Oak Ridge Today

Guest column: Budgeting and property taxes, why are we different?

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

By Leonard Abbatiello

As a matter of convenience to the Oak Ridge Board of Education, the city is getting ready to change the budgeting cycle and the Oak Ridge property tax due and delinquent dates. The city-proposed changes are only a partial band-aid. No one has considered the taxpayer, or the impact of what is best for everyone. 

Early in Oak Ridge’s municipal history, the city had the State of Tennessee legislature pass a private law and a local ordinance which made it possible for Oak Ridge to tax its businesses and citizens much earlier than any other government in Tennessee. It was cash-flow strapped and it then sought state relief to force earlier federal payments. This created a budget cycle that required Oak Ridgers to pre-pay property taxes rather than pay-as-you-go, which happens in the rest of Tennessee.

Today, Oak Ridge is the only Tennessee government which sets its budget and property tax rate in May, its tax bill payments due date is June 1, and the late tax payment date now is July 31 annually. This makes us pre-pay our property taxes and forces early budget decisions. [Read more…]

Guest column: Parents, staff again choose balanced school calendar

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

The second calendar voting for the Oak Ridge 2015-16 results have been counted.

Parents and staff members were called on March 13 and asked if they preferred a balanced calendar or a traditional calendar for all schools including Willow Brook and the PreSchool for the 2015-16 school year. The first vote callout took place Feb. 10.

The traditional calendar is the calendar that most of the Oak Ridge Schools have had for quite a while. Students come to school in the middle of August, have a one-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, a one-week spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and an 11- to 12-week summer.

The balanced calendar is a new calendar that Oak Ridge has never had before. It is called a balanced calendar due to the balance that it gives for instructional time in the classroom—about nine weeks at a time. Students typically arrive for school the first week in August, have a two-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, two weeks off for spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and a seven- to eight-week summer. The balanced calendar is not like the Willow Brook Elementary or PreSchool calendar where students start school in mid-July and have three-week breaks. [Read more…]

Guest column: Saint Patrick’s day thoughts

Posted at
By 1 Comment

John Ragan

John Ragan

About 1,500 years ago, pirates forced a teenage boy from his home in Britain and enslaved him in pagan Ireland. He lived there six years, toiling at the whim of his masters. His name was Patrick.

Patrick’s masters believed they had the right to demand his labor and services whether he agreed or not. He was their slave. But Patrick rebelled against the injustice of bondage, escaping and completing a perilous journey back to his home.

Years later, he answered a call to the clergy and nobly returned to the land of his enslavement—on a mission to spread Christianity. His preaching and life example were so powerful that, by popular approval, he came to be regarded as the patron saint of Ireland. That regard and tradition continue to this day. [Read more…]

Guest column: A visit to the Medford Volunteer Fire Department

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Robin Biloski

Robin Biloski

Oak Ridgers have a first-rate fire department funded through our tax dollars. So I realized as the newly elected chairperson for the Anderson County Fire Commission (and the first commission chair from Oak Ridge), I needed to educate myself in the workings of our volunteer fire departments. I was pleased after my first meeting; the volunteers at Medford quickly invited me to come out for a visit. What a valuable educational process I encountered in my visit.

The Medford community is located between Lake City and Clinton on Route 25W. These dedicated folks meet every Thursday evening to discuss relevant issues, do “training” on equipment, and check trucks. This volunteer crew has about 33 members, not including their Junior Fire volunteers. I was quite impressed that in order to be part of the Junior Crew, you must maintain a certain grade point average. I learned some have been volunteers for over 40 years, and the camaraderie they all share for helping their community, pride in all they do on very limited funds, and love of God which guides them through their dedication.

They appreciate the $20,000 donation county government gives them yearly and try to fill in voids for possible grants that might come along, but still embark on other fundraisers just to stay afloat in their service: concession of food sales at events, “Boot Drives,” and their famous Chili Supper/Auction, which I attended Feb. 22. Those men and women served over 500 people a fabulous meal and gathered items for an auction for desperately needed funds. It was certainly something to behold! They can count me in to be there every year as what fun I had meeting all the great folks in that part of Anderson County! [Read more…]

Guest column: Schools ask for second vote on calendars

Posted at
By 6 Comments

Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

We want your vote..one more time! The Oak Ridge Board of Education has asked for one more community vote for the two calendars that are being proposed for the Oak Ridge School system starting for the 2015-16 school year.

The first vote collected on Feb. 10 showed English-speaking parents favored the balanced calendar 1,094 to 183; Spanish-speaking families were split down the middle with a 43-to-43 vote; and staff favored the balanced calendar 395 to 176.

The two calendars being proposed are called a traditional calendar and a balanced calendar. Both of these proposed calendars have been looked at and discussed by the district’s Curriculum and Instruction team; a district Calendar Committee comprised of teachers and administrators; the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Board made up of parents from all schools; Superintendent Bruce Borchers; and me. Both calendars give staff and parents a choice in the type of calendar they want for the children of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Guest column: The Oak Ridge High School debt chronicles

Posted at
By 9 Comments

Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

The Oak Ridge High School Debt Chronicles—How a $40 Million Project Will Cost Taxpayers Over $126 Million (So Far) 

It appears that the nearly three-year long debate between the Oak Ridge City Council and the Board of Education (BOE) over who owes what on the high school renovation project—the single largest financial expenditure that this city has ever made—is about to be resolved once and for all (or so some hope). To many, this will provide a welcomed relief. For all, it will once again extend and increase a debt obligation far beyond what anyone ever imagined.

Just over one week after the initial public revealing, council will vote on a resolution to end the debate on the high school mortgage issue. The root problem that this resolution will address is not ambiguity in the 2004 referendum or in any “gentlemen’s agreements.” No, the reason that this resolution is necessary, according to the fifth “Whereas,” is “changing community economics and increasing educational needs.”  The need for this resolution, which will violate the original understanding and intent of the 2004 referendum, boils down to an implied need by the Oak Ridge schools for more money.

If passed, this resolution will allow the BOE to retain the portion of the half-cent sales tax revenues collected outside of the City of Oak Ridge and will accomplish the following: [Read more…]

Guest column: Majority of families, staff favor balanced calendar

Posted at
By 14 Comments

Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

The voting results for the 2015-16 school calendar year in Oak Ridge have been counted.

Parents and staff members were called Monday, Feb. 10, and asked if they preferred a balanced calendar or a traditional calendar for all schools, including Willow Brook and the PreSchool, for the 2015-16 school year.

The traditional calendar is the calendar that most of the Oak Ridge Schools have had for quite a while. Students come to school in the middle of August, have a one-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, a one-week spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and an eleven- to twelve-week summer.

The balanced calendar is a new calendar that Oak Ridge has never had before. It is called a balanced calendar due to the balance that it gives for instructional time in the classroom—about nine weeks at a time. Students typically arrive for school the first week in August, have a two-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, two weeks off for spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and a seven- to eight-week summer. The balanced calendar is not like the Willow Brook Elementary or PreSchool calendar where students start school in mid-July and have three-week breaks. [Read more…]

Guest column: Remember to vote on school calendar Monday evening

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

By Donato “Dan” DiGregorio

To staff of the Oak Ridge Schools and parents of students:

The thoughts and views expressed below are mine and may or may not reflect the thoughts and views of the other Board of Education members.

Currently, our Oak Ridge School system operates on two different calendars, the “Willow Brook (WB)” calendar and the “traditional” calendar. Consideration is being given to unifying the school calendar. Two proposed calendars, “the traditional” calendar and “balanced” calendar, are the options. The decision will be left to the Board of Education after much input. Included in this input are staff and parent preferences.

The main question that I hope folks ask themselves is: Of these two calendars, which will be the most helpful to promote student learning?

This coming Monday (Feb. 10) evening at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, Oak Ridge Schools parents and staff will have the opportunity to express their preferences for a possible new school calendar from the two proposed calendars. See this story for Dr. Chris Marczak’s brief description of each and how the telephone “vote” will occur. You may also view these calendars in more detail and how the telephone “vote” will take place by visiting the Oak Ridge Schools website. [Read more…]

Guest column: Emergency management director responds to question about drinking water safety

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Note: Anderson County Emergency Management Director Steve Payne recently responded to a citizens’ question about safety measures the county has in place to protect drinking water in the event of a hazardous situation like that which recently occurred in West Virginia. Here’s Payne’s response, which was forwarded by the County Mayor’s Office, which had initially received the question.

Dear Mayor Frank,

Please forward to the citizen who asked:

What safety measures does Anderson County have in place to protect citizens’ drinking water in the event of a hazardous situation like that which occurred recently in West Virginia?

Anderson County is home to some 50 facilities that manufacture, process, store, or utilize quantities of hazardous radiological or chemical materials. The majority of these facilities are located in industrial parks in the county and cities of Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Lake City.

Facilities with quantities of hazardous materials that meet or exceed threshold levels established by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are required by federal law to file each year a Tier 2 Report stating the material(s) and quantity on site. In addition to the name and quantity of each material, the report includes Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), a site map showing location of material, type of storage container, type of storage conditions, and description of dikes, holding basins, and other safeguard measures. Tier 2 reports received in 2013 from private, non-DOE facilities identify 42 separate hazardous materials. [Read more…]

Guest column: Time to vote for school calendars for 2015-16 school year

Posted at
By 9 Comments

Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

It’s that time of year again: the time to vote for school calendars for the 2015-16 school year. As we move into this time of change, there are two calendars that are being proposed for the Oak Ridge School system.

The two calendars being proposed are called a traditional calendar and a balanced calendar. Both of these proposed calendars have been looked at and discussed by the district’s Curriculum and Instruction team; a district Calendar Committee comprised of teachers and administrators; the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Board made up of parents from all schools; Bruce Borchers, the superintendent; and myself. Both calendars give staff and parents a choice in the type of calendar they want for the children of Oak Ridge.

The traditional calendar is the calendar that most of the Oak Ridge schools have had for quite a while. Students come to school in the middle of August, have a one week fall break, two weeks off for winter, a one week spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and an eleven- to twelve-week summer.

The balanced calendar is a new calendar that Oak Ridge has never had before. It is called a balanced calendar due to the balance that it gives for instructional time in the classroom; about nine weeks at a time. Students typically arrive for school the first week in August, have a two week fall break, two weeks off for winter, two weeks off for spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and a seven- to eight-week summer. The balanced calendar is not like the Willow Brook Elementary or Preschool calendar, where students start school in mid-July and have three-week breaks. [Read more…]

Guest column: Anderson County Schools recognize principals

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

By Anderson County Schools

Students across Anderson County Schools will be using a “Lion King” theme to honor and thank their principals during the month of February 2014. Various activities are being planned to let principals know how much their hard work is appreciated. Student members of the A Team at each school are responsible for leading the show of appreciation and for getting all students involved.

In a society where thanks and appreciation are often overlooked, the students of Anderson County Schools are learning first-hand what it means to have an attitude of gratitude. There are eight different appreciation days scheduled throughout the year to honor and celebrate various employees. Each of the appreciation days are a part of UTrust’s Employee Appreciation Program designed to teach students about gratitude using fun themes to show thanks. [Read more…]

Guest column: Peace activists deserve leniency; actions exposed dangerous security flaws

Posted at
By 4 Comments

Danielle Brian

Danielle Brian

By Danielle Brian, executive director of Project on Government Oversight

If justice is served Tuesday, a federal judge will exercise leniency when he sentences Sister Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed, and Michael Walli for their non-violent protest at the Y-12 nuclear facility in Oak Ridge in July 2012.

The three peace activists did much more to raise awareness about the security gaps at Y-12 than any harm committed when they breached the compound’s outer fence.

Important lessons were learned about the nuclear weapons complex’s security failings and, more importantly, the failings were discovered through non-violent methods. [Read more…]