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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Benefit concert in Ashland Sunday boosts GMO-ban legal defense fund Long drought, big storm make for a dirty Bear Creek Ticket availability Police reports Engine fire extinguished Education Heading to Harvard Rising from the ashes Ashland High School again earns national honors Preschool's future not yet secure Ashland Middle School student spearheads Nepal relief effort Environment Long drought, big storm make for a dirty Bear Creek Jackson County declares drought disaster Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Business Ashland's CD Or Not CD will carry on Ashland seminars focus on employment law Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday Cars We Remember: Noted musician unravels 55-year Nash Rambler mystery 'Fill'er up' will mean with beer, not gas Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability City of Ashland to consider making recorder position appointive, not elective Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death State News Oregon's snowpack at just 11 percent of average Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Nita Day Alan Leslie Robins Eva Robarts Kathryn "Kay" Blanche White Death Notices Shareable Check out top import and export for every U.S. state Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Kelly McElroy: I hate this ‘game’ App Finder: Best cycling apps Thompson-Siporen earns three MWL titles in first day of district meet Rich Garven: Pumping out some Deflategate thoughts High school O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Thompson-Siporen earns three MWL titles in first day of district meet Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Ayers pitches Eagles past Grizzlies Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet Southern Oregon University O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Voices Latest Stories Other Views: Vaccine rate improves Herb Rothschild Jr.: An appalling budget Mark L. 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Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Ashland by the numbers Chris Honoré: Supreme Court grapples with tradition, suffrage Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Ashland Calendar, Thursday, May 14 4 Things To Do This Weekend Movie listings: May 15-21 Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum at The Mountain House Steve Poltz, Grant-Lee Phillips at Old Ashland Armory Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Departing Ashland Independent Film Festival programmer talks about what makes a good movie Ticket availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Contest open for singer-songwriters The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Mad Max’ is a fresh, fantastic approach to a classic idea Your A-to-Z guide to the ‘Mad Max’ franchise Movie listings: May 15-21 'Wild Tales' is twisted, dark and lovely Movie review: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ will leave your inner 12-year-old giggling with glee Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Inner Peace: God's sigh: the breath of prayer Barbara Presnell: The life, legacy of Sam, a little white dog   Looking Up: Jupiter heading toward Venus Quills: Minimalist group celebrates having more satisfaction with less stuff Betty Montgomery: Longleaf pines making a comeback Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr.: An appalling budget ... Ashland Calendar, Saturday, May 16 ... Benefit concert in Ashland Sunday boosts GMO-ban legal defense fund ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: An appalling budget ... Ashland Calendar, Saturday, May 16 ... Benefit concert in Ashland Sunday boosts GMO-ban legal defense fund ... SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY Preschool's future not yet secure Referendum helps, but provides only eventual funding for Schneider Children's Center Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 12, 2015 at 7:34 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 7:42 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 12, 2015 at 7:34 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 7:42 PM » RELATED CONTENT What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . • Schneider Children's Center set to close • Schneider Children's Center branches out » Social News A referendum to resume funding Southern Oregon University’s Schneider Children’s Center for the 2016-17 academic year passed by an overwhelming margin Friday, but whether the center will open its doors next school year — and, if so, how — has yet to be determined. According to the university’s website, 78 percent of SOU students voted in favor of funding the SCC in 2016-17, and only 17 percent voted against the referendum, which was added to the school’s election ballot after Children’s Center supporters were able to collect enough signatures to represent at least 5 percent of the student body. What remains to be seen is whether the Children’s Center in the school’s Old Mill Village student-family housing complex off Quincy Street will acquire funding for the 2015-16 school year. Before the referendum, the plan was to close the child care center for the foreseeable future June 12, and SCC director Kathy Spain said Tuesday that the vote, while providing a ray of hope, will not stop that from happening. “We have a group of parents meeting this week to talk about some grants that we might be able to apply for,” Spain said. “Other than that, I don’t know if it changes anything, unfortunately.” The referendum came roughly a year after the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University voted to defund the Children’s Center, which provides care for children from 6 weeks to 6 years old — a client base that, according to Spain, currently amounts to 55 children from 48 families. Previously funded by student fees, the Children’s Center raised its rates when it re-opened in September and for the first time in its 28-year history, opened its doors to the general public in an effort to become financially self-sufficient. Students in need of child care, meanwhile, were offered a $400-per-month subsidy to help cover the cost. Even with the changes, the Children’s Center still fell woefully short of breaking even — Mark Denney, SOU’s associate vice president for budget and planning, estimates that it operated at a $150,000 to $170,000 deficit for the year — and was promptly put on the chopping block, a move that was finalized by SOU President Roy Saigo during a university cabinet meeting April 20. On Monday, Denney and Director of Student Life Jennifer Fountain are scheduled to meet with SOU’s cabinet, which includes Saigo and his primary leadership team. There, Denney and Fountain will “report on what we have to date and get some advice from the cabinet going forward,” Denney said. The ultimate goal, Denney said, is that they’ll find a way to keep the Children’s Center open for the 2015-16 school year. “There are some promising ideas,” he said. One involves working with Oregon Head Start Association, a nonprofit that provides services such as early childhood education, nutrition and family support to families of young children. There’s a Head Start center in Medford, and the Children’s Center could land federal grants if Head Start places an Early Head Start satellite in SCC. “We’ve been in contact with them and are meeting (today) to see if they could put some seats in Schneider,” Denney said, “which would be additional children that are not (children of) SOU students, but would help fund the Schneider Children’s Center. That’s certainly one promising option that in and of itself would not be a whole solution, but it would be a piece of a solution.” Denney said several grants have also been identified, but that search is still in its early stages and the university will have to take a closer look to determine if “they really are opportunities or just look like opportunities on the surface but don’t fit what the (Schneider Center) is.” Spain and about seven parents are meeting today, Wednesday, with similar aspirations, to track down as many grants as possible. But in the meantime, the current staff at the Children’s Center, which numbers 10 full-timers, is busy planning ahead. “Yeah, I’ve been looking (for another job),” Spain said. “But there’s not a lot of opportunities for my staff to find comparable work for comparable pay.”  Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 12, 2015 at 7:34 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 7:42 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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