Letters to the Editor for May 2, 2011

Taxes and state mandated retirement costs are not benefits. Employee portion of Public Employee Retirement and medical insurance costs are benefits. These benefits are 26.97 percent of employee salary.
The children in our schools perform well in academics, the arts and athletics. We are lean but not broken.
Currently our pay is near the lowest for comparable work in our state. For districts between 1,000 to 3,000 students we are 33rd of 33 in beginning pay; for teachers with a master’s degree we are 28th of 29; for maximum salary we are 21st of 21. In short, we have reduced pay so that we are the lowest paid in our category (data from the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators — COSA).
Our insurance company is chosen by the state. We have capped the dollars we will contribute and our employees pay the difference. Our share is listed as 25th of 31 by COSA. Taken together, our teachers are now about the lowest paid professionals in Oregon at their level.
As we lose our competitive edge to hire and retain the very best workers we must accept that further cuts to district employees who have already sacrificed more than their peers in the state are wrong.
The four-day student week as we see it is not a money saver and we have never said it is. We do the four-day student week to provide more instructional time for students with fewer teachers.
We will shrink as required and effectively use the resources allowed us by our families and community. As for the Facilities Efficiency Report; we have it. Indeed, each and every suggestion is implemented if it is legal and cost-effective.
There is no evidence that Baker 5J people always vote no. In the same way that the community supports the library we believe the community will support schools.
Walter Wegener
Superintendent, Baker 5J

Vote ‘Yes’ to retain library services
To the editor:
The citizens of Baker County have long supported our Baker County Library. It is the only independent Library District in Eastern Oregon. The Library Journal has named it as one of the best small libraries in the entire country!
We have five branch libraries, Haines, Halfway, Huntington, Richland and Sumpter, plus the Bookmobile, which services Durkee and outlying areas.
Pleas vote yes on May 17 to renew the local option levy. This will not increase your taxes. It will guarantee that the wonderful services we receive will continue.
Frances Burgess
Baker City

Health care can’t be ‘one-size-fits-all’
To the editor:
Most Americans are reasonably content with their current health care insurance. They do have a few concerns, however, and there are a number of proposals to address those concerns.
One such proposal is to encourage individuals to purchase their own health care insurance by giving them the same tax break as those who receive their coverage through their employer. If you are buying your own health care insurance, rather than receiving it as part of a group, you are better able to select a policy that will best fit your individual situation. Owning your own policy will also mean that you don’t lose your coverage when you change jobs; you simply take it with you to your next job.
Another idea is to allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines. This is not possible now; you must purchase a policy approved by your state government. By broadening the range of possibilities, again you are more likely to find one that will best fit your individual situation.
Americans are perfectly capable of making major financial decisions for themselves. We decide what car to drive and what home to live in; we buy our own groceries, clothing and what not. Given enough alternatives, we can decide what health care policy is best for us.
On the other hand, there is no flexibility in Obamacare whatsoever. A government bureaucrat comes up with a one-size-fits-all “best” insurance plan, and willy-nilly, everyone is required by law to purchase that policy by one means or another. Yet Democrats still seem to have no clue as to why Obamacare remains so unpopular.
Peter Sundin
Baker City

Support our kids and community
To the editor:
Please join us in voting for Ballot Measure 1-54, the local option tax to support our children and Baker Public Schools. It’s an investment in all of our futures.
These resources will help keep class sizes reasonable. Without Measure 1-54 larger class sizes would harm kids’ ability to learn. Fewer teachers and assistants would be available for kids who need help.
Without 1-54, sharp cuts would occur in programs like art, music and libraries critical to children developing problem-solving skills and creativity for the workplace.  Help prevent damaging cuts in school operations and facilities maintenance for safety.
Measure 1-54 is a temporary way to soften the blow of a 15-percent cut in state funding while the economy recovers. The money stays here in Baker.
The impact is small on property owners.  Some pay nothing more; 40 percent pay less than $1 per month; and 75 percent of property owners would pay less than $9 per month.
Our two adult children received an excellent education with training in arts, music and sports from our public schools.  We are so grateful that Baker schools and teachers prepared and inspired them to graduate from college and secure meaningful work.   
Local Baker school kids return to serve as doctors, dentists, teachers and other business people who create jobs for us and our children. We need well-educated graduates to provide our health care, farming and ranching services, and help solve community problems. 
Please return your ballots, marked “yes” on Measure 1-54. Thank you.
Jim and Mary Tomlinson
Baker City

Tell me more about board candidates
To the editor:
Today (April 30) the mail-in ballot arrived for the important school election for May 17.
Little information on the candidates for school board positions has reached my ears or eyes. For instance, since the 5J School Board very recently voted to reduce our schools to a four days per week schedule for next year, I would like to know which board members, or candidates for board positions, home school their own children.
Carl R.Kostol

Baker City