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Cut of 25 teachers county wide
recommended to balance budget
By Chuck Starr, Morrow Coun
ty Schools superintendent
What kind of budget cuts are
being planned for our schools
in 1995-96?
At the board meeting mon-
day night Feb. 13, 1 made the
following report on recommen
dations I will be making to the
Budget Committee on February
27:
As you know, we are in a
funding crisis for the operation
of schools in Morrow County.
We need to take drastic action
to bring our spending re
quirements in line with our ex
pected resources over the next
three years. To accomplish that
goal, I will be making specific
recommendations to the
budget committee at a public
meeting at Sam Boardman
Elementary, on February 27 at
7:30 p m. I want the board and
the public to know the serious
nature of those recommenda
tions They are as follows:
1 will recommend that we
remove the funding for co-
curricular activities from the
general fund and budget for
them in a separate fund requir
ing outside funding for opera
tion. These activities will be
dependent upon funding from
such sources as the recreation
district serial levy planned for
May 16, or from other forms of
local funding. I will recom
mend that this action be taken
for at least the next two years.
I will recommend that we
reduce our licensed staff
district-wide by 25 full time
employees. That is 20 FTE
beyond the five already plann
ed for Heppner in the 7-12 con
figuration. This reduction will
impact every school in the
district. I will also recommend
Donation day for St. Pat's auction Feb. 16
Plan to divy up road monies revealed
The Heppner City Council
learned of a plan concerning
distribution of road fund
monies to cities, at their regular
council meeting Monday night,
Feb. 13.
According to Val Doherty,
Morrow County counsel, the
city of Boardman will become
the beneficiary of a large tax
windfall, with the proposed an
nexation of the Coyote Springs
Co-gen plant into the city
lim its. The formula for
distributing road fund monies
to cities, mandated by law, is
by assessed valuation. This for
mula, therefore, would give the
city of Boardman the majority
of the road funds and decrease
the amount Heppner and other
cities receives.
However, a plan has been
proposed through which the
cities would agree to turn their
funds over to an entity with
representatives from each of
the cities. This entity would
award the funds to the cities.
Morrow County Commissioner
Ray French said, for example,
that the funds could be
allocated as needed by the
cities, not necessarily equally to
all towns every year. For exam
ple, if a city has a project plann
ed in the future, they could
forgo their road funds for
several years and then receive
adequate funds for their project
when the monies were needed.
Doherty said that the Port of
Morrow, owner of the proper
ty on which the co-gen plant is
situated, indicated that they
were uncomfortable with the
formula that would distribute a
majority of funds to the city of
Boardman. Doherty said the
proposed plan was put forward
to mitigate the impact of
Coyote Springs annexation in
to Boardman city limits on the
other cities of the county. All
the city councils would have to
approve the new plan and opt
in it.
According to Doherty, the
total amount of road funds
distributed to the cities is
around $80,000 per year. Hepp
ner City Manager Gary Marks
said that Heppner's share has
been around $28-29 thousand.
This amount would be reduc
ed drastically as Boardman's
assessed valuation soars.
In other business the council:
-learned that the Heppner
Economic Development Cor
poration has shelved its plans
for a motel/hotel on Cemetery
Hill for the time being, as
reported by HEDC President
John Murray.
Murray said that a feasibility
study indicated that the site
was too far away from
downtown to be effective.
HEDC has decided, instead,
to focus on the site for a hous
ing development, he said.
-heard a request from Martha
Doherty that the council take
action to prevent the construc
tion of a road for the erection
and maintenance of a propos
ed cellular phone tower on the
Don and Merlyn Robinson pro
perty near her home. Doherty's
major complaint was that she
did not want the traffic on the
street near her home. City
manager Gary Marks said that
the city has no authority to pre
vent construction of a private
road on private property and,
further, that the property is
outside the city limits. The
council, however, did agree to
direct Marks to write a letter to
the cellular phone company,
pointing out alternate routes for
the road.
-heard a report on street and
bridge improvements for 1995
indicating that the city is on
track for replacement of Elder
Street Bridge in May, followed
by reconstruction of Elder and
Aiken streets.
-heard an update on the
sludge truck funding and ap
proved a request to advertise
for bids.
-approved plans for a public
restroom to be placed in the ci
ty park and authorized adver
tisement for bids.
-approved authorization to
advertise for proposals for the
water telemetry system.
-approved authorization to
schedule a public hearing on an
ordinance providing for the
organization administration of
the city of Heppner Volunteer
Fire Department.
-approved a fire protection
contract between the city of
Heppner and the Heppner
Rural Fire District.
-approved authorization to
enter into a joint purchase ar
rangement with the Heppner
Rural Fire District to acquire a
new chassis for the 1975 mini
pumper. Fire chief Rusty Estes
reported that the pumper has
become increasingly difficult to
drive, tending to wander and
recommended that a new
chassis be purchased ahead of
schedule.
-approved a request from
John Edmundson that he be
allowed to paint an estimated
600 green shamrocks along a Leprechauns getting ready for
Volkswalk route during the St.
The St. Patrick's Day Auction
Patrick's celebration;
Committee reminds everyone
-heard a request from Ed that they will conduct a "Dona
mundson that improvements tion Day” in Heppner on
be made to the shoulder on the Thursday, February 16 from 4
steep section of the hill up to to 7 p.m. Volunteers will ask
the high school, especially with local businesses and neigh
the seventh and eighth grades borhoods to contribute items
to be moved to the high school that can be auctioned to sup
this fall;
p o rt the St. Patrick's Day
-adopted the city code.
celebration. The yearly auction
-approved a request from a provides the main financial
group of children to raise four support for this community
pigs as a 4-H project on the event.
Unruh property located within
The committee has several
the city limits.
convenient ways for people to
make donations. On donation
day, Feb. 16, people may leave
their donation in their drive
way and volunteers will come
pick it up. Volunteers are
available at any other time to
pick up large items at your
home or business. To arrange
to have your donations picked
up call Steve Rhea 676-9113 or
Mike Mills 676-9141 days, or
the Murrays, 676-9158 days and
676-9631 evenings. Small items
may be left at Kuhn, Spicer and
Mills office on Main Street.
that we reinstate 14 FTE of
those 25 if the bond issue
passes.
Implementing these recom
mendations will be very pain
ful, and they will put extreme
importance on both the bond
issue and the recreation serial
levy. As painful as this will be,
there is no doubt that we must
take this action if we are to
place our district in a position
of stability under the funding
formula and begin to move in
a positive direction in the
future.
Once again, let me em
phasize that the specific cuts,
the positions to be reduced,
and the schools affected by
them will all be presented at the
budget committee work session
at Sam Boardman Elementary,
on February 27 at 7:30 p.m.
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Cardinals
headed to
District
The lone Cardinals boys and
girls team both earned the top
seed in the Big Sky League ear
ning them another trip to the
District 3 1A tournament held
in Hermiston.
The tournament begins Fri
day, Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m. when
Dufur girls play the winner of
the Echo-Condon game (which
was played off Tuesday night,
Feb. 14).
The Cascade Locks boys play
the winner of the Echo-Helix
game at 3:30 p.m.
lone girls play Wasco Coun
ty girls at 6 p.m. with the both
boys teams following at 7:30
p.m.
Saturday, Feb 18 will see the
loser of Friday nights games
playing the winner of Friday
afternoons games. Game time
Saturday begins at 4 p.m.
All games will be played in
the Hermiston High School
new gym.
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People for Pool show artist conception of pool
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New swimming pool to be built
People for the pool, a local
group working to have a pool
built, released an artist's draw
ing of the proposed facility
Tuesday.
Voters will be asked to ap
prove a $975,000 bond levy to
finance construction of the pool
at Hager Park.
Barbecue beef dinner planned
The Senior class of Heppner
High School will be serving
barbecued beef during the
game against Pilot Rock this
Friday, Feb. 17. in the home ec
room.
Dinner will be served from
4:30 p.m. until the beginning of
St. Pat’s weekend
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the boys varsity game. The
menu includes barbecue beef
on a bun, salad, dessert and
beverage. Price is $4 adults and
$2 children 10 and under.
Proceeds go towards the
senior drug and alcohol free
trip to Seattle, WA.
Grade point averages up slightly
The multi-use facility will in
clude an indoor therapy pool
for use in cool weather, and
would be wheelchair acces
sible.
Ballots for approval of the
pool will be going out to voters
in the mail on March 10.
Grade point averages are
slightly higher at Heppner
High School since the district
went to a four-day school
week, principal Steve Dicken
son said Tuesday.
Dickenson said he examined
the grade point averages of 95
students and found a slight up
ward trend.
He said he examined soph-
mores, juniors and seniors on
ly, and only students who had
attended school here last year.
Dickenson said that of those
checked, 57 students had
higher grade point averages for
the first term, 36 had lower and
two had not changed. "My gut
feeling is that there is barely
any change, but if there is it is
slightly higher, " he said.
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Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396
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TH9KK SPR9KG
Lawn and Garden supplies
Arriving Daily
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