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The INDEPENDENT, February 21, 2001
INDEPENDENT
V/oV, Mow T/MCS
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice
monthly, on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge
Street, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Edi
tors and Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax:
503-429-9410, e-mail: noni@vernonia.com
Opinion
Education is goal of
47J board candidates
Endorsements are difficult when there is more than
one good candidate for a particular position; this year’s
Vernonia School District election reinforces that situa
tion. Nevertheless, for what may the only time it will
ever happen in this Opinion column, The IN D EPEN
D E N T recommends returning all of the incumbents to
the school board. There are many reasons for this rec
ommendation; here are some of them:
Having watched the district’s board of directors for
over fifteen years, it is a pleasure to see how profes
sionalism, for lack of a better word, has come to bear
in many areas. Board members now arrive at meetings
prepared. They have studied the issues on the agen
da and they avoid making snap judgements of issues
that may come before them without prior considera
tion. In other words, they have eliminated “knee-jerk”
reactions.
Instead of just carping, or blaming the administration
or staff, the board has been willing to make changes in
policies and procedures when changes are needed. In
addition to monthly board meetings, they attend
monthly workshops in order to improve their “boards-
manship” and they all attend the annual school board
convention, taking different workshops in order to
share the knowledge gained.
If this happened before, it was more than 15 years
ago.
Position 1 — This one is a slam-dunk: When it
comes to educational issues, Schann Nelson may be
the most knowledgeable board member in the county.
She understands the Education Act for the 21st Cen
tury, CIM and CAM, federal forest payments inside and
outside the formula, problems of declining enrollment,
equity funfding, unequal ESD funding and much more.
As a dedicated school volunteer, she also has been in
volved in more facets of local schools than many of the
staff members.
Position 4 — Leslie O’Leary’s outstanding experi
ence and skill at fiscal analysis was a factor in making
her the top choice among 10 applicants for an ap
pointment to the board. She also uses that analytical
ability for non-fiscal considerations.
Position 5 — Cari Levenseller, another appointee,
has brought some youthful enthusiasm to the board,
but don’t confuse her enthusiasm with cluelessness.
She studies the issues, she talks with staff and par
ents, and she comes to the table prepared.
Position 7 — Jeff Blum has quietly become a leader
on the board, demonstrating patience and balance as
chairman, and his construction background will prove
valuable as the new long-range plan gets underway.
It is regrettable that no one from Mist or Birkenfeld
applied for appointment to one of the three openings
last fail. The people who were appointed have worked
hard to earn their position. They deserve to stay on the
board and they won’t ignore the needs of any part of
the district.
There is a lot of work to be done in other areas and
it would be good to see someone from the Mist area
get involved in the long-range planning that is starting.
B y Rep. Elaine M. Hopson
Second District
Good programs continue to come forth in re
gard to schools. For example, the Oregon His
torical Society wants to work with the Depart
ment of Education to provide historical informa
tion and opportunities for all children in the state,
particularly those in the rural areas. The bill
passed out of the Education Committee al
though funding will (as usual) be a problem.
Programs to promote after school activities
are coming forward including one to fund pro
grams sponsored by the Boys and Girls Clubs of
America. Although a wonderful program, my
concern is that this limits the flexibility of com
munities without formal Boys and Girls Clubs to
access the funding. Other bills with more flexi
bility are also coming through the system.
In Forestry and Agriculture, we passed a bill
out that would lift some restrictions on govern
mental bodies using pesticides on other govern
mental land. In addition, a professor from OSU
presented extensive information on biotechnolo
gy issues in regard to agricultural products. Al
though we have been using science to modify
and improve agricultural products for years, new
science greatly expands the opportunity for in
creased quality and quantity of production.
Measure 7 continues to lurk in the back
ground even after the release of the Attorney
General’s opinion. There continues to be such
confusion that it is unclear whether or not the
legislature will even attempt to address some of
the controversy this session. Twenty lawyers
spent three months writing more than a hundred
pages in an effort to clarify the issues raised and
there are still more questions than answers.
47J School Board candidates
From page 1
More community participa
tion is needed at school board
meetings, Jones says, though
he has seldom attended the
meetings. He has no volunteer
experience in the school dis
trict.
Leslie
O’Leary
Pos. 4
Incumbent
Personal:
Aee 39
Married
one child
Education:
B.S. in Economics, with minor
in accounting.
Occupation/Background:
Bookkeeper for Gwin Logging;
prior, Financial Director for City
of Vernonia, budget manager
for $40 million biotech compa
ny,
Training/Documentation
Specialst for accounting soft
ware company
With a diverse business
background, an awareness of
school district issues, and a
commitment to education,
O’Leary wants to “help the
cause.”
The strong sense of commu
nity and school spirit among
staff and students is one of the
district’s strengths, O’Leary
says, as well as the difficulty of
a student getting lost in a small
district. She feels the district
needs to seek more public in
put and participation to elimi
nate communication problems.
It is the role of board mem
bers to establish policy and set
goals, O’Leary says, and those
goals should include smaller
classes in primary grades. She
would also like to see the dis
trict pursue non-traditional
funding sources.
O’Leary volunteers at Lin
coln School one day each
week. In the past, she voluntar
ily put her skills to work helping
district staff on accounting is
sues.
Randy
Hansen
Pos. 4
Personal:
Age 42
Married to
a teacher
2 children
Education:
A.S in Forest Engineering
Occupation/Backg rou nd:
Longview Fibre Company
since 1978
A school board member
needs to make sure both tax
payers and students get the
most for their investment of
time and money, Hansen says.
Also children’s attitudes about
education need to be improved
and taxpayers should be invit
ed to feel good about being
partners in the education
process.
Please see page 8