Local districts ‘powerless’ to avoid ESD merger

Baker County school districts are not part of the “voluntary” effort to merge the Union-Baker Education Service District with the Umatilla-Morrow ESD.

“We’re powerless,” said Barry Nemec, Baker School District special education director. “We have to accept that we are merging.”

Nemec also helps the Pine-Eagle and Burnt River school districts in Baker County and the North Powder School District in Union County oversee their special education programs through an arrangement with the Baker School District known as the Southern Consortium.

The Huntington School District is served by the Malheur County ESD because of its location. The community sits about five miles north of the Malheur County line in southeastern Baker County.

Through the consortium, the Baker County school districts receive 90 percent of the state money paid to the UBESD to fund special education, diagnostics, speech and language and occupational and physical therapy services.

But discussions with the Umatilla-Morrow ESD about retaining the system have fallen flat, Nemec says.

“They don’t do that,” is the ESD’s response to the consortium’s request to continue its current funding style.

“We’ve asked them many different ways and the answer is the same: ‘We don’t do flow-through,’ ” Nemec said.

Instead, the Baker County districts will receive services from the Umatilla-Morrow ESD through a general service plan, Nemec said.

One compromise might be to develop a hybrid model that incorporates elements of each system.

“We’re still working out the specifics,” Nemec said.

“We’re an independent school district and the thought of losing that independence is concerning.”

The districts are at odds with the Umatilla-Morrow ESD about which model is most efficient.

“They tell us they can do it as efficiently as we can — we haven’t seen that,” Nemec said. “They tell us it’s what’s best for kids. We don’t believe that’s true.”

For example, the district has contracted through St. Elizabeth Health Services for occupational therapy and physical therapy services for a cost of $42,000. In a past contract with the Umatilla-Morrow ESD, the county was charged $119,000 for the same services.

The Pine-Eagle School District required technology services one day a month, which is being provided by Chaves Consulting for $3,600, Nemec said. The Umatilla-Morrow ESD bid $9,000 to provide the same service.

“In their entrepreneurial services, such as technology, their costs are out of whack with the private sector,” Nemec said. “We can only imagine they are out of whack with their public service contracts as well.”

Nemec said the Baker districts have met with key legislators, including state Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, education committee chair, and state Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, to discuss possible legislation to help maintain the southern consortium model.