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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2003)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, February 20, 2003_______________________________________ Board resists change in ESD service allocations From page 1 Superintendent Funderburg presented the board with the proposed 2003-2004 funding resolution for the Northwest Regional Educational Service District (NWRESD). Superin tendents from all 20 school dis tricts within NWRESD negoti ated the plan. By statute, the resolution must be approved by two-thirds of the district boards representing a majority of the students in the NWRESD, on or before March 1. In the past, Funderburg said, if approval is not received by the deadline, the ESD could develop a budget. However, the law changed last year and no funding will be distributed to any district until a resolution plan is approved. Funderburg said that Beaverton and Hills boro school boards had not ap proved the resolution plan as of Feb. 13. A delegation of super intendents and school board chairm en from across the NWRESD will be appealing to the Hillsboro school board to urge their approval of the reso lution. In prior agreements, Funder burg explained, Beaverton and H illsboro districts have re ceived additional funds from the ESD pool by receiving more dollars per student in transition dollars, in exchange for approv ing smaller districts’ greater use of ESD provided services. It is worth noting that the current disagreement occurs in an en vironm ent where NW RESD funding is rising because of statewide equalization. C ur rently Multnomah ESD, which has slightly fewer students than the NWRESD, receives far more dollars. At issue is the statutory defi nition that sets the mission of ESDs to “assist school districts and the Department of Educa tion in achieving Oregon’s edu cational goals by providing eq uitable, high quality, cost-effec tive and locally responsible ed- (Buds &dBíooms florist and Qifts <Ss Weddings Everyday Arrangements Wire Service Gifts & Plants 503-429-9273 859 Bridge St., Vernonia ucational services at a regional level.” According to Funder burg, Beaverton and Hillsboro want more of the dollars at the expense of services to the smaller districts. Property own ers pay both school district and ESD taxes. Beaverton and Hillsboro residents create rev enue for their school districts. ESD revenue should be spread equitably across the ESD ac cording to the mission of the ESD and Oregon’s educational goals. The resolution plan, devel oped over the last ten months, received consensus from all re gional superintendents. Ac cording to the plan 10 percent of the state school fund (SSF) dollars will be used for NWRESD operations. The re maining 90 percent of SSF will be allocated 75 percent in serv ice credits and 25 percent in core services. The proposal provides service credits to dis tricts based on the percentage of students in the district. Core services provided by the NWRESD include many special education services and support, technology services and support in curriculum and staff development. The Beaver ton and Hillsboro school dis tricts both have easy access to special education services pro vided by the ESD. These large districts are also able to provide technology services, as well as instructional improvement serv ices in curriculum and staff de velopment, within their own dis tricts. Core services are ap proved at $4.7 million for the 2003-2004 school year with the remaining balance, $136,112 divided equally among the four counties. Funderburg urged the board to approve the resolution plan saying, “Our students deserve equitable services." The board unanimously agreed to support the proposed resolution plan as written. Student Reports WGS students told the board about making dream catchers in class with members of the Rattling Thunder Intertribal group. K-6 classes will explore Native American folklore and beliefs over the next two months. Funding for the program is pro vided by Run for the Arts. Junior high students Cody Gwin and Kevin Johnson said that 35% of all students re ceived honors of some kind at the February 11th assembly. Junior high students are work ing to raise money to provide bleachers and picnic tables for their campus. High School public relations representative Sammy Purvee reported that seniors are busy completing their projects, due February 25th. She said that junior Rachael Bentson had re ceived recognition by the Daughter of the American Rev olution. Purvee invited the board to attend student council meetings. In other business the board: Heard a report from Michelle Blum that the Future’s commit tee had sent out 37 question naires to community members asking for information and par ticipation. Appointed Tobie Finzel and Cindy Naillon to the budget committee. Both are previous members of the committee. Haalth Notes ..................................... ........................................................................ ByAudeen Wagner New Clinic Manager Heidi BistruP has been at her job since October and, by now, is verycomfortable ; ;W with ber position as Clinic Manager at Prov- ® : idence Family Medicine-Vernonia. She has been a Providence employee for four years, and this is her first challenge in man agement. Her background includes work at a women’s clinic, billing and surgery coordi- -------------------------- -J nator, and is familiar with the day-to-day f •* workings of a busy clinic. Though her work experience has been in the city, Heidi is fa miliar with country life— she grew up in Gaston. She started work ing in the fields at a very young age and, at 16, left the fields to work at Flavorland in Forest Grove for several summers. Heidi has a BS degree in Physical Education from the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas, and a BA in French from Oregon State Uni versity. She enrolled in a Master’s program at Iowa State, then af ter one year, transferred to Oregon State to continue her studies, where she received her degree in French. She had spent a year in France as a high school exchange student, and is fluent in that language. Her focus at Providence-Vernonia is to “keep things running as smoothly as possible," she says. An early project was to reorganize all the storage and supply areas, to help increase ef ficiency. She is well-trained in clinic operation, from billing to in surance, office procedures and more. Heidi is a single lady, and returned to Gaston after college to share the family home with her brother and mom. She loves gar dening, skiing and world travel, and likes to keep her life busy. It’s obvious that she is sincere when she says, “I don’t like to be bored!” She has ambitious plans and aspirations for Vernonia; plans are underway for a clinic open house, to invite the commu nity to come in, learn more about the clinic and get better ac quainted with office personnel. Welcome, Heidi! Clinic Hours The clinic is open Monday through Friday, with the following schedule: Monday, Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wed., Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please remember that appointments are needed, whether it is for lab work, an injection, physical therapy, or to see a healthcare provider. To make an appointment, call 503-429-9191. 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