TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Letters to the Editor
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Recall only way to rebuild unity
U S P S 240-420
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Guest Editorial
Support Morrow County School Board
members against recall challenge
W e are asking the voters for support against the recall challenge
to o u r M o rrow C o u n ty S ch o o l B oard po sitio n s.
A s elec ted re p resen ta tiv e s, w h o h av e v o lu n te e re d o u r tim e,
w e h ave alw ays acted w ith care and thoughtful deliberation. O u r
first p rio rity in m aking a decisio n has alw ays been w hat is in the
best interest o f all the children in M orrow C ounty Schools. Providing
the best ed ucational o p p o rtu n ities is a ch allen g e w ith the lim ited
m oney that current state funding provides. The board has been required
to m ake m any difficult decisions, but w e have been able to continue
to p ro v id e an ex c ellen t ed u c atio n for all stu d e n ts in th e d istrict.
W e h av e w o rk e d h ard to m ain tain class sizes in all sch o o ls that
are m o d era te to low , co m p a re d w ith state av erag es.
M any positive changes are occurring in the district at this time.
Each com m unity is preparing for the long needed construction and/or
rem odeling o f facilities. D ue to the direct effort o f o u r board, sm all
high school funding w as brought to the attention o f our state legislature.
A s a re su lt, w e are n o w re ceiv in g state su p p o rt that is a llo w in g
u s to m a in ta in q u a lity sm all high sch o o ls in H e p p n e r and lone.
T he current superintendent w ill leave in June. T he board is w orking
to secu re the services o f a new superintendent, to start serv in g the
district July 1, 2002. S tudents are continuing to im prove their state
test scores and are m ak in g g o o d p ro g ress to w ard s m e etin g state
benchm arks. O ne school in o ur district received a rating o f ’excellent’
from the state this past year. T he district c o n tin u es to m ain tain a
h ig h ly talented and ex p erien ced s ta ff that is dedicated to the needs
q f c h ild re n and youth.
Vftfen q u e stio n s aro se from the public as to th e ap p ro p riate
residency o f tw o o f our m em bers, the board was required by O regon
law' to explore and act upon the issue. Advice from our legal counsel
an d a S en io r C ircuit C ourt Judge w as sought and follow ed. B oth
board m embers were given time to state their case and present evidence.
A fter deliberation, the ju d g e ’s conclusion w as that the tw o m em bers
w ere not residents o f the zone from w hich they w ere elected, and
that O regon law required the board to rem ove those tw o m em bers.
T h is w as an un p leasan t task, but fo llo w in g his legal ad v ic e w as
th e o n ly responsible altern ativ e av a ila b le to the board. T h is w as
not a personal attack on any person involved. The law must be followed
o r it h o ld s no validity.
John R ietm ann has served 10 years, G ary Fredrickson has served
seven and Pat M cN am ee has serv ed tw o years. W e h av e alw ay s
co n sid ered the needs o f M orrow C o u n ty school children first. W e
have always considered input from the public and staff, before casting
o u r votes on an issue. W e have alw ays follow ed district policy and
u p h e ld th e law s o f th e S tate o f O regon. T h ere is no re aso n that
w e sh o u ld not co n tin u e to serv e in o u r po sitio n s.
(s)Pat M cN am ee, G ary Fredrickson, John R ietm ann
October 4th ~ Thursday
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To the Editor;
1 have been asked several times
during the last two weeks if I or
supporters o f the school board recall
want the lone schools closed. I have
asked other Heppner area citizens
this question and their answers are
the same as mine. C om m unity
schools are critical to a rural
community's social and economic
development. Morrow County voted
a bond measure to build new schools
in both lone and Irrigon. These
schools are needed and it is my
fervent hope and desire that both
are built as quickly as possible.
lone should insist the school
district build a school that meets their
needs for the twenty-first century.
Im gon should insist that as soon
as the new building is built in Imgon,
it is staffed and used as the high
school for which the com m unity
voted.
I had to wonder why rumors were
circulating that some or all Heppner
residents want to close lone schools.
The rumors are clearly an effort by
the school district to change the focus
o f the upcoming recall election from
the issues to emotions to alienate
the Morrow County communities
from each other.
I am extrem ely concerned that
over the last two years, the school
board has drastically cut teachers,
program s and curriculum s and
appears to be ready to continue to
do so. The board turns deaf ears to
the voice o f the public, as it did at
the February 2000 board meeting
in Boardm an. Adm inistrative
spending is prioritized over teaching
staff. The board and district have
no
vision
for
curriculum
im provem ent or m eeting the
educational challenges our children
will face in the new century. It is
easy to balance a school district
budget by cutting teachers and
programs. It takes vision, ingenuity,
and work to keep and improve
programs when budgets are tight.
O f larger concern to me is the
board's and administration's failure
to provide leadership in bringing
the Morrow County communities
together. The Morrow County school
district is geographically one o f the
largest in the state. O ur size is a
blessing if we work together. It is
a curse if we are divisive. Joint use
o f teaching
resources
via
telecomm unications can be a very
successful way o f preserving scant
resources and expanding program
opportunities. As a district, we
should have the vision o f sharing
am ong our various com m unities
resources and teachers, with students
district wide. However, implementing
such program s takes vision and
commitment on the part o f the district
and cooperation and understanding
among the district's communities.
We can not implement any vision
if the district encourages disunity.
I am happy my daughter is taught
advanced
m a th
v ia
telecommunications by an excellent
lone teacher. I don't believe even
one distance education class would
have been implemented without the
Heppner High School Site Council's
repeated requests to district. We need
to strengthen and preserve
communities' school systems through
the sharing o f resources, not
combining schools. I don't believe
our school district currently has the
resolve or vision to implement the
educational program our children
need. I support the recall because
it is the only way to rebuild the unity
necessary to educate our children.
(s) W illiam J. Kuhn
Heppner
Pesticide law affects locals
To the Editor
and People o f Morrow County:
After attending the hearing on
Administrative Rule OAR 603-057-
0405 through 603-057-0425 dealing
with the Implementation o f Oregon's
Pesticide Use Reporting Law, I
decided you need to understand what
you can do to help. As residents o f
Oregon communities, this law will
affect you.
As o f January 1,2002, you will
have to report all pesticide
applications if you are a person who
uses or applies a pesticide in the
course o f business or any other for-
profit enterprise or if you are
applying a pesticide on public
property. This applies to both
restricted and general use products.
While we support the collection o f
this information, we are against the
release o f that inform ation to the
general public.
This will include farmers,
commercial applicators, businesses
who sell pesticides, schools, motels,
restaurants or any business who deals
with the public in any way.
Hearings are being held
throughout the state to receive
testimony. If you have not given
testimony and will be affected by
this legislation, do take the time to
voice your thoughts. We are aware
that the people in the W illam ette
Valley will outnumber us. We need
the hearings officer to hear more
people supporting our views than
our opponents will have supporting
their opposing views.
Anti-chemical activists have been
flooding the Governor’s office and
state legislators and Dept, o f
Agriculture asking for more stringent
rules. Now is the tim e for you to
voice your opinion. Key points to
be covered are;
Electronic reporting-at the present
time, only electronic reporting is
being mandated. This is not workable
for many people. If you do not have
a computer, be sure to tell them what
a hardship this will be. Since we
know the government cannot keep
this inform ation confidential, do
request paper reporting. Do stress
that we need to m ake the penalty
for releasing this inform ation
excessive.
Required frequency o f reporting-
We do need annual reporting. If
som eone wants to report more
frequently, that's fine. How would
you like to have to make out a report
in the middle o f harvest or your busy
season?
D etails-D o
include
such
information as: Approximately how
many applications you make per year
How many sections your applications
will be encompassing. Approximate
cost o f reporting-burden on
m anpower, etc.
Location o f use- Zip Code is the
only logical way to report this.
T ow nship, range and section is
difficult to obtain for those o f us
who are applying for owners or lease
operators. This report is to be
confidential, so how difficult would
it be for activists to look at the
information given and pinpoint where
the application was m ade?
Do support-W e support the
aggregation o f the information by
date and location. If a product was
used for several days at a single
location but not m ore than seven
days, the last date o f use should be
used. Spot spraying is a common
practice especially in agriculture and
forestry. We are instructed to use
integrated pest m anagement since
this only sprays the targeted pest,
and cuts down on the total amount
o f pesticide used. The total product
used over a m ulti-day or monthly
use should report these applications.
It is very important that you not
expect som eone else to do your
homework. You need to write a letter
and have your voice heard. It is only
fair that if you will be impacted by
this legislation, that you also have
your voice heard. Voice your concern
and don't hesitate to suggest an
alternative action.
Homeowners: At the present time,
they are only doing a survey of some
households, but it is probably just
a matter o f time before they ask you
to start reporting your usage, too.
Letters m ust be into the
Department o f Agriculture by Oct.
12. Send your letter to: Phil Ward,
Dept, o f A griculture Pesticide
Division, 635 Capitol St. NE, Salem.
OR 97301-2532.
(s) Jean Jepsen
Jepsen Pest Control, Inc.
Dba: Dobyns Pest Control
lone
Marriage Licenses
The Morrow County Clerk's office
at the courthouse m Heppner reports
issuing the follow ing m am age
licenses:
Sept.
21:
Lester
Keith
W ashington, 29, Boardm an; and
Susan Kay Orrala, 40, Boardman.
Sept. 21: Kenneth John Kabnbach,
27, Salem ; and
Destiny Shalom e Garrison, 25.
Sept. 24: Stephen Preston Banta,
41, Boardm an; and
Marcella Martinez, 42, Boardman.
It's time for a change-support the
recall effort
To the Editor:
The three Morrow County School
Board m em bers currently up for a
recall election should not be
surprised at the level o f
dissatisfaction felt by the public
concerning their jo b performance.
In failing to control a
superintendent who is known to have
caused similar levels o f community
division and problems in such towns
as Pnneville, Tillamook, Adrian and
Nyssa, they stand ultim ately
responsible for their actions as a
board and the public deserves to
know the truth about their behavior.
They say the superintendent will
leave in June. However there is no
signed resignation on record, only
a verbal "intent to retire". In the
meantime $22 million will be spent
under his authority. The board has
always rubber-stamped his proposals
and after elim inating the two
dissenting members in June (Lindsay
and Lewis), they have had free rein
on decisions, as the voters are left
without tw o o f their duly elected
representatives. The whole issue
o f overturning and removing elected
officials has been m uch discussed
since May, but it is im portant that
the public realize how they did it
and how they are trying to justify
it.
In their statem ent to the East
O regonian dated Septem ber 30,
concerning the residency issue o f
the two board m em bers they said,
"advice from a Senior Circuit Court
Judge was sought and followed".
This statement implies that a binding
decision came from a Circuit Court
Judge. It absolutely has not. In fact,
on July 18 it w as reported that a
sitting Circuit Court Judge issued
a stay preventing the B oard from
further proceedings in replacing the
positions. The date o f a hearing in
Circuit C ourt is currently set for
October 17. What was rendered was
an opinion by a hearings officer (a
retired judge) not a current Circuit
Court judge, but rather one that was
retamed and paid for by the district.
This was a total waste o f money for
our school district as all the parties
involved knew it was not a legally
binding decision and would likely
have to go to circuit court anyway,
but m eanw hile this forced the two
m embers to begin their defense at
their own personal expense. The
School Board claimed that Oregon
law required them to remove those
two board members. If so, then why
did the C ircuit C ourt judge grant
a stay and prevent further action by
the board?
Their letter also stated "we have
always followed district policy and
upheld the laws o f the State o f
Oregon". It is im portant that the
public know this has not been the
case. In September, 2000 the three
board members currently under recall
were issued a citation by the Oregon
Government Standards and Practices
Commission for violation o f Oregon
Public Meetings law. They did not
contest this charge. Lindsay and
Lewis left the April, 2001 meeting
after they perceived another possible
violation o f this law. One m onth
later an "anonymous letter" surfaced
com plaining o f residency issues.
The board proceeded to break their
ow n district policy o f accepting
unsigned letters. The night where
the anonymous letter was presented
( the chairman later admitted he had
seen the letter the previous month)
they attempted to make them resign.
They further suggested that Lindsay
and Lewis shouldn't vote and treated
them with disrespect. Board member
M cNam ee proceeded to tell the
audience to "Shut-Up"! They had
no intent to give "due process o f
law". It was only later that they were
forced to delay their decision. Under
oath at the hearing with the hired
hearing
officer.
Chairm an
Fredenckson admitted to travelling
together as a quorum and discussing
boardbusiness without all members
present. He also adm itted never
seeing the postmarked envelope o f
the "anonym ous com plaint". He
knew only that it came in an envelope
from the office o f Supt. Anderson.
Those o f us who have children
in our schools and have attended
the School Board meetings know
what has been going on and know
what is at stake. W e need School
Board m em bers who act legally,
professionally
and
think
independently
of
a
hired
superintendent.
Support the recall effort. It's time
for a change.
(s) Ann M urray
H eppner
Board member should rethink
proper role
To the Editor:
I just finished reading your news
article on the Morrow County Health
D istrict and cam e aw ay quite
confused.
Who is Ed Glenn representing?
The district patrons? The patrons
from the area he was elected?
It seems from his comments and
quotes that he has chosen to represent
Dr. Boss at the m eetings.
It doesn't seem proper for a board
m em ber o f any public body to be
negotiating with the board and
adm inistration on b eh alf o f any
employee, contracted or otherwise.
Those discussions should take place
between the administration and the
em ployee o f the district.
A board m em ber who chooses
to run interference for an employee
is way out o f line and should rethink
his proper role as a board member.
(s) George Koffler
Heppner
We want to thank all who donated
to Morrow County Home Health
in Memory o f Orval.
We live in a caring community.
Pauline, Dave & Family
Sally & Family and Sandy & Family
Hey, Mom and Dad!
Immunize me, I’m yours!
Getting me immunized
is an important way
you can protect me
against childhood
infectious diseases.
Thanks
c p :e rVUp
t o r n m v /m s iu e
M dren
For more information, call your health care
provider, 1 800 SAFENET or visit the National
Network for Immunization Information’s website:
www.immunizationinfo.ora.