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