tW O - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppnef, Oregon Wednesday, February 5, 2003
The Official Newspaper
o f the City of Heppner and the County o f Morrow
H eppner
G A Z E T T E -T I M E S
U S P S. 240-420
Morrow County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly and entered as periodieal matter at the Post Office at Heppner. Oregon
under the Aet of March 3. 187V. Periodical postage paid at Heppner. Oregon. Office at 147
W Willow Street. Telephone (541 »676-9228. Pax (541 »676-9211. E-mail: gt(a heppner.net
or gtiurapidserve.net. Web site: www heppner net. Postmaster send address changes to
the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O Box 337, Heppner. Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $24 in
Morrow County; $18 senior rate tin Morrow County only; 62 years or older). $30 else
where.
David S y k e s................................................................................................................ Publisher
Katie W all.................................................................................................................... Editor
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Letters to the Editor
Report cards
out for Morrow
County schools
T h re e s c h o o ls in
M orrow County im proved the
state report card status, while the
other four schools in the county
stay ed about the sam e. T he
O re g o n
D e p a r tm e n t
of
Education rates public schools in
five overall ratings categories:
exceptional, strong, satisfactory,
low, or unacceptable. The scores
are based on the 2001-2002
school year, in which schools are
ju d g ed in areas including: test
p e r f o r m a n c e , a tte n d a n c e ,
improvement, dropout rate, and
test participation.
The overall scores for
M orrow C ounty schools is as
follows:
Heppner Elementary
School (grades K-6): Received
an overall score of'Exceptional,”
an improvement from last year’s
report card.
Heppner High School
(grades 7-12): R eceived an
Editor's note: Letters to the Editor must be signed. The Gazette-Times w ill not publish
unsigned letters. Please include your address and phone number on all letters (or use by
the G-T office. TheG-T reserves the right to edit. TheG-T is not responsible for accuracy o f
statements made in letters. (Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds
under "Card o f Thanks "at a cost o f $ 7.)
overall score o f “ Satisfactory.”
Who would benefit if we retreated?
o f “ Strong.”
To the Editor:
I, again, hear the call for
peace.
It comes especially loud
from the young, even from high
school students.
W in s to n C h u r c h ill,
reputed to be a wise person, said
som ething to the effect that the
young must be liberal, otherwise
they have no heart, but that the
o ld m u st be c o n s e r v a tiv e ,
otherwise they have no brain.
All decent humans upon
their recognition o f the cruelties
o f w a r e x p e rie n c e a stro n g
emotional reaction o f horror.
A ll th in k in g p e rso n s
recognize that, to quote the Judo-
C hristian bible, (reputed to be
another source o f wisdom,) there
is “a time for war.”
W ould the young have
e n o u g h lif e e x p e r ie n c e to
recognize that, possibly, they are
substituting reason with emotion?
Is it possible that during
a tim e w hen the leaders o f our
government have determined that
war, or the threat o f war is in the
best interest o f our country, that
th e s e p e a c e m a r c h e s a re
organized by those w ho have
differing interests and goals than
those o f our governm ent?
T h e fa c t th a t p e a c e
m a rc h e rs d e m o n s tr a te d in
considerable num bers, in our
country, in Saudi A rabia, in
England, in Iran, in France, in
Iraq, in Germany, in Pakistan, in
C anada, and in K uw ait, on the
same day, is a sure indication that
th e y w e re in no w ay
sp o n tan eo u s, that they w ere
organized by som eone with a
great deal o f power and money.
Think!
Who would most benefit
if we apologized and retreated
with our tail between our legs?
(s) F. Green W hite
Heppner
Elks to hold
benefit dinner
HHS to hold
service auction
T h e H e p p n e r E lk s
Lodge will be holding a Ladies’
Night/Benefit Dinner for Darcy
Coil, Thursday, Feb. 6. LeA nn
Wright and Ronda Helfrecht and
crew will be service a C hinese
dinner from 6-8 p.m. The public
is invited to attend.
T h e H e p p n e r H ig h
School senior class will hold a
service auction, Friday, Feb. 7,
before the varsity b o y s’ gam e
begins. If there is not enough time
to auction everyone, there will be
a silent auction held for the
remaining students.
HEPPNER ELKS 358
676-9181
"Where Friends Meet"
142 North Main
Thursday, February 6th
LADIES NIGHT / BENEFIT DINNER
fo r DARCY COIL
LeAnn Wright, Ronda Helfrecht and crew
will be serving a Chinese dinner from 5-8 p.m.
The public is invited to attend .
Who takes
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if they’ re
taking care
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Teleflora's
Chocolate
Rose Bouquet
Plus, check out our
balloons, candy,
plush toys and
gift baskets!
V alentine's D ay is
Friday, February 14 th
Brenda Sherrell
676-5818
Country
Rose
233 N. Main • Heppner
Farmers' Lit* Insurance
farmers com
A .C .
H oughton
Elementary (grades K-5):
R eceived an overall score o f
“Strong,” an improvement from
last y e a r’s report card.
Sam
Boardm an
Elementary (grades K-5):
R eceived an overall score o f
“Satisfactory.”
C olum bia M iddle
School (grades 6-8): Received
an overall score o f ““Low.”
Riverside High School
(grades 9-12): R eceiv ed an
overall score o f “Strong,” which
w as an im provem ent from last
y e a r’s report card.
MCHD passes
by-law amendment
O n Jan. 31, 2003 the
B o a rd o f D ir e c to rs o f th e
M orrow County Health District
passed a resolution amending the
d i s t r i c t ’s b y -la w s to be in
com pliance w ith O regon state
law. B eginning w ith the M ay
election, all directors will be
elected at-large from the entire
district, which is the boundaries
o f M orrow County.
T h e o f f ic e o f th e
S e c re tary o f S tate, E lectio n
Division, has issued a letter to the
M C H D stating that all health
districts in the state o f O regon
elect the directors at-large.
The M ay election will
have tw o positions open for
election at-large. Previously zone
4 (lone and Lexington) will now
be position number 4. Previously
zone 5 (Heppner) will be position
num ber 5. In M ay 2005, the
three remaining positions number
1,2 and 3 will be up for election.
“ T he m ajority o f the
board o f directors o f the M CHD
appropriately m ade this change
to th e b y - la w s to b e in
com pliance w ith O regon state
law,” said M CH D C E O Victor
Vander Does.
Be sweet.
S IIE R R K L L INSURANCE
127 N. Main, Heppner
lone School (grades
K-12): Received an overall score
676-9426
100% pure
Belgian
chocolate
Chamber Chatter
By Claudia Hughes
Chamber Executive Director
If calls to the C ham ber
w ent unansw ered last week, I
appreciate your patience. Gallons
o f water broke through the wall
and saturated the office, which
meant wading through a couple
o f inches o f w ater to reach my
desk. N eedless to say, it was
im p o s s ib le to tu rn on m y
c o m p u te r o r fu n c tio n w ith
vacuum s sucking up water, fans
d r y in g o u t th e ro o m , a n d
everything in piles! These things
happen and work continues for
a w h ile w ith o r w ith o u t
technology. It’s tim es such as
th e s e th a t I c o n tin u e to be
especially grateful to Klam ath
First for not only providing space
for the Chamber, but also for their
staff', w ho assists in many ways
and com es to the rescue in a
crisis.
A rem inder to all the
g re a t v o lu n te e rs w ho m ade
H ep p n er tw in k le d u ring the
holiday season and through Town
and Country: it’s time to take the
tree lights down. From this voice
o f experience, buds and new
grow th can be a hindrance, so
please don’t wait any longer. This
1 learned on Sunday. The lights
were so cheerful and welcoming
during our many gray days.
T h e p a s t w e e k th e
C ham ber Board o f D irectors
spent a day w o rk in g on the
C h a m b e r 2003 focus. M uch
energy went into the discussion
and planning on how to "M ake
H eppner the Place To Be In
2 0 0 3 .” S o m e o f th e id e a s
generated w ere m arketing the
ATV Trail; creating more events;
m e e tin g w ith th e R o d e o
C om m ittee to discuss ideas to
bring m ore people to H eppner
that weekend; Third Tuesdays for
m erchants, custom er training;
improved website; distribution o f
the new H eppner brochures;
c o n tin u a tio n o f the pie and
C h ristm as tree au ctio n s and
w o rk in g on o th e r n o n -d u es
events; individual outreach for
new C h am b er m em bers; the
future o f the Wee Bit O ’ Ireland
Celebration; bringing people in to
“shop Heppner”, new products;
and even doing a bit o f dreaming
about a “ Shoe Box T heater”
w here m ovies m ight be shown,
local talent could entertain with
m usic and plays, and people
w ould com e to sh are a new
experience. M ore about this at a
later date.
M em bership dues are
coming in. Chamber membership
is open to anyone desiring to see
H eppner grow and thrive. Your
investm ent helps the Cham ber
achieve goals. M em bers may
give as m uch or as little tim e as
their life allows. Visit a meeting
on T uesdays at Jo h n ’s O ther
Place. C all the C ham ber, 676-
5536, for a m em ber application.
D o n ’t f o rg e t th e
c o m m u n ity h a p p e n in g s this
Thursday, Feb. 6. Take time for
the Chinese dinner benefit at the
Elks and then head for St. Pat’s
Parish Hall for “Mulligan Stew”,
Flood History, Shenanigans, and
dessert. This is what Heppner is
all about.
T hought for the week:
“In stooping low and bending to
a n o t h e r 's a id w e r is e .” -
Unknown
Justice Court
Report
The Justice Court office at
the courthouse in Heppner reports
handling the following business:
D avid Stephen Brown,
22, Stanfield, VBR 67/55, fine
$77.
Patrick W. Sweeny, 52,
Heppner, VBR 75/55, fine $77.
S h irle y R u g g , 73,
Heppner, VBR 68/45, fine $ 132.
G aylin B. Fickel, 59,
H eppner, Failure to Yield to a
V ehicle (M V A ) and D riving
Uninsured (MVA), fine $211.
Annie M arie Hisler, 22,
Gresham , VBR 71/55, fine $87.
T iffa n y N . R ill, 2 3 ,
Heppner, VBR 79/55, fine $ 132.
Answers to the Mysteries of Education
By Superintendent Jack Crippen
I was disappointed in the outcome o f the Measure 28 election.
This places even more pressure on the legislature’s work for the OS-
OS budgets. However, that is now behind us and we will m ake the
adjustments required and concentrate on the look o f education in the
next tw o school years. It is now' even more necessary that you let our
Legislators and our G overnor know how you w ould like our new
reduced quality o f life to look. Please let them know what services
should be dropped and what services should be kept and to what
level. Speaking o f politics, let’s move on to our first question, which
deals w ith school board elections.
What is different about this year's school board election?
This year the four people elected to the four-year positions
and the one person elected to fill a two-year position will all be elected
as “at large m em bers.” In previous years board m em bers were
elected to represent geographic areas o f the county. Last spring the
Board changed from zones (representing a geographic area) to
positions (representing the district "at large” or the entire county rather
than one area). The Board feels it is necessary for board members to
represent the w hole district not ju st one com er or com m unity. To
help with this idea the Board has been meeting with each faculty and
staff prior to the school board m eeting at each school. The Board
rotates its monthly meeting among the schools and the district office
each year. Also, the Board has set up a schedule to provide for two
board m em bers at each advisory com m ittee m eeting on a rotating
basis. This will help all board m em bers to know the m em bers o f
each com m ittee and to be aware o f issues and concerns around the
county.
The tim e com m itm ent o f our board m em bers rem ains
enormous, and now more than ever, they all need to be familiar with
and know ledgeable o f all the com m unities in the county. As you
encourage people to seek re-election or election for the first tim e,
please talk to them about their knowledge and understanding o f the
district as a county unit.
What is this I'm hearing about musical chairs with the
Principals?
In an effort to stream line the schools and district office
adm inistration we are making som e changes that will result in one
less administrator. In December, Karen Cooley retired as Director
o f Special Education, w hich was a h a lf tim e position. In January,
Mrs. Tolar retired as Principal o f Sam Boardman Elementary School.
In Decem ber, the Board made the decision to cut the head teacher
positions, the largest one being the half time position in Heppner now
held by recently retired principal, Mr. Allen. The Board also m ade
the decision to close the district office in Lexington. Last year when
Mr. Keown retired, many o f his responsibilities were given to building
principals. Spreading out those responsibilities has created some
problem s in com m unication and com pletion o f reports to the State
D epartm ent o f Education. With the new burdens o f the N o Child
Left Behind Act o f the federal governm ent we see an increase in the
time needed to manage these programs. Given our money problems,
we have been looking for a way to make the process work better as
well as cut costs.
At this tim e we expect the follow ing to happen: we are
appointing Mr. Stuart, current principal o f lone schools, to split his
tim e betw een the lone schools and the H eppner schools. We have
created the position o f Director o f Programs at the district level, which
will be filled by Mr. Yecha. This leaves the principal positions at Sam
Boardman Elementary and Riverside High School to be filled. In the
process o f filling them we expect to reduce the vice-principal positions
at Riverside High School and Colum bia M iddle School to half time
positions. We expect m ost or all o f these positions to be filled from
within the district; which is why people may be referring to the process
as musical chairs.
Is it true that lone is going to leave the Morrow County
School District?
Som e m em bers o f the lone com m unity are discussing the
idea o f secession. It is a very complex issue. In July, when the Board
established their goals for the year, one goal w as to create equity in
spending am ong the schools. Since the passage o f M easure 5 in the
early 1990’s, the state has been funding their schools on a formula
that sets an amount o f money per child. It includes adding additional
money for certain programs in the form o f additional children known
as weighted-children. Through a series o f Board meetings they looked
at various ways o f staffing and/or funding schools for the 2003-2004
school year. In D ecem ber, the Board m ade the decision to reduce
funding to the schools to m eet the states funding guidelines. This
created the need to reduce funding to lone School by approximately
$275,000, H eppner schools by approxim ately $528,000 and
Riverside High School by approximately $12,600. All schools in the
district may still have additional cuts in funds depending on the actions
o f the legislature.
W hen the M orrow County School D istrict w as form ed in
the late 1950s, it was believed that as one district we could provide
the best education for all o f the county’s children at a cost the county
was willing to pay. Since M easure 5, the cost has shifted to the cost
that the state is w illing to pay. It requires us to have a different
philosophy on w hat education is to look like and how it is to be
delivered to our children. We will still provide an excellent education
so our children may reach for their dreams. Classes may be bigger in
Morrow County, and the variety o f offerings may be different in some
schools, but the quality will remain as it always has.
H ow ever, lone is concerned about tw o things. First, with
additional cuts that m ay be m ade, the Board m ay choose to
consolidate lone’s seventh-12th grades with H eppner’s seventh-12th
grades. Hie second issue tied closely to the first, is that the closing o f
lone's Jr/Sr High School would mean the loss o f the lone community.
M em bers o f the lone com m unity have em barked on a series o f
meetings to discuss all areas o f the problem. Secession from the school
district is one such area.
If you have questions or desire an explanation o f items
concerning education, please w rite or E-m ail m e in care o f this
new spaper or to the M orrow County School District office at P.O.
Box 368 Lexington 0 9 7 8 3 9 .
HHS Senior Class to hold dinner
T h e H e p p n e r H igh
School Senior Class invites you
to brin g y o u r sw e e th e a rt or
special friend for a candlelight
Valentine's dinner at the Heppner
High School on Friday, Feb. 14
from 4:30-8:30 p.m. The dinner
will be held in conjunction with
the basketball gam es against
Umatilla
The dinner menu consists
o f b arb ecu e c h ick en , baked
potato, salad, garlic bread and
dessert. C ost is $10 for adults
and $6 for children.