|
Buckled
up on the bus?
The Editor:
This morning I heard a tragic report of four school
children dying after a bus accident in New Brunswick, Canada.
The bus had been turning a corner when the driver lost control
and the bus rolled over several times. I could just imagine
the tossing around of the young bodies inside that bus.
I don’t know the details as to whether or not seat
belts were worn, or even if seat belts were installed on
that bus, but this incident brings up a serious question.
I have attended several Blaine primary and elementary school
field trips and ridden on the bus with my daughter for these
events. Never have I seen a seat belt provided for the children
on these school buses.
 Evidently
there is no state or federal law requiring that seat belts
be worn on school buses. I’m sure Blaine school district
is no exception. I am wondering, if seat belts are required
by law in our personal vehicles, why withhold seat belts
from our public school buses? Seat belts save lives. Even
if the state or federal governments do not require school
bus seat belts, is there any reason why individual school
districts cannot have them installed in their own buses?
My
daughter does not ride the bus everyday – I drive her
to school. But when she attends a field trip, I would feel
much better knowing she’s “buckled up” on
the school bus!
If
anyone in position to know anything on this subject can
offer information, I’d be glad to hear it!
Merald Dailey
Blaine
Le
plus ça change...
The Editor:
I see that Mr. Schugt and Mr. Ely are imitating Hobberlin
and Mortillaro to a tee. If you take the city manager’s
salary and benefits together they come to over six figures.
But like their predecessors they only focus on the money,
when the focus is on the complete package, which is too
much for this financially strapped town to absorb.
As
far as the train goes, the focus is not on the train. It
would not matter whether it was the Mickey Mouse train,
the last train from Clarksville or midnight train to Georgia,
the focus is Mr. Schugt and his band of renown, along with
the city manager, holding their secret meetings behind closed
doors. They decided for the rest of the town to give away
the train stop to White Rock without the people having any
say. This is the same practice continually used by Hobberlin
and Mortillaro. They continually abuse the power of the
office they hold and act as if they know what is best for
the town when they don’t have a clue.
They
have thrown away hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants
and acted with total disregard of what’s good for this
city, giving away the train station, apparently without
any contact with Senator Georgia Gardner or anyone else.
It shows their lack of knowledge of what the town needs.
It’s because of acts like this Blaine gets no financial
help from anyone.
I
ask again, how many Americans are going to go north to cross
a border that who knows how long it would take to catch
a train that is going south?
Dave White
Blaine
Ed. note: According to the city of Blaine finance
department, the city manager’s salary is $80,000 per
year. He also receives $3,200 a year in deferred compensation.
The manager’s benefit package is a valued at $21,996.
Bond
boosters and boos
The Editor:
We strongly support the Blaine school board proposal
on May 15. We have a seven-year-old great grandson attending
first grade in Blaine school district. The projections show
large size classrooms and portables in his future if this
proposal is not approved.
The
school district has been very prudent in its projections
and plans and deserves district-wide support. Your vote
counts, so exercise your rights.
Dieter & Barbara Schugt
Birch Bay
The
Editor:
School security – is it an issue? Do you remember
the good old days? The days when going to school was like
going to the store, you would walk right in and go about
your business. That is not so today. Over the past years
our schools have made changes to the way they do business.
Is this good? I believe so and I encourage you to believe
the schools need to upgrade even more for the safety of
our children and our friends who work there.
I
know we all think and hope that we will never have a situation
at our schools like the Columbine incident, but the truth
is it could happen at any school across the state. I am
not trying to scare you. I am simply trying to make a point
that the better security systems we have in place now, the
better it is for all our children.
Some
of the proposed security items are better lighting around
the campus, ID card access to buildings after hours, a better
phone system, upgrades on door handles in accordance to
the Americans with Disabilities Act, doors that will lock
from the inside so the teachers do not have to stand outside
to lock the doors if a unwanted person was trying to get
in.
There is a time to act on our children’s safety and
that time is now. Vote yes on May 15 on our school bond.
Todd Berge
Blaine
The
Editor:
As residents of the Blaine school district we have
a great opportunity to continue our excellent education
programs and buildings at all grade levels by voting yes
May 15.
The
need for new classrooms is critical to keep class size at
a workable number and certainly updating our safety and
security systems as well as fire protection are obvious
necessities.
As
a retired teacher from Blaine school district and past school
board member, I know how difficult it is to ask the taxpayers
for more – since I pay these taxes, too. But when you
look at the future for our young people we need to offer
them every opportunity we can. The old cliche was never
more true: “This is an investment in our future.”
The
improvements we are being asked to vote on will maintain
our high level in all areas of the campus. When my children
went through the Blaine schools we passed all of our school
money issues. Let’s keep that record intact by voting
yes on May 15.
Jim Jorgensen
Blaine
The
Editor:
I am for better education and improving basic facilities.
However, I cannot support the $19 million Blaine school
district bond issue in these uncertain financial times.
We have Georgia Pacific closing the pulp plant laying off
430 employees, Intalco possibly closing and laying off 970
employees, electric power cost increasing alerts from 30
to 250 percent, escalating natural gas prices, gasoline
has increased 50 percent in the last 15 months and still
rising and medical insurance for many has or is increasing
by $240 a month.
Until
we know the full impact on the community of the above factors
and how many other community jobs are in jeopardy of our
energy problems I cannot support this bond issue.
Protect your family’s financial security, vote no to
the school bond issue.
Roberta Tetlock
Blaine
The
Editor:
The Blaine school district $19.7 bond levy article
and full back page advertisement that appeared in the last
issue of The Northern Light is an excellent clear promotional
document. It must represent a culmination of many years
of planning and hard work by a lot of people.
The
question I have is why is such a well-planned bond issue
being filed under the state statute for emergency funding
levy on May 15? State law requires that regular levies like
this one be put to the November election calendar, which
traditionally has much larger voter turnout.
I am not surprised by superintendent Dolman and the school
board’s action as these are the same people who refused
to mail xerox copies of a few pages of the school’s
policies to the American Civil Liberties Union. This resulted
in the Washington state courts fining the “Blaine school
district $58,575 in legal fees, court costs and penalties
for failing to provide documents requested under the Washington
Public Disclosure Act.”
How
do you grade the judgement of the superintendent and school
board? If the Blaine school district bond issue is not withdrawn
all voters should turn out and vote no on May 15.
John F. Ackerman
Blaine
Ed note: The secretary of state’s office
and county auditor Shirley Forsloff affirmed that state
law provides for school boards to, by submitting a resolution
to the county auditor no less than 45 days before any one
of the five legislatively established election dates, submit
a bond levy for voter approval.
Letters
Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however,
the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters
must include name, address and daytime telephone number
for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and
may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length
and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10
names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest
to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication.
Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters
will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding
names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one
letter per month from an individual correspondent will be
published.
Please
send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com
|
