Building
a play area
from the ground up
Photo by Steve Wilkowske
Canby Fire Chief Ted Kunze says the fire district needs to add personnel to keep pace with the area's rapid growth. The fire district serves about 30,000 residents in Canby, Barlow and surrounding rural areas.
By David Howell
Canby Herald
The Canby Fire District will seek voter approval of a five-year local
option tax to hire seven new personnel, including five firefighters and paramedics, in the
March 13 election.
Adding full-time personnel is necessary because of increases in both the local population
and the number of incidents the district has responded to during the last decade, Canby
Fire Chief Ted Kunze said.
The local option tax would impose up to 43 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for five
years beginning in fiscal year 2001-02, and the measure may cause property taxes to
increase by more than 3 percent.
The owner of a $150,000 home would pay an additional $5.38 per month if the proposed local
option tax is assessed at its full rate, Kunze said.
To pass, the measure would need a double majority - a turnout of more than 50 percent of
registered voters, and support from more than 50 percent of those voting.
The Canby Rural Fire Protection District No. 62 serves about 30,000 residents in Canby,
Barlow and surrounding rural areas.
"The last couple of years we've been looking at our service levels and trends in the
community," Kunze said. "We've noticed the population has grown in both the city
and rural areas, and that the number and type of incidents has increased . . . We have
gauged the amount of service we need to provide versus the demand."
The fire district provides coverage across 52 square miles of mixed property uses, from
residential to light industrial to agricultural.
The district provides fire protection, emergency advanced life support ambulance, fire
prevention services, swift water rescue, community emergency response teams, and
comprehensive public education programs.
In 1991, the city of Canby's population was 9,370, and the fire district responded to 968
incidents. Volunteers and two firefighter/paramedics on duty provided 24-hour staffing.
In 2000, the city had about 13,100 residents, and the fire district responded to 1,684
incidents. The district hired three firefighter/paramedics in the past two years to ensure
prompt service response levels during daytime hours when fewer volunteers are available,
Kunze said.
"The largest risk to the public is at nights and at the weekend because the staffing
level (two paramedics on duty) has remained the same for after-hours and weekends since
1991," he said. "So, we decided to look to add five full-time
firefighters/paramedics and, at the same time, realign our staff. We feel a combination of
these two will allow us to meet our service needs."
Kunze points out that the city's population grew by about 36 percent from 1990-2000, while
the number of incidents swelled by 73 percent during the same period.
As a result of the increase in incidents, "three hours per day we don't have a
paramedic unit available," Kunze said. "The closest would be in Oregon City,
which creates a delay in response times" of 10 minutes or longer, depending on
ambulance availability.
The local option tax would be used to hire five firefighter/paramedics to provide coverage
during periods when the primary ambulance is unavailable.
"These firefighter/paramedics, with current staff realignment, will enable the fire
district to meet service level needs," he said. "This enables the staffing of
two ambulances without depleting resources for additional emergency incidents.
''We looked at the next five years, and felt this (local option tax) was the best
direction for us to take. We hope if we have to renew the local option for another five
years that it would only be at a fraction of the cost" of the first five years.
In addition, a fire prevention officer would be hired to assist Fire Marshal Ron Yarbrough
with public education, fire prevention, life safety programs, and working with the
business community. The new officer would also need to be a qualified
firefighter/paramedic.
Also, a training officer would be hired to ensure fire district personnel maintain the
skills necessary to meet the needs of the community, and the credentials required by five
state regulatory bodies and the National Fire Protection Association.
Kunze said the fire district currently has nine full-time paid members, and 37 part-time
volunteer members.
The estimated amount of tax to be collected is $443,501 in 2001-02, $446,506 in 2002-03,
$459,901 in 2003-04, $473,698 in 2004-05, and $487,909 in 2005-06.
The ballot was filed with the Clackamas County Clerk John Kauffman on Jan. 9. Under law, a
voter may file a petition for review of the ballot title in the Clackamas County Circuit
Court by 5 p.m. Jan. 19.
District finds middle ground
By Jon Bell
Canby Herald
The Canby School District has taken some initial steps in its mission to
build a new middle school by 2006.
After several weeks of consideration, the district's board of directors on Jan. 18 agreed
to pursue a 37-acre site for the proposed school.
The property is adjacent to Trost Elementary School, according to Don Staehely, the
district's director of operations. He added that negotiations are ongoing for the parcel,
which lies east of the school.
Superintendent Deborah Sommer said the board has received an earnest money agreement from
the property owners. However, the board has yet to sign the agreement and will not do so
until the public has a chance to comment on the issue, she said.
Specific financial details related to the deal were not disclosed. But the district
undoubtedly would tap into the $2 million set aside for the purchase of land in last
year's successful school bond measure.
The district also plans to sell its 10-acre Holly Street property to help finance the
acquisition. The Holly Street property is too small to use as a middle school site,
according to district officials.
A new middle school would help the district deal with current overcrowding. A construction
bond will most likely be presented to the citizens of Canby in 2004 for the new middle
school, which would open in 2006.
Plans call for the Lee campus at Ackerman Middle School to be converted back to an
elementary school building when the new middle school opens.
The public will be able to comment on the proposed acquisition at special hearings
scheduled for 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Trost Elementary School library,
700 S. Redwood Street.
The board is scheduled to take action on the deal Thursday, Feb. 15, Sommer said.
Builders should pay
their 'fair share,' Schrader says
By David Nelson
Canby Herald
State Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Canby) is determined to help the financial
plight of Oregon schools with another attempt at increasing systems development charges
through House Bill 2288.
Schrader has promoted the passage of some type of legislation to offset school expenses
with additional SDCs since 1997.
"I want to help the schools collect their fair share of housing development fees
through systems development charges," said Schrader, who represents District 23. So
far, his attempts have borne no fruit. "I tried in the 1997 session and again in
1999, but the home builders and Oregon Realtors lobbyists have proven to be formidable
foes. Now we have HB 2288, which is basically the same bill we proposed in the last
session."
Builders and Realtors contend that higher SDCs would simply increase home construction
costs, thereby jacking up house prices for prospective buyers.
"The truth is," Schrader said, "they are afraid passage of this bill would
cut into their profits. To be more accurate, collecting fees from developers, designated
for capital improvement or new construction, would raise the cost of homes, not
necessarily the price. Price is dictated by supply and demand."
Focusing on the local area, Schrader cites an example of SDCs doubling between 1989-1996,
while the sales prices of houses quadrupled.
"I think this shows the Realtors and builders are only concerned about losing
profits, not in extra charges to home buyers," he said.
Schrader's plan calls for developers to pay SDCs when filing their plans, rather than
leaving them an opening to collect at the time of occupancy.
"Paying on filing prevents developers from simply passing the fee on to buyers,"
he said.
Increased fees and taxes have always been at the crux of residents' and home owners'
displeasure, especially when they erode disposable income. Hoping to head off those
feelings with his legislation, Schrader thinks passage of HB 2288 would cut taxes and
lower bonding costs by approximately 30 percent.
"With the legislation in place," Schrader said, "people can see how much
money has already been collected through fees and would be more willing to pass bond
measures, since they would be for smaller amounts," he said.
Collection of the fees would be the responsibility of local governments, eluding the grasp
of the state. The money would be specifically designated for capital improvements or
construction and could not be used for anything else. Furthermore, collection of the fees
would be optional for each district, not mandatory, Schrader said.
"If, for some reason, a school district did not want to impose additional fees, they
are free to disregard the option," he said. "We have introduced HB 2288 to give
the state Legislature one more opportunity to do the right thing, but it will probably not
even get to the floor for a hearing because the Republicans control what legislation gets
to the floor, and this is not one of their favorite types of legislation. If we are not
successful this year, we will reintroduce the bill in 2002."
Jana Jarvis, government affairs director for the Oregon Association of Realtors, said last
week that she had not read the bill.
However, she said that as a general rule, Realtors are not supportive of any legislation
that enacts excessive or exorbitant fees to housing costs.
"Because, whether you pass the fees directly or indirectly, the cost of homes will
increase," Jarvis said. "I am amused at the folks who try to pass increased
taxes in the guise of solving a problem . . . That simply raises the cost of the end
product.
''I see this type of fee as putting the burden of new school construction on new home
buyers. Is that really fair and equitable? Growth (of cities) is a fact of life now. The
question remains, 'How do you equitably spread the costs?'"
Not surprisingly, Canby School District Superintendent Deborah Sommer aligned herself in
favor of HB 2288.
"Systems development fees to support construction of neighborhood schools makes sense
to me," she said. "Builders pay fees to help pay the costs of sewers, electrical
hookups and roads to support housing developments.
They should help pay for the new schools that must be built to serve the children who move
in also . . . not just pass the responsibility off on the community."
On the other side of this issue is Kelly Ross, a spokesman for the Homebuilders
Association of Metropolitan Portland.
"We are strenuously opposed to adding any additional categories to development fees
for homebuilders," Ross said. "There is a place for SDC when a direct link to
its proposed use can be made, but in this case, it is not there for schools.
''New homes don't necessarily translate directly into new students. In many cases,
families moving into new homes are just moving from another home in the same area. In
these cases, the children are already in school in that district. Also, there is no
guarantee that everyone buying a new home will have school-age children."
Oregon Homebuilders Association lobbyist Scott Barrie finds good reasons for his
organization to oppose Schrader's bill.
"We will introduce our own capital finance bill for school construction and
improvements," Barrie said, "which will prove more beneficial to the schools and
homeowners."
The proposed Homebuilders' plan takes money from all new construction over a five-year
period at the rate of $5 per $1,000 of new assessed value.
"During the first five years, the general fund loses money, but the schools gain, and
they can spend that money now," Barrie said. "In five years, the estimated
increase would be $50 to 60 million for schools, without additional taxes, bond measures
or developer fees.
''This method would raise two to three times the amount builder fees would generate
statewide."
Barrie said the Oregon Homebuilders Association is continuing to refine the proposal while
gathering support among educators and legislators.
Schools in
Canby receive
passing grades
By Jon Bell
Canby Herald
Normally, students get report cards to measure their performance in
school. Some may be cause for celebration, others elicit anxiety, but all are an
inevitable part of the educational process in the public school system.
On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Education issued report cards of its own, but not to
individual students. Rather, 1,217 elementary, middle and high schools around the state
received report cards, and were graded not with letters, but with ranks from exceptional
to unacceptable.
The verdict for the Canby School District this year? In a nutshell, if the schools were
students, they wouldn't be afraid to take their report cards home to Mom and Dad.
"I think we're pleased with the results," Superintendent Deborah Sommer said.
"A great deal of hard work and effort are reflected in the scores." All of the
schools in the district - except for Ninety-One Elementary - received overall ratings of
satisfactory from the Department of Education. Ninety-One proved to be the jewel of the
district, improving from a satisfactory rating last year to a strong rating this year.
"It feels great, and it's nice to be rewarded for all of the hard work we've done
over the past four years," said Pat Johnson, principal at Ninety-One.
"You have to be reserved, because there's a lot going on in all of our schools, but
hats off to the staff, the students and the community. They're the ones who have put in
all the hard work."
Johnson attributed a staff willing to put in extra time and work, as well as a mapping of
the curriculum, to Ninety-One's strong showing.
"It takes time and diligence," he said. "It's nice to be recognized for
what we're doing for our children."
The state-issued report cards rank schools on student performance and behavior, and school
characteristics. Determining factors include the percentage of students who take the
state's standardized tests, the results of those tests, attendance and high school dropout
rates. The benchmark tests cover reading, writing and math.
Sommer said the dropout rate at the high school has declined since last year, and
tenth-graders' test results have improved since the first report cards were issued in
February of 2000.
"We're very proud of Ninety-One, and things like (an improving) high school dropout
rate and improving test scores are always important," she said. "I think the
schools need to be accountable to the public, and these (report cards) are one way of
doing that."
To achieve a satisfactory grade, schools must have a 93 percent rate of attendance, 52
percent of students must meet or exceed state standards, and the school's dropout rate
must be no higher than 5.4 percent.
For a strong rating, such as the one issued Ninety-One, schools must have 68 percent of
its students meeting or exceeding state standards, attendance must be 94 percent or
higher, and an overall improvement trend must be evident.
Ninety-One received all satisfactory marks last year. This time around, the school
improved with strong ratings in performance and behavior, and an exceptional rating for
percentage of students taking the state's tests.
Ninety-One was well-above the state averages for the 1999-2000 school year.
State attendance was at 93 percent, while Ninety-One's was at 94.1, and the state's
percentage of participation was 93 percent. Ninety-One's was an impressive 100 percent.
The rural elementary school also scored high above state averages on standardized tests.
For example, 66 percent of students statewide met the standards for writing on the Spring
2000 test. Eighty-four percent of Ninety-One students achieved the standards.
"Our staff has been committed to doing more work samples, which offers students more
opportunities to cover important areas," Johnson said.
Although the report cards rank a few areas of school and student performance, they are far
from all-inclusive, and for this, the ratings have garnered an amount of criticism. For
instance, ratings on student behavior are based solely on attendance.
"How you evaluate a school and its effectiveness is a very complicated process,"
Sommer said. "The report cards are a narrow measure and don't really affect all the
nuances involved."
Sommer also noted the report card computations are heavily weighted towards improvement.
While this is not a negative quality, it makes it more difficult for a higher-achieving
school to earn higher marks, she said.
Assistant Superintendent Darcy Rourk agreed.
"We continue to be pleased with our schools," she said. "Certainly we don't
ignore the results, but our schools are already in improvement mode."
Rourk noted three of Canby's schools were rated strong in improvement, but said she wished
the report cards - and the complex system of computations - were a little clearer.
"I feel like the system has a few kinks in it, " she said. "We do need to
be accountable, but I wish (the report cards) were clearer and truly reflected more of
what's going on in our schools."
Other aspects of the report card system can mislead as well. At Eccles, for example, the
school received a satisfactory mark for student performance on state tests, and showed an
overall decline over time. However, more students took the tests in 2000 than in 1999, so
the school received an exceptional grade for student participation.
"The cards really only report what we can easily measure," Sommer said.
"Attendance is easier to measure than attitude, but I do like the fact that (through
the report cards), the conversation is broadened."
