No future for No Child Left Behind? Dalai Lama tix a hot commodity; Yard debris dropoff; Camp Florence residents seek CPR training

Coast Radio News
Local News

12 March 2013

No Child Left Behind… May Be a Thing of the Past

A group made up of teachers, aides, administrators and members of the community are meeting with the aim of improving student performance at Siuslaw Schools.

Ethel Angal – “It’s another accountability measure for Oregon Schools.”

It’s called the Achievement Compact Advisory Committee.  The group is led by District Special Programs Director Ethel Angal.  As the name implies, the Achievement Compact is an agreement between the district and the state.

Ethel Angal – “It’s a district and school improvement plan, and it’s a commitment to try to reach certain benchmarks with all students and then certain bench marks with some of the sub group of typically under served students.”

Oregon won permission last year to set aside some of the punitive requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act in exchange for a slightly different process.  The Achievement Compacts are actually between local districts and the Oregon Education Investment Board chaired by Governor John Kitzhaber.

Dalai Lama a Sellout

It took only about 25 minutes yesterday for the University of Oregon to sell the 3-thousand general admission tickets set aside for the Dalai Lama’s May 10th lecture at Matthew Knight Arena.  The tickets went on sale at ten AM.

About 11-thousand people will be on hand to see the Dalai Lama’s 2nd ever appearance in Oregon.  It will be his first in Eugene.

About 3-thousand tickets were distributed to U of O students last week.  Another block of tickets were made available to the event’s co-sponsor… the Eugene Sakya Center.

CPR for Camp Florence

Camp Florence residents listen intently to Western Lane Ambulance District CPR Instructor Dave Haberman on their way to certification. (Western Lane Ambulance Dist. photo)
Camp Florence residents listen intently to Western Lane Ambulance District CPR Instructor George Lydick on their way to certification. (Western Lane Ambulance Dist. photo)

11 residents at the Oregon Youth Authority training facility south of Florence were recently certified for CPR and First Aid.

What made the class special for Western Lane Ambulance Paramedic George Lydick is that students requested the class on their own.  “They were eager to learn” he said.

Each of the students are residents at Camp Florence, a transition facility in the Oregon Youth Authority.  All were convicted of a crime as juveniles and have been working steadily towards their release to society.  Camp Florence is usually the last stop in that journey.

Vocational Coordinator Marc Barnum said the classes will help them take care of their families on release, but they will also help them on the job.

Yard Debris Dropoff

Favorable weather last weekend may have prompted many residents to get out and begin clearing away some of the winter accumulation.  To facilitate the disposal of some of that organic matter, the City of Florence will begin monthly yard debris dropoffs this weekend.

Jacque Betz – “Our yard debris starts this Saturday, March 16th.  So if you have been out in your yard cleaning it up with the nice weather we’re having you’re welcome to take it to the airport site.  Ten dollars for a truckload and it’s ok if you’re outside the city limits to bring that to us.”

City Manager Jacque Betz said all of the debris will be ground.  Much of it will wind up being mixed with sludge from the waste water treatment plant; composted; and eventually used as fertilizer.