School district changes senior trip
policy, graduation requirements
Assisted Living Board hears survey results
The Willow Creek Valley
Assisted Living Board has
received the results of the
telephone survey conducted
recently by the Health Facilities
Planning and Development firm
of Seattle. This survey was
conducted as part of a market
assessment and feasibility study
report.
The data provided from this
survey is required by the funding
sources before they can move on
to the next phase of their plan to
secure grants and loans, said a
board news release.
The results of the phone survey
indicate significant interest and
need for an assisted living
facility in the Willow Creek
Valley, according to the release.
A copy of the results of this
survey is available at the
Heppner City Hall.
Consultants are now in the
process of identifying potential
funding sources through grants
and loans. If the board decides
to move ahead with the process,
the consultants will proceed with
applications
for
financial
assistance.
The telephone survey revealed
that many of the respondents
have questions about care
provided in an assisted living
facility and monthly costs to
residents. In an effort to answer
these questions the board has
Health district receives
emergency gear from CSEPP
Left to Right - Steven Myren, medical preparedness officer, Rusty
Estes and Carl Lauritsen, EMTs, and Sheila Dahlman, hospital
administrator, look over new emergency medical gear recently
received by the Morrow County Health District from the Chemical
Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.
There is about $30,000 worth of medical equipment pictured here,
which will be divided up between fire departments and EMT groups
throughout the county.
Myren said more equipment will be arriving later The supplies are
to aid the EMTs in case of an accident at the Umatilla Army Depot
during future destruction of chemical weapons that are stored there.
prepared a brochure to be
available by Friday, April 16.
These brochures will be placed
at city hall in Heppner and at the
post offices in lone, Lexington
and Heppner. Brochures will
also be mailed to those who
indicated during the telephone
survey that they want more
information.
The board invites all interested
people to pick up a brochure for
themselves or to mail to a friend.
Individuals
with
further
questions may call any of the
following board members:
Suzanne Jepsen, 676-9850; Gail
Hughes,
676-9782;
Doris
Brosnan,
676-5382;
Rene'
Devin, 676-9618; Diana Ball,
676-5306; Don Bristow, 422-
7470; Luella Taylor, 989-8508;
Sherron Woodside, 989-8166;
or Sally Walker, 676-9112.
Booster Club
holds meeting
The Cardinal Booster Club met
Monday, April 5, at the lone
High School Library.
The club heard reports from
committees. The 1980 district
basketball board is being made.
Monica Swanson has set up a
meeting with Jan of Jan and
Bob's Signs to discuss gym
improvements.
Betty Gray announced that
Wednesday, May 19 will be lone
Physical Fitness Day. May has
been designated Sports and
Physical Fitness Month for the
state of Oregon. Club members
agreed to help support any
activates the school may want to
sponsor to promote physical
fitness.
The club will be selling t-shirts
on the 4th of July as a fund
raiser. Swanson is looking into
designs and will report back to
the club.
Track coach Dean Robinson
thanked the club for buying
middle school track shorts.
Jim Swanson suggested the
club sponsor a steak feed as a
money maker next fall.
A
committee of Swanson. Betty
Gray and Chris Davis will make
suggestions at the next meeting.
A Cardinal Beanie Baby was
donated to the school by Pat
Sweeney. Various ideas for
using it as a money maker were
discussed.
The next meeting of the
Cardinal Booster Club will be
Monday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at the
high school library.
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The high school senior trip to
Disneyland, anticipated by many
Morrow County students on
graduation night, may now be a
thing of the past. The Morrow
County School Board, at its
regular meeting Monday night at
lone, set guidelines which would
prevent schools from sponsoring
senior class trips. The students
may still opt to plan such a trip,
but. according to the district's
new "senior trip guidelines",
they must do so independently of
the school.
According to the new
guidelines, "The district does not
support or sanction senior trips.
Any
student-parent
group
proposing such a trip will be
advised that both the fund raising
and the trip itself will be separate
from the school and will not be
considered a school activity."
Student-parent organizations
planning for a senior trip would
still be able to use the school
facilities for fund raisers, such as
taco feeds or bake sales. They
would be granted the same access
as other groups outside the
school who are seeking to use
school facilities and would be
required to approach the school's
student council with a request to
do so.
The board voted unanimously
in accepting the first reading of
the new guidelines, which, if
approved, will go into effect for
the 1999-2000 school year.
Superintendent Ohuck Starr said,
however, that if this year's
juniors have funds which they
have raised and definite plans for
a senior trip destination, they
may use the money they have
raised so far. However, the
majority of money earned for a
senior trip is made the students'
senior year. So if the present
juniors intend to take a trip they
must either scale down their
plans to accommodate their
current funds or raise money
independently of the school.
School board members said
that they were concerned about
the district's liability and lawsuits
arising over incidents occurring
on the trips, such as the ones
recently in the news, some of
which
involved
underage
drinking, wet T-shirt contests and
other unchaperoned activities.
The board also cited concerns
about students raising the large
amount of money required to
fund such trips.
The district, however, said that
they support alcohol/drug free
post graduation parties for
seniors. According to the district,
"While fund raising and the
"parties" themselves will be
separate from the school and not
considered a school sponsored
activity, the school will help
facilitate and communicate their
organization.
Riverside High School Principal
Duane Yecha cited this year's
graduation party for Riverside
High School's seniors as an
example.
Their
graduation
activity will include a trip to
Portland with an all-night party
on the stemwheeler on the
Columbia River. The trip was
organized separately from the
school and funds were raised
independently.
In a related issue, the board
approved a draft of new
regulations
for club
and
organization field trips. If this
proposal is approved, "Clubs or
organizations planning field trips
which exceed 200 miles round
trip must submit proposals and
secure approval of the building
principal and superintendent in
the academic year preceding the
trip.
"Any trip involving travel
exceeding 600 miles round trip;
or overnight stays; or total cost
exceeding $2,000; must be
approved by the principal, the
superintendent and the board in
the academic year preceding the
planned trip." Proposals must
include the name of the club,
organization, number of students.
number of adult chaperons,
destination of trip, distance and
number of days and whether they
are school days, transportation
plan, purpose of trip, cost, fund
raising proposed and liability
insurance provided.
According to the proposed
regulations. Outdoor Club ski
trips, for example, would come
under the new guidelines and
have to be submitted the previous
year, but athletic programs, such
as basketball, volleyball or
football, would not fall under the
new guidelines. According to
assistant superintendent Michael
Keown. sports programs arr
usually scheduled by the athletic
director a year in advance,
approved by the school principal
and
reviewed
by
the
superintendent.
The board also approved the
first reading of new graduation
requirements.
Graduation
requirements for the class of
2000 would include a passing
score on the Immigration
Nationalization Service test of
citizenship and would also
include 10 hours of community
service. The class of 2001 would
have to complete 20 hours of
community service to graduate
and the classes of 2002 and
beyond would be required to
complete 30 hours of community
service.
Requirements for a
career/personal finance class
would be dropped for the class of
2001, Instead, career education
would be integrated into a
combination of classes and the
advisor/advisee program.
"Beginning with the class of
2002, an "Employability Skills
Certificate" for pre-employment
and applied skills will be
required for graduation."
Students graduating in the class
of 2003 will be required to have
a third math class (two are now
required) and will be required to
take two credits of a second
language. The additional math
class could be basic math, it
student parent and school
counselor all agree. Otherwise
the third unit should be
integrated Math II or higher. The
second language requirement
may be waived as a credit
requirement if the student has
met the PASS" proficiencies
required for entry into Oregon
universities. Also for the class ot
2003, the applied/fine arts
requirement must include at least
.5 unit of music or art.
The board approved changes in
staffing, which would involve
teachers at Heppner High School.
Heppner Elementary School and
lone Schools.
At Heppner High School, Starr
proposed eliminating a half-time
alternative education position
and laying off alternative teacher
Chuck Matteson. Starr said that
the ag program at HHS is under
utilized and proposed that current
ag teacher, Lynn Harmonson.
teach
alternative education
classes in addition to the
agriculture program.
Board member Barney Lindsay,
a former ag teacher, opposed the
move, saying he wanted to
separate the item from others in
the action agenda so that he
would be able speak with the ag
and alternative ed teachers before
taking action. Starr interjected,
saying that it was not the board's
duty to interview individual
teachers, but rather to set policy.
Lindsay's motion died, however,
due to lack of a second. Starr said
that his proposal would save the
ag program, which is under
utilized.
Staffing changes also included
increasing the music teacher at
Heppner High School and
Heppner Elementary School from
half to full-time. Ralph Werner
currently holds that position.
Darlene Marquardt would be
transferred to lone full-time to
teach music, business education
and two periods of special
education. The Heppner special
education specialist will be to
lone 1/2 day per week. Starr said
the changes would "increase
music by eliminating travel time"
between Heppner and lone and
there would be no actual impact
on the full-time equivalent
positions. He also said the layoff
of the alternative ed teacher
would eliminate the benefits for
a half time teacher
The board approved the hiring
of new school superintendent
Bruce Anderson, who will
replace Chuck Starr. The board
hired Anderson over the
objections of Clint Carlson, who
read a letter to the board citing
"ethical and moral" concerns
about Anderson.
A March 18 article on
Anderson
in the Central
Oregonian
newspaper
in
Pnneville said, "Last year
Anderson told the (Crook
County) school board that he
would seek other employment
and expedite his departure from
the school district following a
critical review by the board."
A March 27 article in the Bend
Bulletin said that Anderson "was
often criticized for his alienating
management style.
District
teachers game him a vote of not
confidence last spring."
The Morrow County School
Board defended their choice of
Anderson, saying he was the best
choice of 17 candidates who
applied. Board chair John
Rietmann said that the board
"very
carefully"
checked
Anderson's background and said
"It was the consensus of the
board that he has the capabilities
to lead a district that is
functioning well."
Lindsay
added that Anderson"rose to the
top" of the field of candidates.
In other business, the board:
-Accepted
resignations/retirement from A1
Beck, retiring as Heppner
Junior/Senior High social studies
teaching position at the end of
the school year; Karen Dubuque,
from
Heppner
Elementary
third/fourth
grade teaching
position at the end of the school
year; Paul Hibbard, retiring from
Riverside High School advanced
math teaching position at the end
of the school year; Ken Morris,
resigning from RHS assistant
custodian position, effective
March 19; Margaret Ramirez,
resigning from RHS ELL
education assistant position,
effective March 31; Cynthia
McConnell, resigning fro a part-
time special education assistant
position at HES, effective March
8; Priscilla Juarez, resigning
from a temporary education
assistant position at ACH,
effective March 30; Tome
Philippi, resigning from RHS
extra duty position as assistant
volleyball coach; Sara Greenup,
resigning from HJH extra duty
position as assistant volleyball
coach.
Granted a request for maternity
leave for Anita Ottemess, from
ESL position at RHS from May
10 to June 11.
Approved employment/transfer
to Len Bodeen, as CMS
probationary art teacher for the
199-2000 school year; Julie
Weikel, CMS probationary
science for the 1999-2000 school
year;
Shannon
Jensen,
probationary contract to teach
kindergarten/first grade at ACH
for the 1999-2000 school year;
Tracy Gordanier, transfer from
CMS as special ed assistant to
Boardman Learning Center
education assistant position;
Karli Cook, transfer from RHS
education assistant to Boardman
Learning Center ed assistant;
Ellen Slover, transfer from
special ed/food service assistant
at CMS to RHS special ed
assistant; Amanda Shasteen,
special education assistant at
SBE; Charlene Baker, on-on-one
special ed assistant at CMS;
Charleen Baker, on one special
education assistant at CMS;
Debra Campbell, part-time
special education assistant at
lone Elementary School to work
with a special needs student;
Charity McElligott, extra duty
contract to serve IHS assistant
tennis coach.
- Accepted a donation of a
number of technology hardware
items to the district.
-Approved a request for the
1999 lone senior class trip.
-Accepted first readings of
several
smoking/tobacco
policies; March 9 election
results.; second readings of an
injectable medication policy.
-Heard the superintendent's
reports: on an increase of 1999-
2000 meal prices; the school
funding update; bond issue
update;
classified
and
confidential employees for May
action; dropout report for 1997-
98; dropouts for 1997-98; the
Heppner Elementary principal
selection process and academic
excellence reports.
-Heard the following
announcement of upcoming
events: April 21-HES principal
selection committee. 7 pm.;
April 26-first budget committee
meeting and budget message,
district office. 7:30; April 27-29-
mterviews with HES principal
candidates, to be announced;
April 29-Unified Recreation
District budget meeting. RHS.
7:30 p.m.; May 3-second budget
committee meeting, RHS, 7:30
p.m.; May 10-next regular
meeting, district office, 7:30 p.m
Rodeo court
plans can drive
The Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
and Morrow County Fair Court
will hold a can drive this Friday.
April 16. starting at 10a.m