BEA’s Grievance Goes to Arbitration
Talks broke down in the Baker Education Association (BEA) grievance negotiations with the Baker 5J School Board and the grievance has gone to arbitration.
Last May the school year was cut by five days in order to balance the reduced budget because the School Board stated, “we are in the worse recession in 75 years.”
The budget had been cut by the state three times since the start of the year. The classified (bus drivers, cooks, janitors, etc.) voted to give up the five days as did the administration and staff. The teachers union did not agree to the cut and said they would seek retribution if the contingency fund wound up being more than $50,000.
Top Superintendent Candidates Selected
By Eden Taylor
Even though the school board meeting was held on April 1, it was no joking matter selecting the superintendent candidates for interviews.
The screening committee, composed of 18 members of the district and/or community, had rated the 27 applicants as they reviewed the applications. Each member of the screening committee made his/her own determinations and then Forrest Bell, Executive Search Consultant for OSBA, compiled the findings into a list rating each candidate. Screening committee members were praised for their work on this “arduous task” and thanked for their time and efforts.
The school board members then determined how many of the candidates would be interviewed. The decision was to interview the top six who were still interested in the position. It was determined that the interviews would be for one and a half hours with a half an hour between each.
Council Discusses Funding City Water Systems
by Mark Bogart
Facing aging infrastructure and new requirements, the Baker City Council, staff and advisors, listened to a presentation on utilities funding options on Tuesday evening at City Hall. The presenters were Jake Salcone and Chris Marko from Rural Community Assistance Corporation. RCAC, they explained, is a private nonprofit organization which helps small communities deal with water and waste water issues. Funding for the presentation came from the United States Department of Agriculture. Because of its federal funding sources, RCAC is able to provide training, analysis and short-term revenue sources to rural communities.
The good news, according to Salcone, is that Baker City has been able to begin addressing some of the needs through its regular budget due to a rate study and adjustment about 10 years ago. He also pointed out that Baker residents pay lower rates for utilities than users in many communities due to the high quality surface water resources in the watershed. Councilors agreed that water quality is a strength of the community.
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