Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - FIVE
Town defies school consolidation
(Originally printed in
Vallejo Times-Herald,
article written by Julia
Silverman, APJ
There are ju st two
landmarks on the skyline o f
this tiny town in the sprawling
high desert hills of northeastern
Oregon: a grain elevator and
the school.
The grain elevator is
long abandoned. But when
talk surfaced about shutting
down the high school and
busing students out o f town,
the ranchers, wheat farmers
and re tire e s o f lo n e,
population 350, looked into
the future and didn’t like what
they saw.
School consolidations
have begun to seem like an
inevitability in much o f rural
America, pushed by declining
enrollment and states’ need to
save money. Arkansas Gov.
Mike Huckabee has launched
a crusade to sell resistant rural
residents on consolidation,
and legislators in Oklahoma
and Michigan have offered
payoffs to districts that agree
to consolidate. Idaho has just
52 school districts left, down
from a high o f 1,110.
Oregon, too, is in the
grip o f a school funding crisis
th a t has fo rced d istric ts
statewide to lay off teachers
and shut down early. After a
spree o f consolidations in the
mid-1990s that reduced the
number o f school districts by
half, new legislation is under
consideration that w ould
examine the benefits o f even
m ore m ergers am ong the
state’s smaller school districts.
But the residents o f
lone, fueled by grit and cash,
persuaded the Legislature to
allow them to secede from the
Morrow County school district
and form their own district
If
G ov.
Ted
Kulongoski signs off on the
plan, only lone will be able to
say what happens to its school.
There was no word if the bill
had yet been presented to
Kulongoski; spokeswoman
Mary Ellen Glynn did not
immediately respond to a call
seeking comment.
“If this community
were to have lost the high
school, you might as well take
away the businesses, close the
doors and call it good,” said
Joe McElligott, whose family
has farmed in the area for
generations.
lone has a bank, two
churches, a restaurant and not
much else.
The town o f Heppner,
a town o f about 1,400 people
some 17 bumpy miles way,
would be happy to absorb the
lone middle and high schoolers
and their state funding.
lone residents fear
that if that happens they would
be left with a town without a
center, no place to go cheer
for a Friday night football
game or a school play, and
th e ir c h ild re n w o u ld be
sw allo w ed by the larger
community.
“Do you think a girl
from lone w ould ever be
elected homecoming queen in
H e p p n e r? ” ask ed A nne
Morter, an lone parent. “The
kids who warm the bench here,
they wouldn’t even make the
team there.”
lone residents were
so infuriated by the idea o f
consolidation that that some
quit going to Heppner to buy
groceries, instead driving
almost 40 miles to buy food
elsewhere.
A nd w ith ab o u t
$65,000 in donations, they
persuaded their state senator
to sp o n so r the secession
legislation, hired a lobbyist and
a lawyer, and started calling
and writing letters to other
lawmakers.
“Several times during
the past couple months, our
lobbyist called and said,
‘Senator X said he gets it, he’s
voting for it, and please don’t
send any more messages,” ’
Morter said.
T he
p o w erfu l
C o a litio n
of
S ch o o l
Administrators opposed the
secession effort, citing a 2002
audit by the Oregon Secretary
o f State’s office that found
administrative spending at
small schools far outpaced that
o f urban districts.
In lo n e , sch o o l
principal Mike Stuart was
concerned that breaking away
would leave the new district
able to only offer the most
b are-b o n es o f ed u ca tio n
opportunities. His position has
put him at odds with his staff.
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Stuart, a three-year
re n te r in a to w n w h ere
homeowners o f 15 years still
are considered newcomers,
plans to leave lone at the end
o f June.
“I’d like to see a more
comprehensive program for
students, but I don’t really have
any credibility here - I’m not
from here, my opinion doesn't
matter,” he said. “Even the
people that are pushing this will
say this is about economic
survival in lone,” not about
education.
While Stuart argues
that the curriculum is limited,
with just one foreign language
and not m any ad v an ced
courses, students and teachers
counter that the school offers
small class sizes and personal
attention from teachers.
“ I w ill be th e re
wherever he turns and looks,”
math teacher and football
coach Dale Holland said o f a
problem student who plays on
his team. “I will meet him when
he gets off the bus. I will go to
his house. 1 will be sitting next
to him at lunch. It’s very easy
to identify the students who
might slip through the cracks -
they stick out here like a sore
thumb.”
There is also a feeling
that the school has a deeper
meaning to lone.
“ In the end, it was
about a sense that there would
be no community” without a
school, said farm er Jerry
Reitmann. “Those of us with a
history here wanted to make
sure the town survived.”
St. Pat’s and
St. William’s
to hold VBS
St. Patrick’s and St.
William’s Catholic churches
will hold a vacation bible
school from Monday, June 23
- Friday June 27. Classes will
be held at the St. Patrick’s
Parish Hall in Heppner and will
run from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
with Mass at noon.
The theme for this year
will be: Treasures of the Nile-
On E x p ed itio n to Jesus.
“Beginning each day at the
N ile R iver L anding, our
Expedition Team will venture
forth to unearth the real
treasure hidden in awesome
Bible stories, which took place
in that land,” said a news
release. “In every story, kids
will discover that God was
preparing for the coming o f
Jesus, the greatest treasure of
all. T h ro u g h h an d s-o n
activities (including Chariots of
Fun, Pharaoh’s Phood court,
the Craft Bazaar and more),
they’ll uncover great truths
about the way God works.”
The adventure will also include
m usic and m a sco t hand
puppets.
Children in preschool
through eighth grade are
w elcom e to atten d . P re
registration is suggested. Call
Kathy Cutsforth, 676-5064,
to re g is te r o r fo r m ore
information. There is no charge
for children to attend.
Write-in winners announced
Write-in winners of the
May 20 special election have
been released by the Morrow
County C le rk ’s O ffice in
H eppner. W inners are as
follows:
B o ard m an -lrrig o n
C o m m u n ity
E d u catio n
Committee Position #2, four-
years-no winner. No candidate
filed for the position and none
o f the w rite-in candidates
acc ep ted the p o sitio n .
T w en ty -fo u r
w rite-in
candidates had one vote each
and six write-in candidates
had two votes. The school
district w ill therefore appoint
someone to the position.
No one filed for the
following positions, but the
following write-in candidates
have agreed to serve.
B o ard m an -lrrig o n
C o m m u n ity E d u catio n
Committee Position #4, two
years-Kellye Rene Finch (two
votes), Boardman. Thirteen
people received one write-in
vote each and nine people
received two write-in votes.
B o ard m an -lrrig o n
C o m m u n ity E d u catio n
Committee Position #5, four
years-Glena Hoftfnan, Irrigon.
Fifteen people received one
w rite-in vote each, three
received two write-in votes
and two received three votes
each.
lo n e C om m unity
Education Committee Position
#5, four years-Glenda Taylor,
lone (10 votes). Eighteen
people received one vote
each, one received two votes.
two received three votes, one
received four votes and one
received 10 votes.
lo n e C om m unity
Education Committee Position
# 6, two years-Robert Darrin
Padberg, lone (four votes).
Eighteen people received one
vote, four received two votes,
one received three votes and
one received four.
Heppner C omm unity
Education Committee Position
#3, four years-Clarissa Jane
“CJ” Johnson, Heppner (three
votes). Eighteen people
received one vote, three
received two and one received
three votes.
Heppner Community
Education Committee Position
#5, four-years-Marcia Kemp,
L ex in g to n (one v o te).
Seventeen people received
one vote, and two received
two votes.
Heppner Community
Education Committee Position
#6, fo u r-y e a rs-R ic h a rd
Tem ple, L exington (tw o
v o te s). T h irteen people
received one vote and one
received two votes.
Results for candidates
on the ballot are as follows:
Boardman-lrrigon Community
Education Committee Position
#6, four y ears-E lizab eth
W heeler, 445 votes; lone
C om m u n ity E ducation
Committee Position # 1, four
years-Anita Orem, 347 votes;
and lo n e C om m unity
Education Committee Position
#4, four years-Sarah Carlson,
314 votes.
Pioneer Memorial Physical
Therapy sees staffing changes
P ioneer M em orial
Physical Therapy has had
some staffing changes over the
last few months including some
losses and some additions.
“The greatest loss was the
retirin g o f Judy D urkee-
Norris,” says Allan Smith,
physical therapist. “We miss
Judy, and appreciate the years
of selfless service she provided
to our com pany and the
people o f Heppner. and would
like to wish her well with her
new career goals.”
The additions include
Melody Sanchez who is a
physical therapist assistant
(PTA). She graduated from
Hermiston High School and
earned her PTA degree from
Mt. Hood Community College
in Gresham. She has been
working for Hermiston for
nearly three years as a physical
therapist assistant at Good
S h ep h erd
C om m unity
Hospital. The new physical
th e ra p is t aide is Em ily
Southworth. She moved here
last year with her family from
O reg o n C ity. S hanna
Rietmann has begun working
during the evening hours for the
fitness center. Shari Stahl also
helps with the fitness center
between em ergency room
visits.
Starting in July, Brian
McQuinn, a physical therapist
assistant, will be new on
board. He is from Pendleton
and recently graduated from
M ount Hood Com m unity
College. He will be working a
few days a w eek at the
Pendleton clinic and the
remainder of the week he will
be seeing home health patients
for Pioneer Home Health.
During the month of
October, Pioneer Memorial
Physical Therapy will also be
having a physical therapy
graduate student from Pacific
University to help with patient
care.
Lori Lytle continues to
work at PMPT and is the site
liaison for the billing company.
She has also taken on some
additional responsibility by
working in the Hermiston
Office.
A llan S m ith and
Melody Sanchez now cover
the Heppner clinic with hours
as follows. Sanchez works
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday. Smith
w orks from 9 a.m . until
patients are done being seen
on Tuesday and Thursday.
“And yes, 1 still plan on helping
with the football team in the
fa ll,” adds S m ith. “ Go
Mustangs.”
Cardinal
Booster Club
meets
The Cardinal Booster
Club met Monday, June 9, at
the lone High School library.
The tennis team expressed
appreciation to the club for the
refreshments provided for
district and state competitions.
Track coach, Del LaRue, also
expressed appreciation for
donations to the district and
state track teams.
The club approved a
donation o f $100 to the
Burright family for expenses
incurred as their daughter
C am ie receiv es m edical
treatment. All supplies left over
from the fund raising dinner
were given to the club.
LaRue has notified
H arold R ietm ann o f the
changes to the trophy case,
from one case eight feet long
to two at five feet. Rietmann
will work on the case as time
allows.
D ean R obinson,
LaRue, Dennis Stefani and
Charity McElligott will make
d ecisio n s reg a rd in g the
equipment storage building
and report back to the club.
The ta x -e x em p t
process is nearing completion,
with the final application form
in the mail.
K ari M organ is
organizing the Deschutes raft
trip. The trip is tentatively
scheduled for the end o f
August. Organizers will meet
in June to discuss the details.
M elissa LaR ue is
seeking a second term on the
lone Site C o u n cil. Joe
Rietmann and Penny Krebs
are also in terested. Two
positions will be voted on at
the September community
meeting.
It was suggested that
the money generated from the
b o y s ’ sum m er league
tournament be donated to the
track project.
Pepsi will be providing
new scoreboards for the gym.
The old boards will go in the
new grade school gym. Pepsi
will also provide pop and juice
dispensers in the new teachers'
room, as well as outside the
east high school door. They
plan to eventually replace the
football scoreboard.
The club is planning to
honor players and coaches
from the 1978 and 1979 state
championship football teams
at the fall homecoming game.
LaRue will be notifying
individuals.
The club is ordering
two dozen hats, six stretch and
six adjustable, in both black
and red.
It was announced that
LaRue and his past track teams
will be grand marshals for the
4,h o f July parade.
The next meeting o f
the Cardinal Booster Club will
be Monday, July 7, at 7 p.m.,
at the library.
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Heppner, OR 97836
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