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MONDAY February 23, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 3, 2004 The Tidings blew it, AuCoin says Imagine my surprise when someone showed me the front page of your weekend edition stating in bold, self-certain letters that I had been "removed" from the agenda of the Headwaters Forest Conference last weekend. Your readers deserve to know it is objectively untrue that I was "removed" or discouraged from coming. More than two weeks before the event, I declined Headwaters' invitation to speak because a recent lengthy illness had backed up my workload and travel schedule. I declined several other speaking invitations for the same reason. In the future I would appreciate it if The Daily Tidings would meet the fundamental journalistic standard of checking first with the people who know the facts (in this case, the conference organizers) rather than a couple of people who take issue with one of the thousands of votes that I cast in Congress. "Checking" means more than leaving a couple of phone messages in one's absence and then reporting that AuCoin "ignored" your calls. Finally, your correspondent failed to cover any news from a conference with newsworthy speakers. Besides the disservice the article did to me, it detracted from an important community event where people from all over the region were learning about and discussing critical forest issues. Les AuCoin Ashland Measure 30 could have been better in 3 parts Measure 30 should have been three separate measures. As it stands, it is one measure relatively overweighted with money for education. The annual median income for teachers in Oregon is very close to the median household income, around $40K. Factor in: that teacher' household may have one more earner; that teachers only work nine months per year; that teachers get generous retirement, health and other benefits. It is clear, teachers don't need measure 30 funding as much as the uninsured working poor, the elderly, and the disabled. Concern for Oregon Health Plan, the elderly, the disabled, public safety, etc. will get us to vote for Measure 30 (how can we not?), while the powerful education lobby gets the lion's share of the tax increase benefits, directly or indirectly supporting teacher paychecks. In power politics, beggars can't be choosy. Half a loaf is better than none. The disabled, elderly, and the working poor get something, but it probably won't be enough, and with the anti-tax mood in this State, they will not get another chance for funding. They could well be losers in the long run. Fred Frank Caruso Ashland Stress in schools is evident This is the 5th year that I've worked as an Elementary School Child Development Specialist. This year has been vastly different than my previous 4 years. I have handled many more children and families in crisis than ever. Even the youngest population, Kindergartners and first graders, are threatening violence, exhibiting extreme anxiety, and having frequent tantrums. Our families and schools are stressed. If 5 and 6 year old students threaten bodily harm to themselves and to others, our families and schools are stressed! Why is this year different? I have asked myself this question over and over. I have asked my colleagues and my friends who work in other school districts. The consensus is that a "trickle-down" effect from funding cuts to our schools and social services, combined with increased unemployment, are causing our families and our schools inordinate stress. Our school has shown huge increases in the percentage of homelessness and poverty. During the past 10 years, the percentage of students in poverty has increased from 50 percent to 60 percent, as measured by the numbers of students who are receiving free and reduced lunch. Simultaneously, funding for programs to support low-income families has drastically declined. Every year, teachers have increased responsibilities for children's needs, educational or otherwise. Teachers cannot replace the other social services that used to be provided by the counties, state and federal government. The most vulnerable ones in our families and our schools are not doing well. They are living barometers of family and societal stress. How do we save these most vulnerable little souls? We reinstate adequate funding to our schools, courts, and social services so we can do the jobs that voters and legislators demand of us. Funding for social services needs to be secured. The Oregon Health Plan recipients also need better medical coverage. The only way that any of this is to be changed is if people recognize that school funding needs to be diversified. We need a more reliable system of funding for our schools in this state, but until that time, we need funding now! Please commit to the future of our youngest citizens and vote for ballot Measure 30. And lets all work together to figure out a big picture solution for our schools. Celine Fulton Ashland DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: A new improved archive search is coming! Look for it in mid-February! .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams