TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 18, 1995
Cuts proposed for agri-science program
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P hoto b y J o yce H ughes
Vo Ag teacher Bill Umbarger (front) helps the Vo Ag 2 class in an automotive tune up session.
Pictured clockwise are students: Chris Jones, Jeremy Cimmiyotti, Tiffanie Munkers, Andy Burt,
John Humphreys, Matt Browning.
Proposed budget cuts are be
ing considered by the Morrow
County School budget commit
tee to offset loss of financial
funding for education. Along
with other non-mandated
courses a proposed $90,000
may be axed from the Morrow
County District's agri-science
programs next year.
Value-added diverse produc
tion
has increased
the
agricultural output of Morrow
County's natural resource bas
ed economy. For the past 58
years, the agri-science depart
ment has played a vital role in
helping students to train for
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PO Boi 3 t ;
agricultural related careers.
"T h e practicality of the pro
gram goes into real life situa
tions," said Heppner teacher
Bill Umbarger. Although only
three percent of the population
is now directly involved in pro
duction agriculture op p or
tunities still exist for pro
gressive land-based students as
future ranchers and farmers.
H ow ever the agri-science
department serves as a catalyst
for students contemplating
agri-business careers, the na
tion's largest work force. Cur
rently nearly one-third of
Heppner High School students
are enrolled in this program.
Under the guidance of a voca
tionally trained and certified in
structor, students can explore
a wide range of job opportun
ities.
Those skills are attained
through apprenticeship train
ing, internships and practical
applications
using
new
technological equipment and
applied hands-on laboratory
training. Lifetime skills ac
quired through this training in
cludes safe use of power tools,
com puter training, record
keeping, training for sales and
service positions, job resume
guidance and job interview
skills.
"Agri-science departments
are ahead of time in compliance
w ith O reg o n 's Education
Reform Bill," Umbarger said.
By 1997 CIM (Certificates of In
itial Mastery) and C AM (Cer
tificates of Advanced Mastery)
will replace diplomas. Students
must demonstrate learned
skills before receiving certifica
tion. Those requirem ents
equate to agri-science programs
that involve classroom, labor
atory, supervised experience
and FFA participation.
"M orrow County is depen
dent on natural resources,"
Umbarger said. It would be a
disadvantage to our com
munities if students have to go
outside the district to receive
natural resource certification
when we are already attune to
this new program. In addition,
through an agreement with
Blue Mountain Community
College, college credits can be
earned for high school agri
science classes."
Focusing on education and
work place changes, Umbarger
said he would like to continue
with his present position. But,
he added, "I'm out of here,"
if his position is cut to
half-time.
Agri-science programs have
continued to expand with
resource training skills now in
cluded through cooperation
with several agencies. Um
barger said that it was this type
of "unlimited potential" for the
department that initially drew
him to Heppner. "Learning op
portunities extend beyond
classroom doors," he said,
such as a student-constructed
pole building on campus.
That's a visual accomplishment
in which students have
ownership," providing a place
for further laboratory experi
mentation.
In addition those students
also attain personal develop
ment through the FFA program
that focuses on citizenship,
leadership, responsibility and
team work to help students
become well-rounded citizens,
Umbarger added.
Concerns raised about move of
junior high students to HHS
Heppner parents, teachers,
students and com m unity
members, at an open meeting
held Tuesday, Jan. 10, voiced
their concerns about moving
Heppner grades seven and
eigh t to the high school
building, effective this fall.
Concerns included: why
weren't parents informed of
the changes earlier; curriculum;
potential for harrassment of
younger children by high
school kids; possible relation
ships between younger girls
and older boys; the elimination
of five teaching positions in the
Heppner schools; elimination
of a playground for the junior
high students; crowding of
classrooms resulting from the
staffing loss; the extent to
which the younger students
can be separated from the older
ones at lunch, in classes, in the
halls and at dances; possible
loss of music, art and other
electives, in addition to sports
and other extra-curricular ac
tivities; state school funding;
and why the Heppner area is
bearing the brunt of the cuts,
when to the observer it seem
ed that surrounding districts
and schools within the Morrow
County School District will not
be as affected by Ballot Measure
5.
M orro w C ounty School
Superintendent Chuck Starr,
Heppner High School Principal
Steve Dickenson and Heppner
Elementary School Principal
Bill Karwacki were on hand to
answer questions.
Starr made it clear that the
decision to move the seventh
and eighth grades to the high
school was final and no longer
up for debate, but the process
would be explained. Starr also
took issue with the complaint
that parents were not inform
ed of the upcoming move, say
ing that the issue was discuss
ed at public meetings beginn
ing over a year ago.
Starr explained the reason for
the cuts in the Morrow Coun
ty School budget. Under the
state school equalization plan,
poorer school districts will
receive more money and richer
districts less, to achieve an
equal amount of funding per
pupil. According to Starr, Mor
row County had been spending
around $6,000 per student and
some other districts in state as
low as $3,000 per student. So,
Morrow County will receive
less per pupil and other
districts will receive more per
pupil until an average spending
figure of around $4,200 per
pupil is reached by all districts.
He also cited a "significant
decline in en rollm en t" in
Heppner schools compared to
other schools in the county.
Starr said that additional
monies that could be awarded
to the Morrow County District,
for example, tax monies from
the Coyote Springs generating
plant, would not help the
district's funding problems
because the additional money
would just be absorbed by the
state and distributed to poorer
districts.
Starr said that the decision to
move seventh and eighth grade
classes to Heppner High School
would result in a more efficient
use of staff and would allow the
district to maintain all of its
schools. "It would be a tough
decision to close down a com
m unity," he added.
Dickenson said that while
they will try to keep the
seventh and eighth graders
segregated from the upper
classmen, it is just not possible,
especially with fewer teachers.
Seventh and eighth graders
will be in some classes with
older students and will pro
bably have the same lunch
hour. However, plans are to
locate the seventh and eighth
grade lockers upstairs on a floor
separate from high school
locker areas. He added, " I
think w e can do some
discouraging," concerning rela
tionships between seventh and
eighth graders and older
students. He noted that he
didn't anticipate a lot of hazing
of seventh and eighth graders
by older students and says
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V* I.
there are few incidents of that
now because of the high
school's current discipline pro
gram. Dickenson said that he
would abide by a straw vote,
taken the night of the meeting,
to keep seventh and eighth-
grade dances separate from
high school dances and would
consider keeping junior high
students on campus during
lunch. The high school now
has an open campus policy
during the lunch hour.
Starr said that to save costs,
the administration has agreed
to a zero increase in salary; the
assistant superintendent and
main grounds supervisor posi
tions have been eliminated and
those jobs are now supervised
by him; the district has already
made cuts in food service, has
im plem ented
a
pay-to-
participate program for sports
and other extra curricular ac
tivities, and has gone to a four-
day student week, which was
designed to cut down expenses
related to substitute teachers
and utilities.
Starr said that while five
teaching positions will be
eliminated, he doesn't an-
ticipate the layoff of five
teachers.
H o w ev e r,
the
teachers may be offered jobs at
other locations in the county,
which have resulted from
resignations and retirements.
" W e hope to make ad
justments so we don't have to
lay off anyone," he said.
Administration cited an ad
vantage in the new system in
that bright seventh and eighth
graders will now be able to take
advanced classes more in line
with their abilities. " I don't
think Heppner's academic pro
gram will suffer," said Starr.
Dickenson said that while the
number of students in a
classroom will increase, the
high school has plenty of room
to accommodate the junior high
students, since it was design
ed for 225 to 250 people and
now has only around 140
students.
Starr added that the passage
of the school district bond issue
will do much to ease the finan
cial pinch. Some of the monies
for repairs and renovations will
come out of the 1995-96 budget
if the bond issue fails again
4-H Speakeasy slated Jan. 27
Elizabeth Allen gives demonstration
4-H members, leaders and
parents are invited to the 4-H
"S p e a k e a s y " on Friday,
Jan. 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. at Riverside High School
in Boardman.
Those attending can play
TKT
"S p e a k in g " games, make
posters, learn to do a team
presentation, laugh and eat ice
cream. For more information,
call the Morrow County Exten
sion office, 676-9642 or
1-800-342-3664.
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