Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 3, 2000 - THREE
Letters to the Editor
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-T office. The C-T reserves the right to edit. The G -T is not-
responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters.
District plan sacrifices
teachers, programs
To the Editor:
...
,
I write this letter urging a no
vote on the May Morrow
County School District serial
levy only after a good deal of
personal anguish. I am a strong
supporter of public education
and have volunteered freely of
my time, energy and talents in
assisting the students, faculty
and administration with Morrow
County
School
District
programs. I have closely
followed
the
educational
budgeting process in the state
legislature for the past 10 years.
Both my son and I testified at
legislative
hearings.
I
understand
the
public
educational
funding
crisis
results from a lack of proper
funding in Salem. I cannot
understand why our legislators
sacrifice our state's and our
children's futures. However, I
cannot in good conscience vote
for a district plan which
sacrifices teachers and needed
educational programs without
cutting in other areas first. The
district has proposed expending
benefits to administrators and
those it wants to train as
administrators and cutting only
what hurts our students.
The Helix and Pendleton
school districts were successful
with their serial levy elections
because those districts did three
things the Morrow County
School District refuses to do:
1. Invited and considered
public input. The Morrow
County
School
District
developed a policy of teaching
and program cuts without public
Vote down levy
To the Editor:
Should we vote for the five-
year levy? Recently, threatened
with the loss of whole programs
and many teachers, people begin
to realize that we are not
making the best use of school
funds. At two large meetings
many suggestions were made to
our school board that may help
to solve the problem. These
ideas were not adopted. Many of
us now recognize that for years
our board has rubber stamped
the
district
administrator's
decisions without analyzing and
evaluating
the
possible
ramifications of those decisions.
Among other things we have
added administrators raising
salaries and perks to same,
given busing to commercial
transportation, added new sports
categories,
more
assistant
coaches ( passed a levy for that),
made excessive purchases of
some school equipment, added
some strictly not needed
construction and so on.
input and refused to consider or
implement suggestions made by
the public at meetings held in
February or March.
2. Announced to the public that
if the levy passed, the district's
education programs would
remain intact. The Morrow
County School District instead
is
committed
to
cutting
educational programs.
3. Worked to unite community
opinion to support the proposed
levy. The Morrow County
District's proposal creates gross
inequities in educational and
class room opportunities which
has led to divisiveness among
the
Morrow
County
communities. Until the school
board leams to listen to its
citizens and provide leadership
and policy which meets the
educational needs of the entire
Morrow County community, it
will be difficult for me to
support its programs.
The citizens of Morrow
County have never been
reluctant to vote to raise
property
taxes
for
the
educational needs of their
children. But, voting for the
current serial levy means an
endorsement of the faculty and
program cuts. It says we
approve of the district's refusal
to consider possible alternatives
or listen to the public. It means
voting for a budget that makes
no administrative sacrifices
while our children lose massive
educational opportunities. I
cannot in good conscience do
so.
(s) William J. Kuhn
Heppner
Now we are in trouble. We
can't meet that budget shortfall
by blaming some one else—
Salem, the administration, the
teachers, parents, Hispanics, etc.
We must focus on one goal, one
goal
only,
of providing
classrooms with good teachers
to offer a quality liberal
education for every child. We
must make a more careful
analysis on every cent we spend
with that goal only in mind.
We all have a responsibility to
vote. Do we want our board to
continue
rubber
stamping
whatever the superintendent
says? Do we really think that
Morrow County is either
Pendleton or Helix? Do we want
to go from the frying pan into
the fire?
If we're smart, we will take the
advice of one courageous board
member and vote down the levy,
which will require them to
change their direction, to do
their homework.
(s)Jane Rawlins
Heppner
Museum to stay open with volunteers
To the Editor:
The Morrow County Museum
funding has been drastically
reduced, due to county budget
cuts. The two positions at the
museum have been deleted.
The future of the museum now
rests with the community and
the enthusiastic volunteers who
have stepped forward to help.
The Museum Commission
would like to assure those in
the community who have
contributed items that the
collection will be protected
and maintained and displayed
in a clean environment.
We cannot hope to maintain
the facility to the standards
that we had in the past, but we
hope that it can be kept open at
least two days a week, and
longer if more volunteers sign
up. Our hope is, future funding
will become available to allow
the museum to function as it
did in the past.
While it will be difficult to
replace the passion and
experience of Marsha and
Tami, the commission has
found
a
capable
and
knowledgeable volunteer in
Robin Krebs. She will be in
charge
of
organizing,
screening and scheduling the
volunteers. Robin will also
help with maintaining and
caring for the displays.
The Museum Commission
appreciates the dedications,
history,
and professional
displays of Marsha and Tami.
The whole community has
benefited.
Anyone wishing to volunteer
toward keeping the museum
open is urged to contact one of
the commissioners or Secretary
Sharon Harrison, 989-8496, or
John Church, president, 676-
5401.
Other commission
members are Jerri Sly, Ken
Nelson, Cecil Rill, Betty
Carlson, Barbara Bloodsworth,
Richard Woods, Ray French,
Mary Goheen, Bob Hamson,
Al Osmin, or Howard Mullins.
Feel free to call any one of
them.
(s) Sharon Hamson
Lexington
Schools deserve your support
To The Editor
During the past several
months, I have
had an
opportunity to attend and
participate in three major budget
sessions in the Morrow County
School District. The sessions
were held at Sam Boardman
Elementary School, Heppner
High School and Columbia
Middle School in Imgon. In
addition, I have
had an
opportunity
to
spend a
considerable amount of time
taking a very careful look at the
school district budget.
Because of the geographical
distribution of communities
c'oupled with major changes in
state funding, the district is
faced with severe financial
problems. Hundreds of people
from throughout the county took
part in the three sessions. 1 was
very impressed with the amount
of time people were willing to
give on behalf of the education
of their children.
During the sessions, it was
necessary to take a very hard
look at many difficult issues.
Compromise is never easy.
However, people from all areas
of the county repeatedly
expressed their desire to do
what is best for all the students--
no matter where they live.
In a few weeks, Morrow
County voters will be asked to
go to the polls on behalf of their
schools. The local option tax
levy is something which is new
this year and is a way for local
districts to help offset funding
shortfalls. Hopefully, it will not
be a permanent solution.
Unfortunately, in the meantime,
these are really no alternatives.
If we want to maintain quality
schools, we need the local
option.
Fortunately, people in Eastern
Oregon care about quality
schools. The property tax
limitations did not receive a
majority vote here when they
were originally proposed. Those
ballot measures were carried by
voters living on the westside.
There are more of them than
there are of us so we are stuck
with the result. In recent
months, local voters have
reaffirmed the need to keep
quality schools in our local
communities by passing local
option measures in Helix and
Pendleton.
During my tenure in the ESD,
I have had a chance to visit the
schools in Heppner, lone,
Boardman and Imgon. In most
cases, the schools are not large,
but they are the center of the
community and the students are
being served well. Passage of
the local option tax will help
perpetuate that service and the
winners will be the students. 1
sincerely hope that enough
voters will step forward to make
sure that the local option tax
passes in Morrow County. The
schools there have proven they
deserve your support.
(s)George Murdock
Superintendent
Umatilla-Morrow ESD
2001 S. W. Nye Avenue
Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Yes on 81
To the editor:
For over 100 years, the
legislature has had the ability to
protect good people from unfair
lawsuits. Our health care
workers, small business owners,
police officers, firefighters,
EMTs,
volunteers,
"good
Samaritans" and many others
are shielded from unfair
lawsuits because of these
protections.
Now, because of an Oregon
Supreme Court ruling last year,
these good folks are facing the
prospect of having their
protections stripped away.
That is why Measure 81 is so
important. A "yes" vote on
Measure 81 ensures that each
and every one of these good
people will continue to be
protected
against
unfair
lawsuits.
Without Measure 81, the
people we depend on most will
be open to every form of
litigation.
As
a
result,
Oregonians face the prospect of
higher costs for goods, services,
insurance, as well as higher
taxes.
We can avoid this by keeping
our common sense protections
in place. Vote yes on 81.
(s)J.L. Wilson
State Director
NFIB Oregon
. ’
1320 Capitol St N E# 100
Salem, OR 97303
Water safety classes offered
Three water safety courses.
Lifeguard Training, Water
Safety Instructor and Lifeguard
Instructor are being offered by
Blue Mountain Community
College this spring and early
summer.
An orientation session is
scheduled for this Sunday,
May 7, at Willow Creek Water
Park. Interested participants
are urged to pre-register by
contacting Anne Morter, south
Morrow County coordinator, at
422-7040.
Candidates for lifeguard
training must be 15 years old
and be able to pass a pre
session skills test. The course
is 39 hours in length and
includes
CPR
for
the
Professional Rescuer.
Cost of the class is $70 for
tuition and $37 for the book
and certification fees.
The orientation session will
be held May 7 from 1-1:30
p.m. at WCWP.
A Water Safety Instructor
card certifies a person to teach
various
water
courses
including swim lessons. A pre
requisite to the class is
Instructor Candidate Training,
a six-hour course.
WSI candidates must be 17
years old and be able to pass a
pre-session
skills
and
knowledge
test.
The
orientation for WSI is set for
2-2::30 p.m. on Sunday, May
7, at WCWP. The orientation
for ICT is at 1:30 p.m.
The Lifeguard Instructor class
trains candidates to teach
lifeguard training, CPR for the
P rofessional
Rescuer,
Lifeguard Instructor Aide and
Community Water Safety.
Students must be 17 years old
and be able to pass a pre
session
skills
test.
The
orientation for this class is set
for 2:30-3 p.m. May 7.
For more information or to
pre-register, contact Anne
Morter as soon as possible
QUICKBOOKS SET-UP "I make house call*"
(541) 422-7310
Fax (541 >422-7310
B S in Accounting
PO. Box 52 • lone, OR 97843
E-mail: SuzanneRaa• CenturyTei net
Voters have 2,266 important
reasons to vote yes
Morrow County voters have 2,266 very important reasons to
vote yes on the Local Option School Levy on the May 16 mail-in
ballot. All 2,266 Morrow County school children will receive
increased attention and more instruction with the addition of
funding for 10 teachers in the district over the next five years with
the passage of the Local Option School Levy. All 10 teachers will
work directly with students each and every school day. Your ballot
will state that a "Yes" vote will provide the communities of
Boardman and Imgon with seven teachers distributed through their
schools, for the ever-increasing enrollment and English as a
Second Language population; Heppner schools will receive two
teachers and the lone schools will get one teacher to maintain
programs. More teachers allow for lower class sizes and more
course offerings for all children of the county. Passage of the Local
Option Levy at this election will fund these 10 teachers for next
school year, and the following four years. Passing the levy at a
later date would not allow funding these 10 teachers for the 2000-
2001 school year. Your Morrow County children need teachers
next year, not whenever the legislature finally funds our schools
adequately.
The Local Option Levy is our first chance since the passage of
Measure 5 eight years ago, to provide additional funds locally for
our schools. During that entire time, we have been dependent on
the politics and maneuvenngs of the Legislature for the funding of
our schools, with no ability to provide for our own unique needs.
This year the state reduced the amount of money in the funding
formula for Morrow County Schools so that we are spending 1.3
million dollars more than we are generating in the current school
year. We have covered the shortfall by using half of our cash
reserves. If this pattern were to have continued for next year, we
would have been spending more than we would receive from the
state funding formula. Next year we would not have had enough
cash reserves to make up the difference as we did this year.
Funding from the state has never been adequate. In the past few
years, we have made significant cuts in a variety of areas, such as
selling buses and contracting for bus service, operating on a four-
day school week, eliminating all co-curricular activities from the
school budget (i.e. sports), reducing the cost of food service,
reducing supplies and equipment expenses, and reducing staff in
the '95/'96 school year. The school board has been forced to face
the financial reality that we would be spending more than we
would take in next year. Trimming a budget that has already been
trimmed is painful and difficult whether in a home, business, or
public organization. Your board has agonized over and spent many
hours of time and thought working ta make responsible decisions
and to use the limited resources wisely. Cutting $992,789 from a
bare bones budget is a monumental task. While there are surely as
many ideas of how to do this as there are people in Morrow
County, the law requires the seven members of the school board to
make a decision that is timely and responsible. In response to the
obvious need for reduction, the Morrow County School Board on
February 14, 2000, voted to eliminate 17 teaching positions,
funding for 1.5 administrative positions, and 2.75 support
personnel from the budget for next school year. Teachers account
for $837,702 and the other positions account for $155,087.
We are now coming to you, the public (parents, grandparents,
family, and business people), in hope that you will respond to the
need of our children with the only option we have locally to
provide for their needs. The Legislature did provide us one avenue
with which to take care of needs they left unfunded. This levy is
limited in scope, but would provide us the ability to replace 10 of
the teachers that have been eliminated, thus lessening the impact
and severity of this budget crisis. Now is the time for Morrow
County to be proactive and positive. It is time to look at the whole
picture with a view to the longevity and durability of this area as
a good place to live. Our neighbors in Pendleton and Helix have
already stood up and said "Yes" to the local option. It is a time to
maintain pride in ourselves and to take local responsibility for our
needs where we are able. To quote the East Oregonian, "Good
schools attract residents and businesses, which in turn broaden the
tax base. Bad schools have just the opposite effect." No one likes
additional expenses. When buying something, everyone looks at
what the return on his or her dollar will be. Supporting our schools
is a good buy. People like to live and work where their children are
well provided for. Our communities can only grow and prosper
while we continue to provide adequate schools. A yes vote for this
special levy is a way for us to add back some educational
opportunities for our children.
-Gary Fredrickson, Dwayne Carroll, Pat McNamee, John
Rietmann, Julie Weikel
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