Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

Dear Editor,

I was appalled when I read the recent guest editorial by a fellow budget committee member regarding the local option ("The local option is a bad option," Lon Kellstrom, The Nugget, October 11, page 2).

I have served on the budget committee for the past three years and I am compelled to point out several glaring errors and misleading statements that were made:

1. The statement regarding higher labor costs implied that "already fairly paid' employees would get raises. There has never been any discussion of using the funds for pay raises. It is to hire more teachers to reduce class sizes. Education is a service industry; of course labor is going to be the highest expense.

2. The school district's growing tax base no longer has any effect on the amount of operating funds the district receives. All operating taxes go to Salem and Salem decides how much to pay the district on a per student basis. It's that simple; no local control or benefit exists from growth.

3. While "logic" dictates that we "must" have some textbooks, our dwindling budget from Salem has dictated that there has not been enough money to purchase new text books. The majority of (textbooks) are outdated and falling apart. Some classes have no textbooks or not enough for students to take home to do homework. This fact was reported to the budget committee.

I was surprised at the accusation of "failing to implement all the alternatives." The district and community have been very resourceful keeping the district operating under the current budget environment. All sane alternatives have been examined.

Unfortunately, these and other items render the (guest) editorial misleading and inaccurate. Remember, all of the local option funds will stay here and away from Salem. Please, make sure your decision is based on correct information.

Respectfully,

Darren Layne

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To the Editor:

Thank you for printing Lon Kellstrom's opinion piece. I agree with him.

When I grew up, the average size class in my area, K-12, was 32 students. A small class was 25.

The teachers complained, but we got an excellent education in the basics of reading, writing and math. Plus we learned a lot more about history and science than I find in the heads of young people I speak with today.

Why did we succeed? Because there was order and respect in the classroom.

I even have a learning disability that was not diagnosed until I was twenty-eight. In spite of that I succeeded in school and used that basic education to succeed in my professional life.

Our schools aren't suffering from a lack of money but a lack of respect for teachers and one another.

That's is why I'm not voting for the school local option levy and I am voting for George W. Bush.

Jean Nave

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To the Editor:

As the principal of Sisters Middle School, I urge voters in the district to become educated about both our bond issues and to vote.

However, I write this letter as the parent of a sixth-grade daughter who attends Sisters Middle School.

My daughter is blessed this year with talented and dedicated teachers, a wonderful support staff and a caring community. However, the physical structure of the school itself is woefully inadequate.

The library is smaller than a regular-sized classroom. If the weather doesn't allow eating outside, my daughter must sit on the floor or in the gym bleachers because there isn't room in the multipurpose room for enough tables.

The playing field on the grounds is so small, it's suitable for only U6 and U8 soccer games. One of my daughter's teachers must travel from room to room to teach classes because there are no empty rooms. Some voters have spoken of remodeling or repairs, but there's no space available for significant additions.

We sometimes hear the middle school years referred to as the "forgotten years" because the students don't have the "appeal" of small children or the high visibility of high school students. I hope the voters of the district will show my daughter and all the students that they are not forgotten.

Vote "yes" and "yes" for the Sisters School District's bond measures.

Sincerely,

Lora Nordquist

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To the Editor:

As Sisters' voters calculate the tax cost of the local option and bond, I think they should remember that the IRS and Oregon Department of Revenue will pay a significant portion of those costs.

Because property taxes are deductible on your individual tax return, a head of household with more than about $35,000 in adjusted gross income will have 28 percent of their property taxes "paid" by the IRS and another 9 percent "paid" by the Oregon Department of Revenue. The property owner pays only 63 percent!

Of course, everybody's tax situation varies. The fact remains -- we can let the IRS and ODR help us provide first rate schools for our children.

Jeff Smith

Editor's note: Jeff Smith is a member of the Sisters School Board.

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To the Editor:

Attention skateboarders and scooter riders: It seems to me that you have forgotten that it is a privilege to skate on my property, not a right.

When you first asked to skate here you were given three simple rules:

1. No swearing.

2. Keep your trash picked up.

3. Stay in the alley away from cars and pedestrians. Occasionally you would have to be reminded of these rules, but as a general rule, you did great.

I enjoyed having and watching you and your parents did also. I know because they have complimented me for it.

I respected your need to have a place to skate and was glad to give it to you. I furnished you with countless bandages for cuts, numerous cups with water to those who had no money to purchase a cold drink on a hot day.

And allowed you to use my phone to call your friends and parents.

I, however, did not get in return the same respect.

Some of you stole merchandise from my store, painted on my dumpster, purposely broke glass bottles, smashed pumpkins, and customers have been yelled at, told not to park in your way, told to move and then when they tried to leave you stood in their way and stared at them.

This behavior is unacceptable.

So it is with great sadness that I will not allow you skating privileges on my property. Sorry but you can only blame yourselves.

A couple of you have asked me to help S.O.A.R. build you the facility you deserve. I have set up a donation box in my store and have started it with $20 with more donations to follow.

Good Luck,

Melvin Herburger, The Harvest Basket

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