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School district will fund fall sports
•
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L* O F OR
N E W 3 P A P
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Despite earlier announce
ments to the contrary, the Mor
row County School District said
Monday there will be enough
money to fund sports and other
extracurricular activities next
fall.
Sch ool
S u p erin ten d en t
Chuck Starr said because of re
cent passage of the school bond
issue, and increased funding
from the state level, the distict
now has the $140,000 necessary
to fund the extra activities fall
term only.
Prior to the bond issue the
district had said there was no
money for sports and extra ac
tivities, and that these pro
grams would be cut. This short
fall prompted local people to
work for creation of a county
w ide recreation d istrict,
separate from the schools, to
provide funding for these ac
tivities. The recreation district
has been formed, however, a
vote to provide funding for the
district was not able to be held
in time to provide money for
fall activities. Consequently the
district agreed to fund fall ac
tivities until the recreation
district could begin collecting
taxes to be turned over to the
school district. Voters will have
to approve funding for the rec
reation district in September.
Starr said the district could not
fund activities after the $140,
000 is used up.
Also in his budget message
Monday, Starr said, "Ballot
Measure 5, combined with the
"O regon Legislature's failure
to adequately fund schools in
this state, has forced the Mor
row County School District in
to a pattern of budget reduction
and program cuts over the past
two years."
Starr said that in two years
the district has reduced the
general fund budget by $745,
948, while inflation has increas
ed by six percent. The 1994-95
budget was $602,744 lower
than the 1993-94 budget and
that year's budget was $143,204
lower than the 1992-93 budget.
Next year's budget will be in
creased $89,712 over the cur
rent year.
Starr told the audience of
board members, budget com
mittee members, administra
tors and two observers that the
district will continue to see a
need for budget reduction,
despite passage of a bond levy
and a projected increase in state
school funds.
The budget calls for $50,000
to be spent on food service. The
food service program is ap
proaching self sufficiency, said
business manager Shirley Lan-
dauer, but still requires addi
tional funds. Lunch prices will
be increased next year.
Also included is $138,000 for
bus purchases. The district ap
proved a recommendation to
contract bus services, but it is
not certain that negotiations for
bus service will occur, so the
district is planning according
ly. Starr said that a contract for
busing services cannot be
worked out until negotiations
with classified employees are
completed.
Kindergarten county-wide
will see a move to all day every
day classes. Kindergarten
students had previously at
tended every other day and
before that attended half days
every day. While the district
proposed a cut of 11 full time
equivalent (FTE) teachers, it
will add 1.5 FTE at Sam Board-
man Elementary to implement
the all-day every day kinder
garten, which will result in a
reduction of 9.5 FTE. If the
bond measure for capital con
struction had not been approv
ed, the district proposed a cut
of 25 FTE.
Other budgeted changes this
fall include a move to a 7-12
grade configuration at Heppner
High School and a move to a
6-8 configuration at Columbia
Junior High.
Following is a budgetary
breakdown:
Summary of School District General Fund 1995-96
VOL- 114 ________ NO. 14_______ 8 Pages Wednesday, April 5, 1995,________ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Projects planned at city park
Center
Instruction
District Office
Transportation
Maintenance
A.C. Houghton
Sam Boardman
Heppner Elementary
lone Elementary
Columbia Jr. High
Heppner Sr. High
lone Jr. High
lone Sr. High
Riverside Sr. High
Total
766,063
924,972
951,037
746,657
309,017
761,300
885,790
119,434
280,650
1,095,351
6,840,271
Support Service
Community
679,211
$88,089
1,656,847
139,917
138,926
189,937
70,645
200,937
204,020
17,973
66,724
291,539
4,244,765
Other
1,434,000
15,869
15,869
1,434,000
Total
2,879,274
588,089
1,656,847
1,064,889
1,089,963
936,594
379,662
962,237
1,089,810
137,407
363,243
1,386,890
12,534,905
Salem testimony to-air on Heppner TV
The city of Heppner opened
bids this week on a restroom
facility to be constructed at the
city park on Main Street. The
project is expected to be com
pleted by this summer.
The restroom project will be
funded through a $20,000 grant
from Kinzua Corporation, the
former owners of the mill and
a $12,000 tax settlement with
the Union Pacific Railroad.
Monies not required for con
struction of the restroom will be
used to help fund new play
ground equipment at the park.
The city hopes to raise an ad
ditional $7 to $8 thousand in
donations so they can install
two portions of the playground
equipment at the same time.
City manager Gary Marks says
that having both phases of the
playground equipment install
ed at the same time will cost the
city less money. The play
ground project will cost around
$19 thousand if both phases are
installed at the same time, and
around $20 thousand if they
have to purchase the two parts
separately.
Soroptimist International of
Heppner has already pledged
$1,200 for the playground pro
ject. Marks says that he is
available to speak to clubs,
organizations and individuals
about the project.
The taped testimony of Mor
row County residents at the
February 10 meeting of the
State School Finance Commit
tee at the Oregon Legislature
will be broadcast by Heppner
TV on Friday April 7 at 6 p.m.
Heppner TV will broadcast on
designated public access chan
nel 3, interrupting the Learning
Channel for about an hour.
"A re a residents are en
couraged to watch this pro
gramming to see the effect that
concerned, committee citizens
can have in the legislative pro
c e s s ," said a Hepner TV
spokesperson. Sonja McCabe
contacted Representative Lyn
Lundquist to arrange testimony
from the Morrow County
delegation. The committee was
so impressed with the presen
tation that it allowed much
m ore than the originally
scheduled 30 minutes, McCabe
said. McCabe says she believes
that the testimony was very im
portant in the current attempt
in the legislature to add $180
million to the funds available
for education.
H ep p ner area resid en ts
presenting testimony were Bill
Kuhn, Molly Rill, Greg Grant,
Olivia Sagely, Tony Greenup,
Phil Spicerkuhn, Steve Dicken
son, Doug Drake and Bob
Sagely.
Maben wins Lions rifle
Pool could be in operation next year
The new Willow Creek Rec
reation District swimming pool,
approved by voters in the
March 28 election, may be in
operation by next year's swim
ming season, said Gary Marks,
Pool Commission project man
ager. Marks said, however, that
there are too many variables,
including the weather, to be
certain.
Marks said that the city must
sell the construction bonds,
employ an architect, obtain
necessary permits, let the pro
ject out for bid and award a bid
before construction can get
underway.
Voters approved a $975,000
bond for a basic pool, with
swimming lanes, a zero-depth
fan for small children and han
dicapped access, a water slide
and changing rooms, to be
located at Hager Park in Hepp
ner. Extras in the plan, how
ever, such as an indoor mini
therapy pool and a meeting
room, are expected to cost an
additional $250,000. To offset
the additional costs, Kinzua
Corp., the former owners of
Kinzua Mill, has pledged
$45,000 to People for the Pool,
which is the fund raising group
for the pool project. People for
the Pool has also raised an ad
ditional $15,000 through bake
sales, benefit dinners, raffles
and other fund raisers. Marks
says that between the sale of
the bonds and when construc
tion costs are paid, the bond
monies will be placed in an in
terest bearing account, which
will also generate funds. Still,
Marks anticipates that an addi
tional $150,000 at least will be
required. He said that fund
raising options could include a
State Department Outdoor
Recreation Grant, grants from
private foundations and dona
tions. The indoor mini-therapy
pool may avail the project to
grants concerning therapy, ex
ercise or senior citizens, Marks
added.
Marks said that there will be
an opportunity for volunteer ef
forts and People for the Pool is
expected to step up their fund
raising efforts. They are still
selling inscribed bricks to be in
stalled at the pool.
BEO holds stockholders meeting
The Bank of Eastern Oregon
held its annual stockholder's
meeting March 29 at Arlington
City Hall. Fifty-six stockholders
and employees attended the
m eetin g, bank p resid ent
George Koffler announced.
A year-end summary was
reported showing a net income
for the bank of $605,432 in 1994
or $4.18 net income per share.
Return on assets was recorded
at 1.63 percent and return on
equity at 15.26 percent, accor
ding to Koffler.
O th er highlights of the
meeting included announce
ment of the opening of the
bank's Condon branch in May,
as well as reports on the new
BEO Financial Services and
BEO Mortgage departments.
Jack Maben (left) accepts the rifle from Lions Club secretary Steve
Rhea. Maben won the $500 Ruger M77R Mark II 300 Magnum
rifle during the Lions Club annual rifle raffle.
HHS students
nominated for
award
Ethan Burnside and Jenny
Krein, both Heppner High
School seniors, have been nam
ed Tandy Technology Scholars
nominees. Burnside was nom
inated for the Outstanding
M a th / S c ie n c e / C o m p u te r
Science award and Krein for
the top two percent academic
category. Each received a
certificate.
This is the sixth year that the
Tandy Technology Scholars
program has made awards to
te ach e rs and gradu ating
seniors at Am erican high
sch ools. C u rren tly 15,476
public and private secondary
schools have been certified to
participate in the awards pro
gram. That is more than 72 per
cent of all secondary schools in
the United States.
The academic top two per
cent of graduating seniors are
eligible to receive certificates
recognizing their academic
achievements. This year the
Tandy Technology Scholars
program will honor 26,946
m eritoriou s sen iors. Each
school may nominate a senior
who is outstanding in mathe
matics, science or computer
science. These students receive
a certificate recognizing them as
a Tandy Technology Scholar. In
addition they are eligible to
compete for the 100, $1,000
scholarships awarded annual
ly-
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