LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
New learning center opens the door to industry child care
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
A new learning center
opened its doors earlier this
month, helping pave the way
for industry-related child
care in Eastern Oregon.
The Boardman Indus-
try Learning Center was
formed through a partner-
ship between Boardman
businesses, Umatilla Mor-
row County Head Start, and
the Morrow County School
District.
The center currently
accepts three children from
employees of each of its
industry partners: Threemile
Canyon Farms, Board-
man Foods, Port of Mor-
row, Lamb Weston and
Tillamook.
“This is new, we haven’t
had partnerships with these
businesses in a way that
blends workforce develop-
ment with early education.
This is a fi rst-time kind of
event,” said executive direc-
tor at UMCHS Maureen
McGrath.
Dan Daltoso, associate
director at UMCHS, said the
project began when employ-
ers in Morrow County heard
from workers that child care
in the area was scarce.
According to a study out
of Oregon State University
earlier this year, just 16% of
children between the ages
of 3 and 5 have access to
regulated care in Morrow
County.
Currently, the BILC has
openings in its pilot class of
up to 20 preschool students
in the 3- to 5-year age range.
The care provided is year-
round and 10 hours a day, at
a rate of $400 a month.
The current maximum
monthly state rate for pre-
school care is $680.
The BILC is able to keep
Staff photo by Jessica Pollard
The Boardman Industry Learning Center is located on 240 N.E. Boardman Ave. in Boardman.
More information
Parents who are interest-
ed in the BILC can go to
www.umchs.com/BILC/
to learn more.
the costs low with support
from the involved busi-
nesses, and from the school
district.
“It’s the only reason we
can provide this high quality
at a rate that is affordable to
parents,” McGrath said.
In recent years, the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce has
held conferences and road-
shows across the nation,
declaring child care and
early education to be indus-
“A day in the life
of a preschooler
is a little bit what
you see at home.”
Suellen Whitlock,
Engagement director, UMCHS
Staff photo by Jessica Pollard
The lights are dim in the Boardman Industry Learning Center
as children take an afternoon nap.
try issues. In 2017, a report
released by the U.S. Cham-
ber of Commerce Founda-
tion cited a study revealing
that 70% of the nonwork-
ing poor with children under
Smith lands committee assignments
mittee, co-chairman of the
joint ways and means sub-
Rep.
Greg
Smith, committee on general gov-
R-Heppner, has been ernment, and co-vice chair
appointed by Speaker of of the joint student success
the House Tina Kotek to committee.
serve on a num-
In addition to
ber of commit-
Smith’s commit-
tees during the 80th
tee assignments,
Legislative Assem-
he has also been
bly, including as
appointed
by
co-vice chairman of
House Republican
the joint ways and
Leader Carl Wil-
means committee.
son to continue to
Some of the
Smith
serve as the Cau-
other
committees
cus Budget Chair.
Smith has been appointed
“I am honored to have
to include House commit- been appointed to these
tee on revenue, joint leg- positions by my colleagues
islative audit committee, and look forward to the
joint tax expenditures com- opportunity to continue to
HERMISTON HERALD
serve in a leadership capac-
ity,” Smith said. “These
committee appointments
will allow me to continue
to bring House District 57’s
voice to the table as I work
with my colleagues to craft
solutions to the issues fac-
ing our great state.”
Smith will also serve
on the Oregon Legisla-
ture’s Emergency Board,
a bicameral and bipartisan
committee that functions
during the time that the
legislature is not in session.
“I am honored to have
the opportunity to serve on
the Emergency Board once
again,” Smith said. “I look
forward to working with
my colleagues to ensure
state agencies remain
funded, the state bud-
get remains balanced, and
tax dollars of hard-work-
ing Oregonians are spent
wisely.”
The Emergency Board
allocates emergency funds,
increases expenditure lim-
itations, authorizes trans-
fers, receives reports, and
approves submissions of
federal grant applications.
The 2019 legislative
session wrapped up Sun-
day after protesting Sen-
ate Republicans returned to
the Capitol on Saturday to
fi nish passing bills after a
walkout.
age 5 cited “taking care of
home/family” as their rea-
son for not working.
And while some com-
panies have child care or
assistance available to their
employees, like Nike, Intel
Panda Express
coming to Hermiston
HERMISTON HERALD
Hermiston’s fast food
offerings are about to expand
with the addition of a Panda
Express.
The “fast casual Chi-
nese” restaurant confi rmed
in a tweet that it is building a
restaurant at 1530 N. First St.
in Hermiston. It is expected
to open in December.
The property just north of
Walmart housed Stockman’s
Steakhouse for several
years, followed by a brief
period as Indian Kitchen and
Steakhouse, an Indian buffet
that also offered more Amer-
ican fare.
Hermiston School District pays off all pre-2008 bonds
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
Hermiston residents will
see a tax break after Herm-
iston School District made
a fi nal payment toward all
bond debt incurred prior to
2008 last month.
The district expects
school bond property tax
rates to decrease by an esti-
mated 40 cents per $1,000
of assessed value for area
homeowners. Its general
fund property tax will stay
at $4.87 per $1,000.
“I think obviously this
isn’t something that hap-
pened overnight. It’s the
result of the district taking
fi nancial responsibility very
seriously,” Superintendent
Tricia Mooney said.
In 1999, $39.9 million
in bonds were approved to
fund expansions and remod-
eling. In 2004, the district
refi nanced the bonds to
shave off almost $1.6 mil-
lion dollars for taxpayers
and lower the interest rate.
Not all of the district’s
bonds were paid off —
another bond for $69.9 mil-
lion which was approved in
2008 helped to replace West
Park and Sunset elementary
schools and Armand Larive
Middle School. The pay-off
dates for those bonds are
June 2026 and June 2029.
Voters rejected a bid
for a $104 million bond in
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2017 that would have built
a new elementary school
off Theater Lane, replaced
Highland Hills and Rocky
Heights elementary schools
with new buildings and
expanded the high school.
The district’s Facility Plan-
ning Committee has been
studying options for smaller
bonds.
“Our elementary schools,
middle schools, and Herm-
iston High School have con-
tinued to see rapid growth in
the number of students we
serve, and we expect this
growth to continue into the
future,” Mooney said.
She stated that bond
funding has allowed the
school district to address the
need for increasing capacity.
“We take seriously our
fi nancial obligations to
pay bonds off on-time and
clear debt off our books,”
Mooney said in a statement.
“Thank you to the voters
who have supported our
students and school district
over the years.”
and Microsoft, others don’t.
This spring, Bloomberg
reported hundreds of work-
ing moms at Amazon began
advocating for their work-
place to provide backup day
care by collecting anecdotal
evidence to show that lack
of care has caused some
women to miss out on high-
level jobs. Some women,
advocates stated, are even
moving on to companies
with more parent-friendly
policies.
Ryan Neal, manager at
the Port of Morrow, said he
has noticed an increase of
dual-income families in the
Boardman area.
“It’s all about employee
retention and recruitment
for industries and mak-
ing sure we are able to pro-
vide the workforce needed
with continuous growth,”
Neal said, “We’re just here
to help support that effort
and try to make it as best as
possible.”
Parents enrolling their
children in BILC can expect
an emphasis on social,
emotional, and academic
skill-building through activ-
ities like family-style eating,
play, counting, and vocabu-
lary building.
“A day in the life of a
preschooler is a little bit
what you see at home,”
said Suellen Whitlock, fam-
ily engagement director at
UMCHS. “Being kindergar-
ten ready is not just being
able to write your name.”
The BILC pilot will last
three years, and organiz-
ers hope to eventually see it
expand.
“There is quality learning
from the moment they step
through the doors,” Whit-
lock said.“It’s such a cool
opportunity. I really think
Boardman is doing some-
thing special.”
Currently the nearest
Panda Express to Hermis-
ton is in Kennewick. The
fi rst Panda Express opened
in Glendale, California, in
1983.
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