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CLEAR Temp: 67 °F Wind: NW at 7 mph Sunday, June 2, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 2, 2002 Central Point schools administrator Randy Gravon wonders how a decade of prosperity in Oregon could leave such an uncertain legacy for education. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Profiles in uncertainty Introduction: Waiting for answers about Oregon's school funding crisis The student: Not enough books, not enough desks The teacher: Relishing "aha" moments, worrying about the future The administrator: Reluctant bearer of bad news By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Suggest that Randy Gravon is the hatchet man for the Central Point School District, and the veteran administrator winces. "Don’t say that," says Gravon. "That’s what people think." And for good reason. As the school year winds down, the director of elementary education has become the bearer of bad news, the messenger to be blamed, the guy with the long list of potential cuts. "I asked the principals to put on paper the programs — don’t think about the people," says Gravon, whose district faces a loss of up to $1.8 million in state funding on top of $800,000 previously slashed. "We list all the teachers by hire date and specialty," he says. "And we start putting people in positions until we have no more positions, and whoever is left doesn’t have a job." Next year, that could mean up to 17 people, in addition to eight temporary teachers already eliminated, says Gravon. "I’ve had people ask for letters of recommendation to work at Fred Meyer," he says. He shares the role of bad guy with district superintendent Candace Manary, but it’s not one Gravon relishes. At 51, with 27 years of Oregon education experience behind him, including some definite bad times, Gravon says he can’t quite believe the scope of the deficit now faced. "Every time you looked at it, it was so devastating you’d say, ‘Let’s not go there unless we have to,’ " he says. "Now we have to." Even if state legislators come up with a bail-out plan, even if voters approve Gov. John Kitzhaber’s proposal for a one-time income tax hike dedicated to education, there’s not enough time to prevent drastic effects for the next school year. In Central Point, the district will not recoup the $30,000 to $40,000 in costs — nor the intangible benefits — of mentoring and training eight new teachers, he says. Class sizes will rise to 38 kids in a fifth-grade class, 30 in a kindergarten class. There will be no media services, no music. These are losses that will resonate for years to come, he says. "The frustration is that as administrators, we spend such an inordinate amount of time on budget that it detracts from our larger goals," he says. "We’re always just figuring out year to year how to survive to the next biennium." The only solution, in Gravon’s mind, is a stable source of education funding. A dedicated sales tax would be one way to ensure that schools don’t fluctuate annually in a situation where "the good times don’t last and the bad times come back." Gravon plans no vacation this summer. Instead, he’ll spend the time grappling with the distance between resources and needs. It’s his job, he says. "I’m just given the circumstances and I have to meet it," he says. When he looks up from his list, however, the lifelong educator wonders how a decade of prosperity in Oregon left such an uncertain legacy for education. "We’ve just enjoyed the most progressive economic times we’ve ever seen," he says, "and now we’re dismantling our education system." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S