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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1995)
TOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 1, 1995 To the Editor: Please vote for the Morrow County School bond levy. Your Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Published weekly and entered as second-class matter at the Post Of fice at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second class postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 147 West Willow Street. Telephone (503) 676-9228. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: »16 in Morrow. Wheeler. Gilliam and Grant Coun ties: $23 elsewhere. Joyce H u g h es....................................... Office Manager, Typesetting April H ilton-Sykes............................................................. News Editor Monique D evin.................................. Advertising layout A Graphics Susan Hansen.......................................................................Distribution Penni K eersem ak er.................................................................... Printer D avid and April H ilto n -S y ke s, P ub lishers Letter to the Editor Vote yes for school bond levy Measure 5. Measure 5 cuts the tax rate for schools by another $2.50 per $1,000 in 95-%. The projected increase in the tax rate for this bond levy is $1.% per $1,000. Passage of the bond levy would still result in a net decrease of $.54 per $1,000. With only 11 percent of the property tax in Morrow County paid by re sidential homeowners, this sounds like a pretty good in vestment in our future. The other issues addressed by the levy, updating tech nology op p ortu n ities and m eeting requ irem ents for disabled access and asbestos removal, are certainly impor tant and merit approval. However, the critical issues relate to providing adequate classroom space for children to learn, staff to teach and the maintenance of valuable pro perty are of utmost importance and deserve the vote of Mor row County residents. We often feel that local con trol of our schools is a thing of the past and we are the dog be ing wagged by the tail in Salem, but this is an opportuni ty for Morrow County residents to determine what kind of education we want for our children. Please join me in voting yes on the bond issue to ensure we have the best oppor tu n ities possible for the students of Morrow County. (s) Mick Tolar Boardman Seeks information on relative To the Editor: I hope this letter has reach ed the proper person. I do not know very much about your part of the country and I really don't know who I should write to. I am working on my family tree and one of my relatives left Carroll County, VA. and is said to have settled in the Heppner area of Oregon. I would like for you to place an article in your newspaper asking for help in contacting some descendant or anyone who might have any information about Richard Har dy "H a rd " Smith and his wife Mary. I would like to learn their birth and death dates and the name of the cemetery where they are buried. I doubt if any of their children are still alive but they might have living grandchildren. Anything you can do for me will be deeply appreciated. Sincerely, (s) Buford C. Wilson Rt. 6 Box 50 Galax, VA .24333 BE READY! j Lawn & I Garden I GoasttoGoast ! WF. C A S H U T UH A76-<mi To the Editor: Morrow County voters have a history of sound decisions regarding education. In the 70's when the north end of the county needed new schools becau se of the econom ic development and influx of new families, the total county sup ported bonds to pay for con struction of new schools. When Measure 5 was presented to voters, Morrow County voted against it. M easure 5 and cu rren t equaliztion policies have allow ed Portland and the populated areas of the Willamette Valley to take tax money from Morrow County, money that could have supported construction of new classrooms, improved access to technology, programs impor tant to the development of well-rounded citizens, extra curricular programs that ce ment community bonds at the same time that they allow in dividuals to develop their special interests, compliance with laws for access for the disabled, and repairs that have had to be postponed or com pleted by using money that could have gone to students in the class room. 1 urge the voters of Morrow County, do not let tax money to continue to go out of our school district. Please support the passage of the Morrow County School District bond levy when the ballot arrives in the mail. Vote for a levy that will allow the general fund to support more district services to students, a levy that will support education for less money than was paid for schools last year. Because the rate drops the final $2.50 under Measure 5 this year and the bond levy would cost less than $2 Morrow County voters have an opportunity to do a lot of good for their children without adding to the tax burden. Morrow County patrons may have differences of opinion at times, but they have a history of supporting education for children. I urge a yes vote on the bond levy as further evidence of the priority this county places on education. Sincerely, (s) Linda Shaw Invest in the future To the Editor: Much has been written about school bond levies such as the one Morrow County voters will consid er March 28, 1995. Educational leaders threaten more cuts in programs, others warn about the future impacts on society, should school fun ding be reduced any further. And, all of us are concerned about how much in taxes we pay for schools and other government services. What seems to be missing here is recognizing just where our priorities really are. Remember the education, in- j eluding extra curricular ac tivities, we were fortunate enough to receive 30 or more years ago? Was a well-rounded education valued more highly back then? The answer is yes, as indicated by the with holding of our tax dollars from education measured after infla- tion in recent years? Our priorities must include investing in not just our future, but that of our children and their children as well. The best way we can do that is to prepare them for the world they will face tomorrow. This in clu d es th eir learning necessary skills, knowing how our society came to be where it is today, and what they must do to make tomorrow even bet ter. This is what schools and education is all about. I ask each of you in Morrow County to remember what your education was like. Then com pare that to what we provide our children now. Then vote yes on the bond levy March 28 to make education better today, so they can help make a better tomorrow. Very truly yours, (s) Berry L. Scruggs Boardman right, my weak brain can't han dle the scare tactics that seem to be floating around before the upcoming ballot m easures again. Isn't it time we get our priorities in the right order? Please think about our kids and where the monies in all our communities should be chan nelled. Listen to the kids, hear what they are saying. Some I see on the streets are really hanging out, and not in too great a way. Thanks for your time. Please support the pool and try to help in some way the people on this committee. Sincerely, (s) Cork Norene Jim Norene To the Editor: I would like to say I could not agree more with Meg Murray's letter in last week's paper in support of the pool. Along with that, the other letters on our school issues, etc., leave me with some mix ed emotions to say the least. We seem to be able to come up with some grandiose ideas for spending for improvements to the fairgrounds with more to be added. A new museum com plex. Ah, so we tell ourselves, we can get lottery monies and matching grant funds from Heaven only knows where. And here are our young peo ple in sore need of just being assured of a decent education, starting with the three R's. If what comes across to me is Education should be high priority To the Editor: On March 28, 1995 Morrow County voters will decided a bond levy that will benefit all children in Morrow County. Building classrooms in the north end to house Morrow County students currently in school there with money from the bond levy will enable Mor row County School District to continue more programs paid for out of the general fund budget. After spending 29 years as a coach, teacher and parent it gives me an opportunity to reflect back on all the positive rewards during that time and remind ourselves that educa tion should be a high priority: (1) parental committment; (2) sports teams that have excell ed at a very high level; (3) quali ty instruction and dedicated classified staff; (4) outstanding student achievement. In spite of the effots by the state legislature the voters have a choice to continue quality education in Morrow County schools. Vote yes in March. (s) Jerry Martin 730 W Highland Hermiston Vote yes for students' future To the Editor: I would encourage all citizens of Morrow County to give serious consideration to the im portance of passing the Mor row County School District bond. The bond proposal was drafted to allow for construc tion of new classrooms to reduce the over crowded con ditions that currently exist, to make needed repairs and to im prove technology education throughout the district. As you are aware, our region has shown a significant popula tion increase in the last few years. This has caused over crowded conditions in many of our schools. If we expect to continue to be competitive in attracting quality business and industry, our schools must meet the same expectations as other assets of our region. The em ploym ent oppor tunities for our students in the future will depend upon technology skills developed to day. Improvement of tech nology education across our district is essential for our graduates to be employable. It is our responsibility to provide our students with skills and op portunities for success. Please join me in voting yes for the future of our students and communities. Sincerely, (s) Barbara L. Wetherell President, Sam Boardman Elementary Parent-Teacher club Save community education system SU Heppner support is needed. (s) Bill Brown Mayor of Boardman Boardman Approve the bond levy U S P S 240-420 To the Editor: Ballots being mailed within the next w eek w ill give residents an opportunity to help determine the future of education in Morrow County. This third bond levy proposal has been cut drastically from the previous two. For example, even though there is a need for a second gym at Riverside High School, it has been eliminated in order to reach the smaller $13,290,000 bond levy figure. Having recently retired as an educator in Morrow County School District after 34 years, I have experienced the steady growth of the district and the accompanying need for class rooms. Education suffers when teachers are forced to share a class room because of limited space as is now the practice at some schools in the district. Schools in Boardman and Ir- rigon are not too far away from the conditions of the late 70's when the lack of class room space resulted in as many as 42 students in one elementary classroom. Passage of the bond levy would allow some much need ed maintenance projects such as the roof repair at Columbia Junior High, to occur without having to come from the regular budget. In turn, this would allow the retention of some of the teachers slated to be cut because of lack of fun ding in the district budget which is limited as a result of Get priorities in right order Support school bond levy The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow To the Editor: It is great to see the number of people becoming involved with the education of our children in Morrow County. T hank you for stepping forward. Now is the time to pull together and work to save the educational system in our com munities. The first step will be to pass the Morrow County School District capital bond levy, which will be a mail-in election on March 28, 1995. If the bond fails, the loss of pro grams to our children will be devastating. Call me if you have concerns, I would love to talk to you. Next, the Unified Park and Recreation District is working hard to put a measure on the ballot in May. As you have pro bably read, co-curricular ac tivities will be cut at the budget committee level. Can you im agine what our small com munities will be like without any athletics. I don't know about you, but to my family a night out is to load up and go to the football or basketball games. So beyond the effect these co-curricular activities have on students, we need to think about our communities also. One of the issues that has come up about the four-day week is students' activities out side of school. Without any co- curricular programs, just think what could happen to our children and communities? If you have any questions about the rec. district, call one of the people involved. Greg G ran t, C yde E stes, Rick Minster, George Koffler or Jim Swanson are some of the local people working hard to get this project going. These are only the bandaids. the real problem and the real solution is at the state level. We have lost control of financing our schools. The state tells us the amount that we can use to educate students in Morrow County. We have to convince ou r leg islato rs to make changes, and we can do that. Write your legislators. Let them know tha Morrow County is in trouble. School funding must M March 2nd: Ladies. PER and Old Timer’s Nite B § M ^ Jean Ann’s BBQ chicken 6 p.m. PER and Old Timer Recognition 8 p.m. Ladies Bingo 8 p.m. H B B"5 M u March 4th: I B § O LC C Service Permit Training Course 10 a.m. Sign up with Linda at the Lounge :J:) y y be changed at the state level, but to do that, we must con vince our lawmakers. A letter writing campaign is in pro gress. For more information contact Rick Minster in lone or Sonja McCabe in Heppner. Sincerely, (s) Molly Anne Rill | Ü B I Go Cardinals § at the State Basketball Tournam ent I O Heppner Elks 3581 676-9181 142 N. 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