starr, Superintendent, PO Box 368, Lexington, 97839, phone (503) 989-8202. I guarantee that every ques tion will receive a response, either in this column or person-to-person. To help get us started, I am responding to two questions that have been bouncing around the area the past few weeks. Why is the district planning to move grades seven and eight to Heppner High School? After public hearings and considerable discussion last December, both the Hepppner- Lexington Advisory Committee and the Morrow County School Board voted to move to a seven through 12 grade configuration at Heppner High School in 1995-96. The major reason for this decision was to provide more efficient use of our sub ject area teachers without hur ting our curriculum for students. This move will allow us to reduce our teaching staff by approximately five teachers. It will save the district about $150,000. It will also provide an excellent opportunity for cross grade implementation of the Third physician to assist at clinic Dr. Kenneth Wenberg will be joining Drs. Edward and Jeanne Berretta at Pioneer Memorial Clinic to ease the heavy patient caseload, said a press release from the clinic. Dr. Wenberg will be on an “as available" basis until a third permanent primary care pro vider can be hired. City resolution paves way for county-wide park & ree district Heppner City Council members unanimously approv ed a resolution for the Morrow County Court to initiate the for mation of a county-wide park and recreation district. Accor ding to presenter, George Kof- fler, if approved by voters, a proposed levy of around $350,000 to $400,000 would fund co-curricular school ac tivities such as sports, outdoor schools and field trips. Koffler said that according to advice of Portland-based at torneys who specialize in this field, the formation of this county-wide recreation district .for school-related activities is lawful since it would not com pete with existing park and recreation district activities. If formed, five directors would be elected to serve on a board and an intergovernmen tal agreement would allow the money to be turned over to the schools for administration. All Morrow County towns are being asked to support this resolution. In order for the issue to be placed on the May ballot, 2,000 registered voter signatures would have to be certified by March 16. While this plan would finance school activities that may be cut due to diminishing education dollars, the down side is that the formation of this district would cause further compression, or more division of county tax dollars. This in turn could cause a loss of ap proximately $4,500 in tax dollars to the city of Heppner. “ It could compound the ci ty's budget problems," said ci ty manager Gary marks, who said his only position was to make the council aware of ramifications. Koffler respond ed that “the flip side is that without these programs, the youth would have nothing to do after 3 p.m." Councilman Chuck Holtz said that sports programs have an impact on communities by creating inter-city business commerce. Council agreed that this district formation ultimate ly lies with the voters. The city council also issued its support in favor of a bond issue and operating levy for a proposed swimming pool to be built in Hager Park on city owned property as presented by councilman Skip Mathews. In other business: The mayor and recently elected council members took the oath of office and were sworn in for current terms. New council members, not having previously served on the council are Tim Van Cleave and Skip Mathews. A plaque was also presented to Jerry Hollomon for over 10 years of service on the city planning commission. A presentation written by John Edmundson related to the need for pedestrian safety im provements on the Water Street hill road that leads to the high school. Edmundson is also promoting a six mile Volks- walking event during St. Patrick's celebration. According to the proposal, shamrock sym bols would be painted to designate the course. Rita Heath was present to protest the charges levied for ci ty crew clean-up of her proper ty at 280 East Hill Street. Heath said she thought the action was vindictive, a $923 bill was exor bitant and that the city hauled off her personal property that was not garbage. The council and Police Chief Doug Rathbun pointed out that Heath has received certified letters and that over a year had passed since the clean-up of her pro perty was mandated. City council repealed a former resolution which would have allowed city employees to put PERS payments in to IRA's in accordance with the wishes of employees. PERS payments by the city for employees was dropped prior to the passage of measure eight. A resolution was adopted establishing membership terms for the Fire Department Ad visory Committee. Resolutions were also adolpted for transfer of ap propriations within the 1994-95 budget. A resolution accepted revised loan amortization schedules for the city's defer red $70,000 and $150,000 special public works fund sewer improvement loans. The Willow Creek Country Club reportedly approved final golf course reconstruction work in cooperation with the city's waste water treatment system management agreement. Ac cording to city foreman David Winters, some minor details re main to be finished before the waste water treatment facility can be concluded. Longtime county teacher retires Jerry Martin Jerry Martin, a social studies teacher at Columbia Junior High School in Irrigon has retired after 39 and a half years as a teacher ending his career working for Morrow County School District. He officially retired the end of December, but will teach until the end of the first semester, Jan. 20. Martin spent six years in the US Air Force before getting his bachelor's degree from Iowa University. For the next 10 years, he coached and taught social studies in Iowa. In 1965, he and his family move to lone where he taught social studies and coached for the next 11 years. In 1976, Martin transfer red to Riverside High School in Boardman, and when Colum bia Junior High was built in 1978, he transferred to the new junior high in Irrigon, where he has taught ever since. Martin received his masters degree from Black Hills State College in Spearfish, South Dakota, in 1970. In 1993, one of Martin's former students recommended him for the “Who's Who In Education" award and Martin was honored by being listed. He and his wife, lone, live in Hermiston, where she teaches grade school. They plan to stay there after his retirement. changes in our educational pro gram. We are now holding meetings with parents to help answer questions about this change. We plan to have our staffing plan ready by the end of February. Why is the district planning to contract out transportation and cost all these local people their jobs? Well first of all, no decision has been made to contract out any services. We are studying the possibilities to see if such a move can provide the same ser vice at lower cost. Secondly, if the district does decide to con tract out our transportation program, we will make every effort to ensure that all our cur rent transportation employees have the opportunity for a job. We are currently scheduling meetings with administrators, bus drivers, and the public to help us make this decision. M C G G plans appreciation pancake breakfast Dr. Wenberg will see patients on Thursday, Jan. 12 and Fri day, Jan. 13. He will also see patients on Thursday Jan. 26 and Friday, Jan. 27. Patients wishing to see Dr. Wenberg should schedule accordingly if The Morrow County Grain possible said a clinic spokes Growers will hold their annual person. Customer Appreciation Day Saturday, Feb. 11. The day will start with the traditional breakfast Hoop shoot contest planned and move pancake on to product The annual Elks Hoop Shoot day, Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. Those displays and industry represen will be held for lone and Hepp- participating must be between tatives. Everyone ifc invited to ner youth this Friday, Jan. 13 the age of 8 and 13 as of April attend. beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the 1. For more information contact lone school gym and at Hepp- Dave Gunderson, Heppner or ner High School gym on Sun- Dick Allen in lone. Two file for school board positions Morrow County School District superintendent Chuck Starr informed the board Mon day night Jan. 9, that two peo ple have filed for school board positions which will be up for a vote March 28. Incumbent John Rietmann, lone, has filed for zone three which represents the western portion of the county. Scott Johnson, Irrigon, has filed for zone 5, which is the northeast comer of the county, including the city of Irrigon. No one has filed for zone 4, which is the ci ty of Heppner. Rollie Marshall has filed for the zone 5 Heppner-Lexington advisory board position. The filing deadline is January 26. In other business: -the board learned of a minor accident between a school bus and a parked car at A.C. Houghton Elementary; -heard a report on vandalism at Heppner Middle School. HES/HMS Principal Bill Kar- wacki told the board that 66 windows were broken the evening of Dec. 12 in the in dustrial arts and furnace building at the school. Two young men were charged with vandalism and turned over to juvenile authorities in connec tion with the incident, which resulted in around $1,124 in damages, according to Karwacki. -learned of a plan which would involve the Morrow County, Condon and Arlington schools each annexing a por tion of the Olex school district. In addition to providing school ing for Olex students, the an nexation would also provide school funding. Starr said that most of the students in the area to be annexed by Morrow County already attend Morrow County Schools under a tuition program. -adopted a resolution authorizing the March 28 bond issue election. -heard a presentation by Heppner Middle School teacher Vicky Broden and several of her seventh grade Spanish students. -learned that the Morrow County schools are in com pliance with state standards, -set a special meeting concer ning the possibility of contrac ting transportation at lone High School at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23. -learned of scheduled meet ings: Jan. 18, meeting with north end bus drivers on con tracting services, Riverside High School, 7 p.m.; Jan. 19, meeting with south end bus drivers on contracting transpor tation, district office, 7 p.m.; Feb. 13, regular school board meeting, A.C. Houghton Elementary School, 7 p.m. Bank of EO installs ATM 's Jeanneine Pettyjohn prepares to use the new ATM at the Bank of Eastern Oregon. The Bank of Eastern Oregon has installed automatic teller machines at both the Heppner and lone branches according to Jeanneine Pettyjohn, data processing manager for the bank. “We're excited to offer this new service to all our customers in Morrow County," added George Koffler, bank president and Chief Executive Officer. Calkins Parts Sale Call now and save $$ Dec. 1 through Jan. 31 Wasco & Lexington Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 1-800-452-7396
