TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 16, 2000
Editor's note Letters to the Editor must be signed The Cazette-Times w ill not
publish unsigned letters Please include your address and phone number on all
letters for use by the C-Toffice. The C-T reserves the right to edit The C-T is not To the Editor:
Thoughts from a school board
responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters
meeting
It is 12:15 a.m on a Monday
night just after the Morrow
County School Board meeting
where it was decided to cut 17
teaching positions from our
history of quality education here, schools. Needless to say the
board member John Rietmann feelings of disappointment and
from lone made a motion to disgust are running high. Many
accept
the
administrator’s times I have been warned by
proposal. When the audience fellow merchants not to speak
asked, "Why not give us more out publicly for fear of losing
time?" his answer was that we business. Right now. my biggest
need to give these displaced fear is the education my five kids
teachers time to find new jobs will
receive
thanks
to
and housing.
Superintendent
Anderson's
Board member Barney Lindsay proposals.
Is it just a Morrow County
made a motion to amend the
proposal to reduce the cuts by School Board phenomenon, or
$300,000
and changing the does it occur with other such
wording of the proposal so that boards that the public who attend
rather than cutting only teachers the meetings and are truly
and programs it would include wanting to help the situation are
district-wide spending so other treated with such arrogance and
cuts could be considered. He contempt? The five board
proposed a meeting of the budget members who voted for the cuts
committee
with
two seemed quite pleased with
representatives of the board from themselves that they were able to
both the north and south and quickly see through the appeals
members of the advisory and act so fiscally responsible in
committee to look at other the face of such a large crowd. It
options. He was supported by was quite upsetting to see one
board
member
and
the
Keith Lewis.
superintendent
smiling
at
each
The remaining board members,
Gary
Frederickson,
Pat other for their "victory" while
McNamee, John Rietmann, just five feet away students are
Dwayne Carroll and Julie crying and thanking board
Weikel. wanted the cuts made member Barney Lindsay for this
effort to temper the one and only
tonight.
As a business owner and parent option set before the board.
All we wanted at this meeting
of five children, I have no
confidence in this superintendent w a s‘a little ♦ time to explore
and make-up of this board to options other than the single one
ensure quality education for our presented by Anderson. Board
children. In only seven months members who voted for the cuts,
Frederickson,
Pat
on the job Supt. Anderson is Gary
destroying the quality of schools McNamee, John Rietmann.
we have insisted upon for years. Dwavne Carroll and Julie Weikel
His style totally lacks foresight
and is doing serious damage to
this district. He can blame the
legislature for lack of funding,
but if this is all we have, we have To the Editor:
I have heard recently that the
to use our dollars wisely and
proposed
school budget cuts plan
classroom teachers most directly
to
eliminate
vocational
affect the quality of education,
agriculture
in
Morrow
County.
which is why so many of us
This
would
be
a
drastic
mistake.
attended this meeting.
Programs such as vocational
The board really seems to
encourage making it a North- agriculture and technology
South issue even though all the classes are very important for
parent^" vVere saying the same today's students. I would not be
thing-consider other options where 1 am today without being
in
vocational
before eliminating so many involved
teachers and programs that took agriculture and FFA. I was very
fortunate to start my agricultural
years to build.
experience
from two great
I assure you I will vote no on
advisors,
Bill
Umbarger and
any future school bond levies
Barney
Lindsay.
The great
under this administration.
program,
guided
by
these two
(s) Ann Murray
individuals, helped me to pursue
Heppner
a career in agriculture. The
Shocked and disappointed in
school board's action
To the Editor:
For those o f you who were
unable to attend the Morrow
County School Board meeting on
Monday. Valentine's Day. at 7:30
p m. in Boardman. I would like
to give you a feel of it as I write
this at 12:15 a m. upon returning
in
complete
shock
and
disappointment in five out of the
seven board members.
The gym at Sam Boardman
Elementary was so full of people
from
the
whole
county,
including a large representation
of the Hispanic community, that
the bleachers were pulled out to
extend
the
seating.
The
superintendent remarked he had
not expected so many people.
People came to the meeting as it
was the first meeting held after
the announcement that the
superintendent
recommended
cutting 17 teachers from Morrow
County schools to meet a budget
crisis of a short-fall of
approximately $900,000.
These cuts were most heavily
weighed on the Heppner schools,
but eliminating such long
standing programs as Vo-Ag
brought many from Boardman to
testify including a team of FFA
students dressed in uniform.
The overall theme of all who
spoke was, wait. There is no need
to make these cuts tonight. The
budget committee and public
wants other options considered.
Repeatedly mentioned were cuts
to administration with classroom
teachers being the last to be cut.
Only one work session was held
prior to this decision, and (it)was
held on a week-day afternoon.
One budget member addressed
the board and stressed the need
for more discussion by the
budget committee.
If the board is responsible to
voters, and all the people from
both ends of the county wanted
other options discussed, why
didn't the board listen? It appears
they will rubber stamp any
proposal the superintendent
makes and this one has a total
disregard for long-term planning
and leaves us with a district
below neighboring
Eastern
Oregon towns.
After all the public testimony in
tavor of looking for more
creative ways of preserving a
would have none of it I suggest
that these board members have
bêen on the board too long and
have lost their ability to think
independently and creatively or
have come to rely far too much
on administration for their
guidance.
Who is in charge anyway?
Time and time again on
controversial and gut-wrenching
decisions the public has come to
meetings only to discover that
the issue has apparently already
been decided in private or
executive session meetings prior
to the public discussion. Was that
the case at the 6:45 p.m. meeting
prior to the public meeting?
Does the administration and
this board not understand the
need to address parents' concerns
about their children's education?
Even if, after public input, these
same cuts had to be made, we
would have handled them better
than having them shoved down
our throats.
I appreciate Barney Lindsay
and Keith Lewis trying to bring
some
understanding
and
compassion to this debate. The
other five spoke of having a great
desire to help education in this
county, but could do nothing
more creative than rubber-stamp
administration's one and only
proposal.
Board members acted like,
"Don't worry, this will blow over
and people will forget." Sorry to
say, I will not. The handling of
this funding crisis was at best
short-sighted and careless and at
worst crippling to our children’s
future. It did not have to go this
way.
(s) John Murray
Heppner
Cutting vo-ag would be drastic mistake
3A sports program not a reason
to hold up Irrigon high school
To the Editor:
Morrow County School District
is going to build two new grade
schools, one in Irrigon and one in
Boardman. This should open the
door to convert Columbia Middle
School and Riverside High
School into seventh through 12th
grade facilities, which in turn
should guarantee the return of a
high school to Irrigon.
So what is the holdup?
Perhaps, Riverside's 3A sports
program? What price is the rest
of the community supposed to
pay so that a small percentage of
students can participate in a
sports program that has reduced
Riverside from state champions
to seventh place in the league.
When Umatilla High School
returns to the 2A program they
stand to save $5.000 per year on
transportation alone. In a 20-year
bond issue that translates into
$100,000. That would buy a lot
of books.
How much does it cost the
parents of these athletes so their
children can compete against
much larger schools? What is the
out-of-pocket expense these
parents absorb so their children
can travel halfway across the
state, compete, get home at 3
a.m. and be at school at 7 a m. or
be punished for being tardy?
How many parents have the
time and money to go to their
children's away games? Who
among you get time off work to
travel 300 miles to a state
tournament? And, how many can
afford such a trip?
Once Irrigon and Boardman
both have a high school neither
will qualify for 3A status. I
believe this deve'opment will
benefit all the schools in our
School board didn't listen
Board's decision crippling to
children's future
Letters to the Editor
district.
(s) Meredith DeHaven
Irrigon
SCRATCH
PADS
$1.00 lb.
Gazette-Times ■ 676-9228
leadership skills learned through
FFA continue to help me excel in
my college career.
Agriculture is very important.
It is not only a way of life, but is
vital in this world. The world has
just reached an astounding
population of six billion people.
We need today's generation of
students to help feed the world's
people.
By cutting vocational
agriculture you are taking away
vital education that cannot be
replaced by math, science or any
other core class. Vocational
agriculture and FFA prepare
students for a promising career in
agriculture. These classes not
only prepare r > students for
farming, but for a variety of other
agncultural-basqd careers. There
are so many opportunities
available in agriculture today. Do
not hold back these opportunities
from the students of Morrow
County.
As stated in the FFA creed by
E.M. Tiffany, "I believe in the
future of agriculture." The
question that remains is if you
do.
(s) Toni Kemp
Junior, University of Idaho,
College of Agriculture
HHS Class of 1997
Elguezabal fund
set up
A fund for the Elguezabal
family of Heppner has been set
up at the Bank of Eastern Oregon
for anyone wishing to donate.
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To the Editor:
After attending the school board
meeting Monday night in
Boardman, I feel compelled to
write this letter.
First and probably most
important of all, I would like to
thank Barney Lindsey and Keith
Lewis. For those of you who did
not attend this meeting, these
men put their heart and soul into
their jobs as board members and
tried desperately to protect our
schools. These men listened with
open hearts and minds. They did
not come to this meeting with a
decision already made. Not only
did they hear the public, but they
tried in vain to persuade the rest
of the board to hear also. Your
words did not fall on deaf ears.
Even though the other five board
members did not hear you, we
did.
Since I've lived in Morrow
County, I have seen many cuts.
School days went from five to
four days a week. Did it work?
We also changed kindergarten
from a half day, every day, to
every other day. This left five-
year-olds
with
four-day
weekends. Did it work?
The very next year in Heppner,
the first grade class of 25 boys
and eight girls was denied a
second teacher because of no
money. Instead. 10 boys were
pulled from the room and placed
with second grade teachers in
hopes of alleviating the problem.
Did it work?
In the next three years, our
school
added
multi-age
classrooms in an effort to evenly
distribute the numbers. Did it
work?
Now the state is grading our
school. Look and see how our
fifth graders are scoring on the
tests. Are they below the state
average? I ask you. Did it work?
At the meeting Monday night
we asked you to consider
different options. We also asked
that you not to vote to adopt the
first budget. The communities
brought up many excellent
points. You voted anyway. 1
heard you say that our problems
are statewide and that we need to
be talking to our legislators in
Salem. We talked to you and you
didn't listen. Hopefully they will
listen better than you did.
(s) Keith and Angie Hanson
Heppner
Why stop motor cross races?
To the Editor.
I am writing in regards to the
cancellation of St. Patrick’s Day
Motorcross Races. I don’t under
stand why anyone would be com
plaining about it.
For one, it brings people and
business to our small town, which
we all know we need, especially
since the mill closed. It also gives
everyone of all ages something to
do. It keeps younger kids out of
trouble and gets the elderly out of
their houses.
If people don’t like it because
it takes too long, then break it
down between Saturday and Sun
day.
I hear people say, well, there’s
team roping Sunday, have them do
it in the new arena.
Do you people who decided to
not have them anymore know how
much these races mean to some
people? My five year old son who
: 1 has raced in them since he was
three was so mad and disap
pointed because he couldn’t race
and win (he says). Granted, he
doesn’t do exactly what he is sup
posed to when he races, but he
still feels like he’s accomplishing
something big.
People say that everyone goes
to the motorcross instead of the
traditional St. Paddy’s festivities,
but most of the town people have
already been to them.
Someone had a really good idea
to start the motorcross, so why
stop having it when it has become
such a big success? Every year
it’s getting bigger and bigger and
the people seem to be coming from
further away.
Obviously the word has gotten
out what a great place Heppner
can be on St. Patrick’s Day.
Not to offend anybody, but
some of you need to think about
how many people really look for
ward to and enjoy these races.
Not only will Justin be disap
pointed, so will other children and
their parents and grandparents
who enjoy watching them.
(s) Tami Howey
Heppner
Editor's note-this letter included
a petition to continue the races
with 58 names on it.
Hurting over poisoning of dog
To the Editor:
Somebody poisoned my dog last
night. I went outside to a terrible
sight. Somebody poisoned my
dog last night.
I wonder the action that could
cause such a fuss, she wasn't a
mean or ornery of cuss b u t------
somebody poisoned my dog last
night.
A faithful friend-we'd been near
and far we—came from Alaska
she rode in my car but-somebody
poisoned my dog last night.
What will I tell my grandson of
six? She won't be there to look at
his sticks. You could throw all
day to coax her to play, to all
your sticks she'd just say ’nix' but
—somebody poisoned my dog
last night.
What kind of person would
poison a dog? Have they no
feeling? Are they a log?
Those soft eyes that said, "I'm so
glad you're home." The soft
gentle "woof' to the cat that
would roam The soft warm
pillow for my grandson's head. I
guess they're all gone 'cause now
she is dead.
Somebody poisoned my dog last
night.
Body convulsing and spitting up
blood. She dropped to her belly
in a pool of mud. Somebody
murdered my friend!!!!!
To the responsible party:
How grateful I would have
been for a call or a chance to
make a change but you gave me
none. I can’t imagine what kind
of disturbance would warrant the
death you inflicted upon my
friend and I understand that this
is not the first incident like this.
What is your reasoning? I don t
understand.
Still hurting and not knowing
why.
( s) Richard Drake
Heppner
Voices were not heard
To the Editor:
Do all members of the public
in Morrow County wish our
county school board to make such
drastic decisions as eliminating
numerous teachers and electives
without a vote of the people?
Their previous actions jammed
through a damaging and unnec
essary four-day school week
upon us. Is disregarding a vote of
the people the sensible way to
handle school decisions?
What would be more disruptive
to our school system? A vote or
two failed levies?
Corrective measures do need
to be taken but the public needs
to have input into how this is done.
Do we need so much administra
tion? Do we need to furnish their
transportation to and from their
place of employment? No other
taxpayer is allowed this deduction.
Do we want two substandard
schools in south Morrow? Do we
want to make all cuts only in
teaching staff and electives?
Over 400 people came to the
school board meeting Feb. 14.
Their voices were not heard.
(s) Meg Murray
lone
MCCACC meeting slated
Morrow County Creative Arts
and Crafts Club will meet
Thursday, February 24. at 1 p.m.
at Cal’s for lunch and a meeting
Workshops for the year 2000 and
the subject of the mural will be
discussed. Anyone interested in
art or the museum is invited to
attend.
Artists and crafters are
reminded to start preparing
things for their exhibit and sale
on St. Patrick's Day at Les
Schwab.