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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1963)
SUNDAY, MAY 19, 1963 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON Controversy Over School District Problems Splits Butte Falls BF . . . .a . s i , . j i ... t I- . nt nnucihilitv that COIl MUTUAL FUNDS? INVESTORS MUTUAL, INC. INVESTORS STOCK FUND, INC. INVESTORS INTER CONTINENTAL FUND, LTD, INVESTORS SELECTIVE FUND. INC. INVESTORS VARIABLE PAYMENT FUND, INC. FACE-AMOUNT CERTIFICATES? INVESTORS SYNDICATE OF AMERICA, INC. CALL YOUR (MiwiteKl man He represents INVESTORS Diversified Services, Inc., exclu sive national distributor for the above mutual funds end "installment-type" face-amount certificates. He elso offers life Insurance through INVESTORS Syndicate Life. For prospectus-booklets on any of these mutual funds, or on face-amount certificates, or for Information on life insur ance, call telephone number below. Or clip this complete advertisement, circling services which interest you, and mail It to your INVESTORS Man; , v YOUR ywi men ARE PAUL R. MOORE Dill. Mgr. 1425 Whitman 772-6060 EDW. E. BERRIDGE 755 Stevens, Apt. 15 779-1051 G R. (Dick) TRITES 495 Ray Line, Ashland 482-3396 lwiLllTT3OTLffM:lM:tf-iTfTO (Edilor'i no tat Contro versy has developed in the Butte Falls school district. In an effort to determine the basis and scope of the controversy. Mail Tribune Reporter and Regional Page Editor Cleve Twitchell has been interviewing Butte Falls residents and school officials. His report of the situation follows.) By CLEVE TWITCHELL Mail Tribune Staff Writer Butte Falls - On the cvc ning of March 6 of this year, the board of Butte Fa 111 School District No. 91 voted 5 to 0 not to offer a 1963-64 contract to C. L. Stratton, who for the previous six years had served as principal of the lo cal elementary school. The board's action touched off an eruption that has vir tually split the community. It is a controversy that actually has been smouldering here for some time, with the March 6 decision merely lighting the final fuse. And at present, the hassle in still very much alive. One group of residents is seeking to get Stratton rein stated as elementary school principal for the coming year. A second group supports the school board's decision. Question of Decisions Basically, the issue at stake in Butte Falls is a question of whether the school board and administrators should decide school matters, or whether Ihe voters should decide them. One group feels that once the voters have elected a board, it should be left alone to make decisions as it sees fit. The other group feels the voters should have a more direct say in major school matters. Following the board's de cision March 6 not to reelect 1 Stratton, a number of moves and counter-moves took place First, a hearing was held before the board, at which time those seeking to reinstate Stratton presented a petition demanding that he be offered a 1963-64 contract. The peti tion bore a total of some 250 signatures. Hold Firm to Decision Board members held firm in their original decision, however, contending that many of the signatures were not those of registered voters within the district. The other group admitted that all of the signatures might not be valid but argued that the petition represented the "overwhelm ing sentiments" of the com munity anyway. Subsequently, district su perintendent Charles Cope land and the board asked the Oregon Education Associa tion's Commission on Ethics and Professional Rights and Responsibilities to make an impartial investigation. A subcommittee of the com mission spent April S and 6 at Butte Falls interviewing all who wished to be heard. Following its investiga 1 1 o n, the subcommittee released a report stating, among other things, "The subcommittee found no reason to question the ethics of the board's de termination," and at another point that it believed the board and administration "has acted in what they believed to be the best interests of the school community." Petitions Circulated Next, petitions seeking the recall of two board members, Andrew Hamstra and Duane Burton, were circulated. They were presented to the school board, with sufficient signa tures to put the recall on the ballot. Both men were recalled in an election on May 6, Ham stra by 90 to 81 and Burton by 88 to 83. In the same election, Duane Smeltzer, a candidate supported by those seeking Stratton's reinstatement, de feated Francis E. Poole, school board chairman, 96 to 75, and the school budget was voted down, 97 to 69. Smelt zer will take office July 1. Following the election, the remaining three board mem bers, Poole, Charles Ferguson and Jess Rodgers Jr., named successors to fill the vacancies created by the recall of Ham stra and Burton. Their action was taken in accordance with a recently enacted state law. Appointed to Board Appointed to the board were Mrs. Hannah Dalton, a member of the board in prev ious years, and William L, Harris. Both are sympathetic to the March 6 decision not to reelect Stratton, and so as a result of these appointments, the balance of power remain. ed 4 to 1 in favor of the school administration The other group, which had hoped with the recall move to gain a 3 to 2 majority on the board, was unhappy, if not furious. It felt that the "will of the people" as ex pressed at the election has not been followed. Some members of this group indicated they plan to take the matter to the county school superintendent, oi even the state board of educa tion if necessary. Policy of County Office Alf B. Mekvold, county school superintendent, on. the other hand, said that it is the policy of his office to try to get the parties in a contro versy to get together and work out their own solution. His office wants to avoid step ping in and usurping the pow ers of the local board, he said. Chances for a reconciliation Fiesta Ice (Cireamm is m (E'dDdDHDl The barbecue or patio party becomes a real FESTIVE OCCASION when you serve the favorite of all Ice creams Jorgensens FIESTA. Keep your refrigerator filled for every emer gencyand for every-day enjoyment of your family. There's flavor for every taste. YOUR BACKYARD PARTY WILL BE MORE FUN... 7? if you serve Luscious ICE ClffilEAM This ecluslve nw nutrient NUTRIMIX i$ added to FIESTA ICE CRlnM to oe it added nutrWon and goodnr. So, lor (walih, too, as well as enjoyment, choose Jorc-ensen'i FIESTA ICE CREAM. . Your favorite fountain or grrtr hai It. For Fine Ihtirij Products Ask for 'Jovgemens' TOPS IN TASTE! SALVATION ARMY WEEK -"-ME- between the two sides of the Butte Falls controversy ap pear somewhat remote at pre.ent, however. Each side is determined to win. "The people's will shall pre vail," say members of Strat ton's supporters. "We will never drop the fight." In ad dition to Stratton's reinstate ment they are asking Cope land to resign and the board to appoint two members sym pathetic to the majority vote expressed at the May 6 elec tion. "The only way for this thing to be resolved is for Stratton to leave the com munity," say members of the other side. 'Premeditated Railroad Job' Members of the group seek ing Stratton's reinstate melt contend that his non-reelection was a "premeditated rail road job" planned from the beginning of the school year. To support this contention they offer the testimony of two teachers in the district, who state that they were ap proached by persons shortly after their arrival who at tempted to turn their feelings against the elementary school principal. One of the teachers con tends he was taken aside by the superintendent early in the year and told that all was not well at the grade school because the principal was in compatible with the other teachers. The two teachers also ob jected to what they called a "loyalty oath" which was cir culated at one point following Stratton's non-reelection. The sheet was a form of pledge indicating that those who signed supported the school board and its decision. The teachers complained that this was a damned-if-you-do and damned - if - you - don't proposition, because if a teacher didn't sign, it made it appear that he was against the board, but if he did sign, then such action indicated he fa vored the board's decision on Stratton. Sup erintendent Copeland, when asked about the so-called "loyalty oath," confirmed its existence and explained that he drew it up at the re quest of the school board, which wished to determine how the teachers felt about the Stratton situation. Al though no one was obligated to do so, seven of the 10 teach ers in the district (excluding Copeland and Stratton who both also teach) signed the statement supporting the board, the superintendent said. The school board members say the decision not to reelect Stratton as principal was the climax of a series of events over a period of several years. A year ago, Stratton was re tained by a 3 to 2 vote of the board. Get Into Personalities The specific reasons for the action get into the realm of personalities, and some of them must as such remain con fidential, but basically the board contends that the prin cipal was Incompatible with most of the other teachers and that he took school matters to the general public instead of to the school board. "When 12 people can't get along because of one man," remarked board member Hamstra, "you remove the one who is the cause of the trouble, not the other 11." Hamstra was on the board one year before he was re called. When elected in 1962 he actually was supported by the same group now attempt ing to reinstate Stratton. But during his year on the board he changed his mind and in 1963 voted with the other members not to reelect the principal, Hamstra says he changed his mind on his own and was 1 not pressured into it. He says j he did so because he felt Strat ton consistently came to him personally and to other resi dents of the community with complaints about school mat ters instead of taking them to the board as a whole. Stratton on the other hand contends that he spoke of school matters only to a few people, mostly persons who asked about them. "I feci that It is Ihe public's privilege to know what is going on," he said. "Tlic' public doesn't, in my opinion, know enough about school matters. After all. they're paying the bill." The school matters to which both sides refer, revolve pri marily around a question of whether the seventh and eighth grades should attend classes at the grade school or at the high school three blocks away. This year, because of sched uling problems, seventh and eighth graders have attended some classes at each school. The state board of education objected, stating that in effect the district was conducting a six-year high school in two separate buildings without its permission. And so the superintendent and the school board drew up a program for a six-year high school and six-year elemen tary school, voted it into ef fect for the 1963-64 school year and secured the state board's approval. Stratton in the meantime drew up and supported a program to keep the seventh and eighth grades at the elementary school. The board and superinten dent say that Stratton had been warned repeatedly for several years not to take school business to the general public. Stratton, however, contends that prior to his non reelection no one came to him to tell him he was out of line or offer suggestions as to how he could get back into line. The board's view is that it did not fire Stratton but merely did not offer him a new contract. The board has offered to recommend Strat ton for a job In another dis trict as a teacher but not as a supervisor. "I feel we've done everything possible to see that he got fair treatment," said Superintendent Copeland. "The board has a right to hire whom they wish." in the controversy agrees that it isn't doing Butte Falls or its school system any good. Be cause of its small size and relative isolation, the OEA Commission on Ethics sub committee noted, the district already has trouble attracting good teachers and providing a well-rounded edutational pro gram. Some observers foresee the possibility that the current hassle may lead to consolida tion with another district. If the district's proposed 1963-64 budget continues to be voted down, for example -and the pro-Stratton group has indicated it will continue to vote the budget down as a protest move - the school board could find itself forced to operate after July 1 only on those funds not raised through local taxes. According to County Super intendent Mekvold, there is no legal precedent to indicate what would eventually hap- nn In mph ra.sp nut It IS realm OI uu&siuuii-y -"..- definitely believed within the solidation could result. NEVER On a Sunday- . . . but every other night BILLY DARE Lives it up with his terrific Combo! Billy Dare Hotel Medford takes pleasure in presenting the most Unusual Personality ever on our stage "The guy it a dynamo. The longer he stays on stage, the better he likes it. You can almost see him generating energy faster than he can use it. 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