Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- SEVEN
GILLIAM BISBEE Boardman housing project could add 150
new students
-Continued from PAGE ONE
sioner Don Russell. “This
takes a negative asset from
the county.” He said finding
another tenant when Com-
munity Counseling leaves
is unlikely, and that “the
CCS lease doesn’t cover the
costs. I like this idea a lot,”
he added. Heppner Mayor
Cody High, who was in
attendance at the meeting,
also praised the idea. “I am
very much in favor of this
idea as opposed to a parking
lot or a run-down building,”
he said. Cutsforth estimated
the project would be com-
pleted in 2019.
In other business at the
meeting the commission
voted to award bids for
public works lubricants to
Hattenhauer Energy from
The Dalles, and aviation,
diesel and unleaded fuel
to Devin Oil. The com-
mission also awarded a bid
on work at the Lexington
Airport to Pioneer Asphalt
for $199,156. It will be for
an apron construction and
reconfiguration project. The
project will be paid for with
grants to the county. Russell
asked if the sheriff’s depart-
ment could shift next year
from premium unleaded to
regular unleaded. The move
would the save the county
about 10 cents a gallon, or
$6,000, on the 60,000 gal-
lons the department uses
each year.
The commission voted
unanimously to continue
hiring Dean Robinson as
the county fire consultant.
Robinson received high
marks from Parks Supervi-
sor Greg Close who said
he does a good job keeping
equipment in operating
condition, reducing fuels
through prescribed burns
and working closely with
local agencies to complete
fire related tasks on the
county’s woodland proper-
ties.
Heppner woman
arrested after
two car crash
A Heppner woman,
Kristi Marie Worden, 36,
was arrested for DUII-
Alcohol, Reckless Driving
and nine counts of Reckless
Endangerment following
a two-vehicle rollover ac-
cident on Highway 74,
about milepost 37, outside
of Lexington, according to
a report from the Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office.
According to MCSO,
Worden was driving a Ford
Explorer with four juveniles
in the car, when it collided
with a Ford pickup driven
by a male subject, with an
adult female and two minor
children passengers in the
pickup.
MCSO said that five
persons were transported
to Pioneer Memorial Hos-
pital in Heppner. MCSO,
Heppner Fire Department,
Heppner Ambulance, Ione
Ambulance and ODOT
responded to the crash.
Worden was lodged at
Umatilla County Jail with
$55,000 bail.
Chess Mates in 18th
season
Pictured top row (L-R): Maya Payne, Claire Lindsay, Jour-
ney Cavan. Middle row (L-R): Isiah Martin, Owen Guerra,
Nicholas Wenberg, Jaime Cavan. Bottom row (L-R): Isabel
Payne, Joe McMasters
By April Sykes
Morrow County School
Superintendent Dirk Dirk-
sen told the Morrow County
School District Board, at
their regular meeting at
Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School
Monday night, that devel-
opers have broken ground
for a 150-unit housing proj-
ect in Boardman.
“This is very exciting,”
said Dirksen, who added
that there is also “talk of a
hundred new homes also
going in.” He estimated
that with 150 new homes,
there could be as many as
150 new children attend-
ing schools in Boardman.
“I hope we don’t have 150
kindergarteners,” he joked.
He said that a teacher will
be added at Windy River El-
ementary and Sam Board-
man Elementary, both in
Boardman, a secondary
teacher will be added for the
district’s online program
and a half-time Spanish
teacher will be added to
the Riverside High School,
Boardman, staff.
Dirksen also touched
on the 77 percent gradua-
tion rate in Morrow County
Schools, which, he said, is
still above the state average.
Dirksen reported that 41
students did not receive a
regular or modified diplo-
ma. “Too many,” he said,
adding however that three
of those had received a
GED, 14 had re-enrolled in
school, three had enrolled
in another school. He noted
that eight of the 21 remain-
ing students had moved out
of state, which, he said, is
difficult or impossible to
track.
The board also dis-
cussed two school calendar
options for the 2018-2019
school year.
Option #1, with 150
student days, has a pre-La-
bor Day start, with students
beginning Monday, August
27, and ending Wednes-
day, June 5. Semester 1
ends January 17. Christmas
break would be December
19 to January 1. Spring
break would be March 25-
29.
Option #2, also with
150 student days, has a
post-Labor Day start, with
students beginning Tues-
day, September 4, and end-
ing Wednesday, June 12.
Chess Mates began its
18 th season in November,
with students from kinder-
garten to sixth grade. This
year the local club joined
the Chess for Success pro-
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Semester 1 ends January
31. Christmas break would
also be December 19 to
January 1 and spring break
would also be March 25-29.
In both options, school
will be held on Fridays
when Monday is a holiday.
The district is considering
building in two make-up
days during semester one
and three make-up days
during semester two, in the
event of inclement weather.
The issue will be de-
cided by a vote of school
employees, rather than tak-
ing input from parents or
students.
In other business, the
board:
-discussed a bond mea-
sure workshop in Salem
attended by MCSD Board
members and administra-
tion, the “ballots and bonds
conference,” especially
important in regard to a
proposed MCSD bond mea-
sure in 2021. The district
has been working with the
DLR Group in the planning
process to prepare for the
measure.
-approved a resolution
to accept no non-resident
students for the school year.
-approved a resolution
accepting and appropriating
unanticipated revenues as
follows: $1,600 from the
Morrow County Cultural
Coalition to The Heppner
Jr./Sr. High School Art and
Culture Club; and $500
each from Kenneth Mat-
lack, Irrigon, to the Irrigon
Jr./Sr. High School girls’
and boys’ basketball teams.
-received the following
financial report: The district
received $6,478,743 in tax-
es in November, $129,751
in December and $29,483
in January, with project-
ed tax revenues as fol-
lows: February-$238,673,
March-$281,318,
April-$24,462, May-
$10,289 and June-$321,457,
for a total of $7,514,176.
Total anticipated rev-
enue for the 2017-18 school
year is $23,981,565, with
a beginning fund balance
of $3,350,672, for total re-
sources of $27,332,237. Of
expenditures, $12,086,924
is estimated for salaries,
with another $7,216,147
estimated for benefits. Total
expenditures are projected
at $25,037,899 for the year.
gram, which is a non-profit
organization serving Or-
egon and Washington. This
organization helps the club
with registration fees for
tournaments and t-shirts.
Chess for Success is cel-
ebrating its 25 th anniversary
this year.
Chess Mates meets
twice a week after school to
-received the follow-
ing enrollment report for
February: A.C. Houghton
Elementary, Irrigon, kin-
dergarten through grade
three-279; Sam Board-
man Elementary, Board-
man, kindergarten through
grade three-348; Heppner
Elementary, kindergarten
through grade six-168; Irri-
gon Elementary, grades four
through six-214; Windy
River Elementary, Board-
man, grades four through
six-249; Heppner Junior/
Senior High School-grades
seven through 12-172; Ir-
rigon Jr./Sr. High School,
grades seven through 12-
356; Riverside Jr./Sr. High
School, Boardman, grades
seven through 12-409;
Morrow Education Cen-
ter-79; total-2,274.
-approved the follow-
ing employment action:
resignations/non-renewals-
Brooke Anderson, RSJSHS
assistant high school soft-
ball coach; Patricia Brown-
WRE head cook, Felicia
Desirey-SBE ed assistant,
Maria Madrigal-SBE ed
assistant, Theresa Proctor-
Reece, RJSHS teacher,
June 8, 2018, Emily Rob-
erts-IJSHS ed assistant,
February 15; employment/
promotions/transfers for
Kyle Aurdahl, WRE prin-
cipal 2018-19, Keli Bither,
WRE ed assistant, Susan
Booher, RJSHS Spanish
teacher, Heather Braun,
SBE ed assistant, Myrtle
Conlon, WRE head cook,
Clair Costello, RJSHS PE
teacher, 2018-19, Andrea
Hamby, ACH Title I teach-
er, 2018-19, Patricia King,
RJSHS special education
teacher, 2018-19, Emily
Roberts, IJSHS ed assis-
tant, Mike Royer, IJSHS/
HJSHS counselor, 2018-19,
G’Ann Thomas, RJSHS
language arts teacher 2018-
19, Lidia Velazquez, SBE
ed assistant, special educa-
tion; extra duty contracts-
Tiffany Locey, IJSHS ju-
nor high assistant girls’
basketball coach, Richard
Moore, RJSHS assistant
high school track coach
and Al Phillips, IJSHS head
junior high school girls’
basketball coach.
-approved the first
reading of rescinded, new
or revised policies on hu-
man sexuality, rescinded
learn how to become better
chess players. They begin
each meeting with a snack
(donated by anonymous
grandparents) and then they
have a chess lesson. Not
only do the students learn
how to play chess, but they
also learn chess etiquette,
patience, strategies and
many other life skills. Ac-
and replaced, and public
complaints.
-adopted rescinded,
new or revised policies on
public comment at board
meetings, communicable
diseases, admission of resi-
dent students, student safety
and public records.
-adopted new, revised
or rescinded administra-
tive rules on discrimina-
tion complaint procedures,
discrimination complaint
forms, administrative stan-
dards, special education,
expanded options program
notification, communicable
disease, public records,
community use of school
buildings and facilities and
use of school facilities ap-
plication.
-received the director
of education services re-
port, administration reports,
senior dates, the Irrigon
schools’ brochure and In-
terMountain ESD “talking
points.” IMESD Superin-
tendent Mark Mulvihill was
on hand to review IMESD’s
partnership with MCSD.
The board approved a reso-
lution accepting the IMESD
local service plan.
-reviewed the audit
RFP timeline.
-approved the OSAA
cooperative sponsorship
for golf with Heppner and
Arlington.
-approved early gradu-
ation requests from two
students.
-approved travel re-
quests from Jeff Searles,
Tri-County Eastern Oregon
Band for a trip planned
for March 2019, and from
Dave Fowler, Heppner TSA
Chapter.
-heard a report from
Irrigon FFA students who
attended the 2017 National
FFA convention.
-approved a resolution
in support of public educa-
tion.
-heard a proclamation
recognizing and thanking
the school board for their
service.
-heard the following
announcements: no school
on Monday, February 19,
for the President’s Day holi-
day; classified employees’
appreciation week March
5-9; next regular board
meeting, Monday, March
12, Heppner Jr./Sr. High
School.
cording to a spokesperson,
the students love playing
chess and are very proud
of how much they have
learned this year.
Chess Mates is always
looking for more volun-
teers. If interested, the club
meets every Monday and
Wednesday until Mar. 16.