Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1035 - 1059 of 2504
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Is it right that such a big chunk of the cost of operating schools rests on the shoulders of local property tax payers through voter-approved levies? During my conversation with Representative Terry Nealey a couple of weeks ago (which I wrote about last week), he said that education funding is once again the number one issue facing Washington’s state legislators in the current session, which began last week. And the specific education funding issue those folks are addressing this year is how to make it more even-handed. That is, kids in rich s...
Barton Swaim, The Washington Post Many political candidates, if we’re to believe what they say about themselves, spend most of their time traveling around listening to people. “I’ve traveled all around the country, Anderson,” former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley told CNN’s Anderson Cooper at one of last year’s Democratic presidential debates, “and there’s two phrases I keep hearing again and again and again. And they’re the phrases ‘new leadership’ and ‘getting things done.’ “ O’Malley’s opponent Hillary Clinton, though, would not be out...
Dear Editor, As a graduate of Dayton High School and newly appointed school board member, I would like to encourage our community to vote “yes” for both the renewal of the Replacement Maintenance and Operation Levy and the Capital Levy for Technology, Safety, Security and Efficiency Improvements. I don’t know of a school district in the State of Washington that can operate without the community approval of levies. Like all other public schools in the State of Washington, Dayton relies on a levy to make up for at least 25% of the budget short...
Dear Editor, Why should anyone pay more taxes to the public school? 1. Freedom. “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” —James Madison or “The more the ignorance, the better the slave.” —Edmund Fairfield, President, Hillsdale College, July 4, 1853 2. Equality of Opportunity. Public education provides the same instruction regardless of a person’s gender, income, race, religion, sexual orientation or nationality—it levels the playing fie...
Dear Editor, As the business manager for the Dayton School District, it is my job to insure school district funds are used in a responsible manner. When reviewing expenditures, we have a process that continually keeps these things in mind: Is it practical- does it make sense? Can we afford it? What are the legal ramifications? What will people say/think? Will we be serving students in the best possible way? Local taxpayers trust us to be stewards of their money, and we take that obligation very seriously. The time has come once again to bring...
Dear Editor, Like most of the state’s school districts, over 20% of Dayton’s school budget has to be covered by the local citizenry - the state clearly has not met its constitutional mandate to fund basic education. Until that situation gets resolved I am voting “yes” in support of Dayton’s upcoming replacement levy. The funds are needed to ensure that students have a safe and educationally adequate facility which will prepare them for an incredibly diverse and complex world. The finances will provide for a continuation of education needs and...
Dear Editor, I am writing in support of the upcoming Maintenance and Operations Levy and the Capital Projects Levy. As a 26 year previous employee of the Dayton School District, I have extensive knowledge of the condition of the facilities and I know first-hand what has been done (and not been done) to maintain the facilities over the past 3 decades. The custodial staff works diligently to maintain the facility to the best of their ability within the budget restrictions. Each year, the needs of the ground and facilities are reviewed and are...
Dear Editor, Dena Wood’s article on the meeting January 6 with Mayor Gobel and Brandon Kelly was excellent in laying out the many concerns residents of Waitsburg have about the proposed stock car racetrack at the fairgrounds. For many of the same reasons, I am opposed to any and all stock car races within walking distance and earshot of our town. Here is something to consider in addition to all the liabilities that others have addressed. As it would be highly unlikely that anyone would build a cemetery next to a stock car dirt track, why w...
As most of you did, I’m sure, I bought some Powerball tickets this week. Three, to be exact. I picked the numbers myself. For those of you living in a cave, the jackpot prize for the Powerball lottery drawing to be held Wednesday evening has grown to about $1.4 billion (that’s “billion,” with a “b”). So how could I not? But this is the first time I’ve bought a lottery ticket in at least 20 years. I blame college. I earned a degree many years ago in economics, and in the process I took a lot of statistics classes. Without doubt, the knowledge...
The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a 187,757-acre haven for greater sandhill cranes and other native birds in eastern Oregon, is usually a pretty peaceful place. But its calm was shattered Jan. 2 when Ammon Bundy and a group of armed men broke into and occupied a number of federal buildings on the refuge, vowing to fight should the government try to arrest them. Their insurrectionary goal appears to be, simply put, to destroy the national system of public lands - our forests, parks and refuges - that was developed in the late 19th century...
Dear Editor, The registered voters of Columbia County will be receiving a ballot in the mail soon. The Dayton School District has two issues on the ballot- a replacement Maintenance and Operations Levy and a Capital Projects Levy (which replaces the previous technology levy plus adds additional funds for needed facility and ground repairs). No matter where we were born or where we went to school, the future of our youth in Columbia County is important. I was not born near Dayton, did not attend Dayton schools and I have only lived in Dayton...
After two days huddled in the house under layers of blankets (except for a few trips out to split firewood), I trudged out through the snow Sunday morning to start the car. Nothing. Dead Battery. It was 12 degrees. I tried to jump start it with our other car. Nothing doing. I went into the shop, which also read 12 degrees, and got out the battery charger and a long extension cord. My hands were nearly numb when I decided to put on some gloves. I got a wrench and went out to disconnect the battery cable – I had to take the gloves back off to do...
By Alexandra Petri, The Washington Post I was going to write a wrap-up of the year, but thanks to all the election coverage I had been laboring under the misapprehension that it was 2016 and had been so all year, and the news that there were still eleven months of campaign to go - and 10 MORE primary debates - nearly broke me. Still, now that I have my bearings, I refuse to accept the general valuation that 2015 was an unmitigatedly terrible year. Some good things happened. Adele released the massively successful album “25” after her ini...
By Sarah Poggi, Special to the Washington Post The narrator asked: “Are you going to be a victim or a survivor- protector”? I am an obstetrician, and I was taking my annual online course on “workplace violence.” My favorite part is the instructions on how to “fight” a gunman if one shows up at my office: I am advised to throw a cup of coffee at them. But in our “infection control” course, I learned I couldn’t have any food or drink in the hospital. As a backup, it was suggested that I could hurl a stapler. I use a paperless records system, b...
Dear Editor, I support the REPLACEMENT M & O Levy AND the Capital Projects & REPLACEMENT Technology Levy, and I urge the voters of Dayton School District to support them as well. My support is based on facts, and continuing to do what is best for all students in our district. Below are the facts and reasons to help clarify my support, and why we need you to support these levies: A YES vote for both levies will only increase your school tax value (currently 11¢/$1,000 in 2015) by 50¢ the first collection year, and by an estimated 52¢ the se...
Dear Editor, It’s time to step up to the plate again and VOTE. Approximately 25 percent of funds to provide a quality education come from us, local taxpayers. No district can survive without local support. The proposed Maintenance and Operations Levy and Technology and Capital Projects Levy amounts keep our tax rates low, in fact lower than in 2013, and substantially lower than surrounding area school districts. For example, Waitsburg’s M & O levy rate is nearly 50 percent higher than our 2014 rate. We need to direct M & O funds to the district...
Dear Editor, In 1986 I was hired as a para-educator for Dayton School District. I have had the privilege of working as a Para-Educator, Librarian and currently as the Elementary Secretary. I have been given the blessing of knowing thousands of students over the years, and have had the opportunity to work with a wonderful staff. I am writing this letter because in February citizens will have the opportunity to vote on a Maintenance and Operations replacement levy that will be on the ballot. I would like to encourage the Columbia County voters...
Welcome to the 53rd issue of The Times in 2015. Yes, this year, the first and last day of the year both fall on a Thursday, which is The Times’ publication day. So I guess you can consider this your “Bonus Issue.” As I look forward to the coming year, I’ve been thinking about the many important things I plan to accomplish in 2016. These include: Getting my hair cut ten times Changing the oil in my car three (or maybe four) times Taking about 350 showers (okay, sometimes I skip a day on the weekend) Enjoying at least 1,000 cups of coffee...
Dear Editor, In late January registered voters in the Dayton School District will be asked to determine the fate of two school levy measures, a replacement Maintenance and Operations Levy and a Capital Project levy. Both measures are worthy of your support. The M&O levy provides 25% of the District’s budgeted revenue. This funding provides financial support necessary for operational cost and general maintenance and repair tasks. Local dollars support small class sizes and academic support in K-12 classrooms, college prep curriculum and c...
By Noah Feldman, Bloomberg View 2015 was supposed to be the year President Barack Obama would use unilateral executive action to accomplish major goals of his administration that had been blocked by Congress: relaxing deportations, closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and restricting access to guns. But all three goals stalled. Obama’s executive action on immigration, announced in November 2014, was stymied in the federal courts, and the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether to hear the administration’s appeal. An executive plan to...
