Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2011)
11 1 1 1 1 1H 1 11 > I ■ • • 11 1 11 111 1 11 I • 11 Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403 Smith sees school consolidation ‘coming down the tracks’ Four-county school district discussed By David Sykes S tate R ep resen tative Greg Smith told a gathered crowd Saturday morning he sees an effort to consolidate school districts VOL. 130 NO. 9 8 Pages Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Daly family named grand marshals for St. Patrick’s Celebration Grand Marshals for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration are the Charlie Daly Family. Though Daly has lived and worked in Morrow County or the past 81 years, his Irish roots run deep. Charlie’s parents, Jim Daly and Kate McDe- vitt, both came to America from Ireland. Jim was bom in the town o f Grannard, County Longford, and im migrated to the U.S^ in 1907. He had been living in New York for three years work ing as a street car conductor when he met John Kenny from Heppner. Jim quit his job in 1910 and came with Kenny to Heppner where he worked for John Kilkenny on his Sand Hollow Ranch. In 1917 Jim went into the army as a machine gunner during World War I and was discharged in 1919 with the rank of sergeant. Kate was born in Ireland in the town of Tem- plemoyle. County Donegal, in 1891. She came to Or egon, along with her sister Bridgett, in 1910. Her two brothers, Charlie and Pat McDevitt had already im migrated to Oregon. An other sister, Sarah, came to Oregon later. Jim and Kate were married on November 11, 1919, in Pendleton. Though Charlie and Yvonne Daly Jim had a homestead in Newman County when they married, the couple lived on the Kilkenny Ranch on Little Butter Creek (now the Currin Ranch), where Kate cooked for the hired men and Jim farmed and worked in lambing. They moved onto their homestead in the fall of 1920 and purchased more property (Gleason Butte) and built up a small band of sheep and cows. Jim and Kate had four children: Mary, Patty, Kathlene, and Charlie. In 1936 Jim sold their New man Canyon property to down the tracks” this leg islative session, but doesn’t see enough rural legislators in Salem to stop it. Smith held a “meet and greet” session at the Stable of Youth Restaurant in Heppner where he laid out what is coming up in this session of the Oregon Legislature. Smith is start ing his sixth consecutive term as District 57 repre sentative. “ Budget, budget, b u d g et,” he responded Rep. Greg Smith (right) talks with (left to right) Larry Mills, when asked the three most Jerry Healy, Les Paustian, Suzanne Jepsen and Jerry Breazeale in Heppner Saturday. Smith held a meet and greet to talk to important things on the constituents about the upcoming legislative session. -Contrib agenda this session. Smith uted Photo said because of an expected $350 million plus reduction Smith is the ranking member on the pow in school funding this session, there is a erful Ways and Means Budget Committee. lot of talk about cost cutting, and what He is also the co-chair of the subcommittee Smith sees coming may not be good for on transportation and economic develop rural Oregon. ment, and he warned constituents that he “Portland doesn’t think we need was going to have to make tough vote to have this many districts out here,” choices this session. “Some of you are not Smith said of the attitude of the ftrban going to like the way I vote, but there are legislators. He said both Democrat and going to be lots of tough choices made this Republican leaders support consolidation session,” he said. “I think you are going to of districts and “There just aren’t enough find out who your leaders are and who your rural legislators to throw ourselves in politicians are,” he added. “There are going to be program front of this train to stop it.” He said urban legislators do not understand the culture cuts,” he said. He said public employees are of small towns, where residents identify going to have to start contributing to their with their school and school district more pension, health care and other programs. He said he hopes Oregon does not have so than in large cities like Portland. Smith said there is talk of con the same type of labor unrest as Wisconsin solidating so each county has only one is going through. “But we have to balance school district, and others are even talking the budget,” he said. “All sides are going of regional school districts which might to have to come to the negotiating table.” include Wheeler, Gilliam, Morrow, and He also sa;d in order to get things done and Umatilla counties into one school district. solve the state’s problems the legislature “Does this mean the legislature could undo is going to have to work in a bipartisan all that lone has done there?” someone in manner. Below is a breakdown of the pro the audience asked. “That is a very real posed Oregon general fund budget and how possibility,” Smith said. He also said there is talk of con it is spent. Last term’s budget was $ 14.234 solidating educational service districts billion. Amounts below are in millions. (ESD s), which provide Expenditures services to school districts on a regional basis, and Total: $14,550 Million there is a bill that would Community let large districts opt out Hgher Colleges Education of paying into ESDs which $446 $924 Smith said would probably 3% Public 6 % Safety/Judlcial kill off some of the weaker $ 2.401 ones. 17% Sm ith said that cutting school transporta School tion funding has also been State Funding discussed as the urban leg $ 5.557 38 % islators do not understand Human why small districts in East Services Natural $ 3,795 ern Oregon need so much Resources 26 % money for bussing. “They $316 All Other Economic & just don’t understand the 2 % $408 Comm. Dev distances out here,” he 3 % $190 said. 1 % The Oregon house -See SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION/PAGE is split this session between SIX 30 Republicans and 30 Democrats and Hugh Currin. They pur chased the Olie Neil prop erty on Little Butter Creek and also did a land trade with Charlie Bartholomew and Ralph Thompson with their Gleason Butte land. This was all done during a time where many plaqes were being foreclosed on, so the Dalys were able to purchase and pay off their property in three years. The Dalys had their small band of sheep, milk cows (sold the cream), and The lone School turkeys that they sold at Board, at their regular meet -See ST. PAT S GRAND ing Feb. 22, unanimously MARSHAL/Page SIX and enthusiastically ap proved a contract with In termountain Educational Service District (formerly Umatilla-Morrow ESD) for educational and administra tive services and approved extending the district’s con tract with current Principal Blue Mountain Commu Jerry Archer. nity College in Pendleton, The board’s con Eastern Oregon University tra c t w ith A rch er was in LaGrande, Treasure Val $77,000 per year from July ley Community College in 1,2010-June 30, 2011 with Ontario and six Eastern Or a salary increase in sub egon high schools that elect sequent years at the same to opt in to the program. rate as the negotiated agree Mulvihill told the ment for licensed district lone board that the plan employees (teachers). The would require districts to principal is required to employ some teachers with work 220 work days a year -See EASTERN PROM- with four paid holidays. ISE/Page SIX The board also of lone School Board approves contract with principal, ESD lone School Board votes to join innovative pilot program Plan would result in sweeping changes for some Eastern Oregon high schools The lone School B oard, at th eir regular meeting on Feb. 22, voted unanimously to join a pi lot program proposed by Intermountain Education Service District (formerly U m atilla-M orrow ESD) Superintendent Mark Mu1- vhill, who is also superin tendent of the lone School District. In agreeing to join the pilot program, termed “The Eastern Prom ise,” lone will get in on the ground floor of a bold and in n o v ativ e plan w hich would allow high school students to earn college credits while they are still in high school. The plan would create a consortium which would include In termountain ESD, based in Pendleton, but providing services to many school districts in Eastern Oregon, ficially approved a previ ous year’s contract with UMESD in the amount of $37,156 which had not been ratified earlier. The breakdow n of the 2010-11 ISD contract with UMESD is as follows: $26,393-busi- ness services; $6,150-hu man resources services; $4 ,613-board secretary services; $13,196.50-busi ness. Also at the meeting, UMESD Superintendent Mark Mulvihill detailed a proposal “Eastern Promise" which would enable high school students to obtain college credits while still in high school. (See story, front page.)The ISD Board unanimously opted to join the pilot program. In other business, the board: -a p p r o v e d th e 2011-12 district budget calendar as follows: March 24-publish first notice of budget committee meet ing; April 7-publish second notice; April 12-budget committee meeting, elect officers, present budget message and document and hear citizen input, 7 p.m.; May 24-final meeting target date for budget approval by budget committee; June 22-publication of notice of budget hearing and sum mary of budget and funds; June 28-budget hearing, 5 p.m., regular board meet ing; adopt budget, make ap propriations and levy tax. - a p p r o v e d t he 2011-12 intermount ain ESD local service plan. -See IONE SCHOOL BOARD/Page SIX Compromise reached on renaming Squaw Butte An apparent com promise has been reached with the Umatilla Indian Tribes on the renaming of Squaw Butte in Morrow County. The T rib es had originally wanted to te- name the landmark “Sisu” (translation: smelly) Butte. It was originally put forth to be renamed Immigrant Butte, and then landowners in the area suggested Lone Butte. It looks like every thing has been worked out to rename the butte “Lone Butte,” except the renam ing apparently has to be approved by the Morrow County Court, then by the Oregon Geographic Names Board. A ll the Squaw name landmarks are being renamed, as Squaw is ap parently an offensive name to American Indians. Lone B u tte is located along Immigrant Lane about 11 miles north of lone. N A PA F B - 7 E r 4 0 % OFF |M S FILTER & TOOL. SALE MARCH TI LI - 13TH 20II TO O LS A N D EQ U IP M EN T TO SAVE O N A IR C O M P R E S S O R S • B A T T E R Y C H A R G E R S • H A N D T O O L S • L I F T I N G E Q U I P M E N T • A I R T O O L S • T IR E H A R D W A R E • S A F E T Y E Q U IP M E N T • S E R V IC E T O O L S • S H O P VAC • S P E C IA L T Y T O O L S • W E L D I N G • V IS E G R I P S • M U C H M U C H M O R E ! 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