Letters to the Editor 02/11/2009

To the Editor:

I'd like to add my 75 cents' worth to the Sisters school levy debate. First I would like to congratulate the school board and the Sisters School District for the fine job they are doing. They are teaching Sisters' children values, particularly which if told "NO," just ignore it and ask someone else again and later.

So when their children ask to go to the movies, to the coast with their boyfriend or girlfriend and are told "No!" the children can just ignore it. Because they can ask again a little while later and maybe the answer will change.

The Nugget recently had articles about two fine groups raising money for the schools and also the school district trying to again get a levy passed after being rejected by voters last November. I guess the school board must think those living in the Sisters School District have unlimited budgets. We can only give so much to other worthy causes before we have to give to our own causes; like insurance, housing, food, transportation costs, medical...

The information for the levy says the costs would be "75 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. For a home with an assessed value of $200,000 the annual tax would be $150." Surprise! According to the levy's own informational flyer a person with property with an assessed value of $300,000 would pay $225. What is your assessed value? Are you one of the lucky $150 properties?

We all are making some hard choices and decisions and have to tighten our belts. Last July my health insurance costs increased $400 a month. We had to make cuts. Let the supporters of the levy donate 75 cents per $1,000 of their property values directly to the schools and the rest of us decide how much and how often we can provide extra cash to all the worthy projects. The school board needs to live by the same values they advocate for the children and realize that "No Means No!"

Dave Kane

s s s

To the Editor:

In the most recent round of Letters to the Editor concerning Sisters Schools Local Option, Jim Anderson makes a statement that warrants further exploration:

He states, "We can never pay enough for education, as long as the administrators continue to use the funds wisely..."

As a fiscal conservative at heart, the question of whether the administrators and staff are using the general school funds wisely is paramount in deciding how I vote for the Sisters Schools Local Option.

I decided to get involved and mine down into the numbers to uncover facts. The most reasonable place to start: Sisters Schools Budget Committee. For the past three years, I have been given the general budget proposal to sift through and decide if my tax dollars are being used wisely.

What I have seen is nothing short of amazing. We are asking our teachers and administrators to accomplish so much with so little. Within a small district like Sisters, economy of scale is not in their favor.

Example: Comparing the duties of an English teacher at a larger high school in a larger district, such as Bend versus his/her counterpart at Sisters High School. The former can prepare for the same content in the same subject for the same grade level daily. The latter must prepare different content for different grade levels and in addition, possibly teach advanced placement courses.

Considering the dropout rate and academic markers are superior to these larger neighboring schools, I would submit that we have some talented folks on board who are extremely efficient with the funds given.

If you have concerns about how our tax dollars are being spent in this district, I urge you to get involved, get informed, and make an educated decision. Renew the Local Option.

Winter Lewis

•••

To the Editor:

Somebody help me out here. Why are we even having this discussion about a school operating bond? Didn't we just defeat this measure last November, less than four months ago? Mike Morgan is exactly right, the school board is being very arrogant to request this money during these difficult economic times. No wonder the American voting public is jaded: do the public officials ever listen to what we say?

Now, most of us want quality education for our children. And most of us take pride in our schools and their accomplishments. However, this is simply not the time to be asking for more money. With any luck the economic situation should be much improved in two, three years and that would be a far better time to be discussing this. Surely it will not work irreparable harm to the students to do without this money for a short period. Besides, quality education ought to be about innovation, resourcefulness and motivation. Not how many tax-payer dollars the schools can get.

It might not sound like a big deal at 75 cents per $1,000 of valuation, but to lots of us on fixed or low incomes this will be one more economic blow in an already bad year. In my case this bond measure translates to about $250 per year, $1,000 for four years. I would love to put that amount of money to some home improvement projects around my place that I keep putting off. But we put them off because we can't afford them.

Maybe the schools should think about doing the same.

Harold (Hal) Nichols

•••

To the Editor:

The biggest reason my family moved here three-and-a-half years ago was because of the excellent school district. We heard great things about the Sisters schools.

Not only have we been very pleased with the schools and staff in the Sisters School District, we have been amazed by the total community involvement with the students in their music, art, theater, science, cultural and athletic endeavors.

Our young people are being nurtured in Sisters by caring, involved adults. How many of you have attended a concert, a play, an art show or an athletic event and witnessed the wonderful talent that is being molded in the Sisters schools?

We are all blessed with a community that takes pride in jobs well done. The opportunities available to the children of Sisters is incredible and we want it to stay that way. I had a dream of making the Olympic Team when I was younger. Because of supportive teachers and coaches, and the opportunities offered in my school and community, I was able to succeed and realize my dream.

Please consider the renewal of the local option an extremely important measure to pass. This assessment stays the same as it has been for the last eight years. Besides the natural beauty of the area, the school district and all that it offers our youth is what makes Sisters the special place it is.

When we visit bigger cities and see many of our nations' youth hanging out at malls we are grateful that we have the many programs in Sisters that keep our children engaged and learning to be productive human beings. Please help us keep these wonderful programs and educators in place for our children by voting "Yes" for the local option. Thank you to all the supportive people involved in educating our children.

Miki McFadden

•••

To the Editor:

Our great schools are a main attraction for people moving to Sisters.

Why do real estate ads highlight Sisters schools? The reputation of our schools adds to the property value. If our schools become just ordinary, your property will lose a desirable feature.

So a vote for our schools isn't just good for the students and our community, it's an investment in your property.

Let's help protect our property values by investing in our schools. A great education for our children is an investment with a high rate of return benefiting us all. Property values fluctuate, but education will always hold its value.

Please vote to continue the local option levy.

Gary Yoder, Broker, ABR, GRI

RE/MAX Town & Country Realty

•••

To the Editor:

As a parent, past president of the Sisters Chamber of Commerce and an active community member, I would like to share my opinion regarding the Sisters Local School Option.

What does our school system do for us? Our children have smaller class sizes, access to more technology, academic, music and sports programs than other districts. It also lets our children know their education is important to us. The stronger our schools are, the more attractive our community is to new and current families, businesses and investments. It keeps our property values high and maintains our diversity.

Due to the economy, our schools' state funding is being cut back. They truly need the local option funding more than ever. Without it, the school district will not have enough money to maintain its high standards. Remember we are not voting to pay more, we are voting to renew the Option.

Some people feel because they don't have children in the public school system they don't need to support the schools. Please remember, our strong school system is a very important factor to our way of life here. If we allow the quality of our education system to slip, Sisters will change in a very negative way and that will affect us all.

What makes Sisters such a wonderful place to live? I believe it's the strong sense of community, the beautiful views, the recreation and the outstanding schools. Unfortunately, times are tough and many things are changing around us. Let's fight to keep something the same. Let's keep our community the desirable place it has always been. Let's protect one of our most valuable assets - our Sisters School District. Please join me and vote YES on Local Option Levy 9-69.

Michael Robillard

•••

To the Editor

We moved to Sisters 16 years ago, and I have found myself very impressed with the education system in this small town.

I retired from teaching elementary school in California in 1990 having taught primary grades and special education. Very few teachers "retire" completely from being educators and I found a niche at the elementary school as a SMART reader. The staff at this school was, and still is, dedicated to providing the best opportunities for learning to the students.

I went on to work at the High Desert Museum as a volunteer for the science and history programs and watched as many classes from Sisters came to the museum for enrichment programs.

These students made me proud, as they were focused, organized and well-behaved. A few years later I began to work with students from Sisters High School in outdoor education programs such as the IEE. Again these students were on target and totally involved in their study of the environment and/or history.

The school system in this town, and the staff that provides the day to day motivation, planning, and teaching of our young people deserve your support.

You, the citizens of Sisters, have the opportunity to continue having one of the best school districts in the state. I hope you will join me in voting Yes to continue the school option levy.

Norma Funai

•••

To the Editor:

We are one of the many, many families who moved to Sisters in the last several years. We moved to Sisters to live in a great community. Part of a great community is great schools and since we have two middle schoolers this is very important to us.

So far we have been pleased with the school district and especially pleased with the one-on-one attention our kids get from their teachers. They are not anonymous. There is a good plan for their education and teachers continue to find ways to engage them and see that they are progressing and learning. They are challenged and for the most part their educational needs are being met. We are grateful for this.

We are convinced that the extra funding provided by this generous community is a big reason for the quality of the schools. The funding keeps class size down, allows for options for students who need help or challenge or have unique learning styles.

Passing the Sisters School District local option keeps our schools strong and funded. What could be more important? We are in hard economic times and we too have to cut back and do some things differently. Education is not the place to cut back.

Please keep in mind that there are no new taxes here; just a continuation of what we are already paying. I for one hope that the Sisters community will continue to see how this investment in our youth will pay off - they are our future!

We hope you will join us in voting Yes on the local school option.

Dan, Sue, Eli and Maddi Boettner

•••

To the Editor:

In response to the letter from Becki Neal, B-J & Friends, City of Sisters:

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for our oversight concerning the lack of American flags on our city streets on Inauguration Day.

As Commander of the Sisters VFW Post, I take full responsibility in this and it will not happen again. The Chamber of Commerce and Erin Borla did not have anything to do with this as VFW Post 8138 has taken responsibility for the city flag program and is working on replacing flags and adding improvements.

I do appreciate the money that has been donated in the past; it was not anyone's intention to ignore this fact.

Anyone interested in assisting with the setting out and taking down the flags on the scheduled days please contact us and we would love the assistance. 549-6167.

Phillip Gale, Commander VFW Post 8138

•••

To the Editor:

I was surprised to learn that Mayor Kellstrom has appointed a father-son team to the City's Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI). In an earlier workshop the Mayor seemed to oppose such a combination.

While the CCI is probably not the most important committee in the city or even the most important that the Mayor appoints, it is an official body of the City.

It seems to me to be inappropriate to have a father-son pair on such a committee. This in no way should reflect upon the qualifications, intentions, or integrity of the two appointees.  It does however reflect upon the good judgment of the Mayor. His instincts were right the first time.

Bruce Bowen

•••

To the Editor:

Obama's Stimulus Plan: $40 million for abortions outside the USA; $25 million for hiking trails in National Parks; $25 million for White House lawns and remodeling; $40 million for National Endowment of the Arts; $25 billion for Global Warming research; $3 billion for Indian Affairs; $5.8 billion for health care; $2 billion for the Internet; $4.1 billion for ACORN.

These figures I have written down are from listening to several talk shows on Fox News radio in Bend. I have just retired a year ago from working since I was 15. I'm 63 now and feel sorry for all the younger workers and families who are struggling to make ends meet, when 80 percent of this so-called stimulus plan does nothing to help put American workers back to work.

God Bless America -

George J. Paschalson

•••

To the Editor:

The wolf story in last week's Nugget has stirred up old memories of sightings and other such contact between wolf and man. Thanks to all of you who contacted ODFW with your observations.

And along those lines, a quote from "Promise of the Wolves" by Dorothy Hearst.

"If humans do not have contact with wolves, with the keepers of the wild, we forget that we are part of the world around us. It has happened before. And when it happens, humans begin to kill and destroy, for we do not see that when we harm the world we harm ourselves.

"The one way-the only way-that humans can be stopped from killing countless other creatures, from devastating our world, (is) if we humans (are) always in contact with the wolves, for only wolves can bring out in humans the knowledge that we are neither different or apart. This bond goes back for as long as humans and wolves have lived in these lands."

Jim Anderson, Naturalist