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Attn: Lesli© Larson
UO Library-OMP
1299 University Of Oregon
Eugene OR 97400-1299
PRESORTED STANDARD
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47J shortens school
year by six days
Smiling donor...
Washington Grade School teacher Rachel Camp has a big smile as she finishes donat
ing a pint of blood and the phlebotomist starts to remove the needle. The Red Cross
Blood Drive on Feb. 17 was sponsored by the leadership class at Vernonia High School.
VRFPD board, volunteers set workshop
By Noni Andersen
Following publicity about the
need for volunteer firefighters
who can respond to emergen
cies during weekday hours,
The INDEPENDENT and some
com m unity members asked
why a qualified daytime volun
teer was rejected by the Ver
nonia Volunteer Firefighters As
sociation, when she had been
approved by the fire district.
The question was first asked
at a meeting of the volunteers’
association, then was asked
the following night at a meeting
of the Vernonia fire district
board of directors. There was
no definitive response to the
question at either meeting, but
the community disapproval did
stimulate the board to set a
workshop with the volunteers in
order to open communications
between the two groups.
An example of the lack of
communication: At the volun
teer meeting, Fire Chief Paul
Epler presented a letter asking
for an explanation, in writing, of
the process used in rejecting
the applicant. He was told pub
licly by volunteer president
Ernie Smith that “We will not
give a written response."
The next night, at the board
meeting one of the volunteers
complained, on the record, that
Epler wanted the answers
“right away” and wouldn’t give
them time to respond.
The same night another vol
unteer complained that Epler
hadn’t bought “turnouts" for two
new firefighters, as he was sup
posed to do. Asked when the
request was turned in, the com-
plainer said, “At noon today.”
The volunteers, understand
ably, want to run their organiza
tion without oversight by the
district. The district, on the oth
er hand, must adhere to rules,
regulations and statutes that
have changed considerably
over the years.
Everyone involved has the
best interests of the community
in mind. Nevertheless, board
members need to pay more at
tention to what is going on with
the volunteers: volunteers need
to pay more attention to the le
gal requirements for the district,
instead of complaining when
they don’t get their way.
The workshop will be at 7:00
p.m., Feb. 24 at the fire hall. It
is a public meeting.
With no economic respite in
sight, Vernonia School District
directors shortened the school
year by six days, at their Febru
ary 13 meeting.
Superintendent Mike Fun-
derburg detailed the loss of
$191.2 million from the state
school fund, which resulted in a
shortfall of $289 per student in
the Vernonia school district
since the budget was approved
last June. Deputy Clerk Dawn
Plews projected the deficit at
$263,788 by subtracting previ
ously anticipated revenue from
expenditures budgeted for the
remainder of the 2002-2003
school year.
Funderburg presented the
board with three options to re
solve this year’s deficit, all of
which incorporated a freeze on
district expenditures, including
field trips. Before any expendi
tures are approved, teachers
will have to convince, first, their
principal and then the superin
tendent that the expense is
necessary. Savings of $50,000
to $75,000 could be produced
by the freeze.
Spring sports will not be cut
because salaries for most var
sity coaches have already been
included in monthly payments
for teachers. Coaches have
been informed that there will be
no stipend for junior varsity
coaches, who will have to be
volunteers. The num ber of
games in the spring schedule
was reduced last year and the
savings that would result from
eliminating spring sports is not
justified by the negative impact
it would have on students, Fun
derburg said. Cutting staff or
programs is not a viable option
at this point in the school year,
either.
Two of the three options pre
sented included borrowing from
the district’s own capital proj
ects fund (CPF). This fund is
dedicated to capital projects
such as new buildings. The dis
trict can borrow from this fund
but is required to repay it within
five years. Board members Jim
Krahn and Leslie O ’Leary ex
pressed concerns about repay
ment. O ’Leary was also con
cerned about increasing con
tractual costs with both unions,
but Funderburg explained that
both contracts include clauses
which allow the board to re
open negotiations for financial
reasons. The board may con
sider this action in the future.
All three options included re
ducing the number of days in
the school year. The first two
options cut six and eight days,
bringing savings of $150,000
and $200,000 respectively, and
balanced the budget by bor
rowing from the CPF. The third
option would have cut 10 days
from the school calendar and
made up the entire amount of
the deficit without borrowing
from the CPF.
Funderburg’s recommenda
tion was to cut six days. He
said he was optimistic that bor
rowing could be lim ited to
$50,000- $60,000 and possibly
as little as $40,000. He also re
ported that he met with staff im
mediately following the failure
of Measure 28 to inform them
that it appeared the district
would have to cut days. Mem
bers of both the classified and
certified unions met to develop
a list of days to cut which would
have the least impact on in
struction. Two of the six days
will not affect instruction; one
was scheduled for teacher in-
service training, the other for
parent conferences. The re
mainder will be taken just be
fore or after a holiday.
Please see page 15
Banks School days
also reduced. See
page 12 for details.