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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
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New way to count poverty in schools The change in funding will be good for some local schools, and harmful to others ■
BY CHELSEA DAVIS The World
It’s a mixed bag next year when it comes to state funding for students in poverty on the South Coast. On Thursday, the state Board of Education approved a new way of calculating poverty, one factor in the state school funding formula. Overall, the state allocates the same funding per student, but a district’s count of kids in poverty means extra funding is on the way since those students often need additional help and resources. Previously, the state used U.S. Census Bureau data to determine poverty funding distributions. The bureau stopped collecting poverty information after 2000 but Oregon kept using outdated data to determine funding. Now, the state will use the bureau’s Small Area Income Poverty Estimate, which pulls information from the decennial census and yearly census surveys, Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program and IRS data. This updated information shows that statewide, student poverty has increased over the last decade. Oregon Department of Education communications director Crystal Greene compared the scenario to a pie. Today, more slices are being cut from a pie of student poverty funding, so each slice per student in poverty is going to be smaller than in previous years.
Photos by Lou Sennick, The World
After passing his Canine Good Citizen test Saturday morning, Rex shakes hands with one of the Furry Friends Therapy volunteers. Dante Bachus brought her dog to be tested by the therapy group that is also looking for good canine volunteers to visit people as good will ambassadors.
Sometimes friends lend a paw BY EMILY THORNTON The World
NORTH BEND —It wasn’t just another dog and pony show. These dogs performed so they could, of course, have their day. They worked like dogs, passing the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test Saturday at the Pony Village Mall. It was the step in Furry Friends first becoming Furry For information on Furry Friend Therapy Friends Therapy Dogs Inc., Dogs. Owners call: 541-266-7440 or visit paid $10, which www.furryfriendstherapywent toward the dogs.org. AKC and the nonprofit Furry Friends. Dogs had to meet 10 criteria, such as sitting, staying and coming, as well as subsequent steps, to become a good citizen/Furry Friend. Unfortunately, sometimes the testers couldn’t teach an old — or young — dog new tricks. “Only 35 percent of dogs make it through to become therapy dogs,” said
Panda reacts the way she is supposed to, calmly standing there and accepting the attention during the test. When she was through with the tests to become a canine visitor ambassador, Panda passed for owner Susie Main. Ramona Pessa, co-founder of the local Furry Friends Therapy Dogs Inc. Following the test, owners and their pooches were assigned a mentor, who follows them to three different facilities, ensuring they’re top dog. There could be no barking up the wrong tree. “They have to have a good temperament, have to like people, and like other dogs,” Pessa said. Furry Friends, which celebrates its 10th
anniversary this year, has about 55 dogs and owners who visit local hospitals, senior centers and schools in an effort to spread cheer. “Dogs seem to bring out the best in everybody,” said Judy Taylor, co-coordinator of Furry Friends. One friendly, 2-year-old shih tzu, Henry, passed his test with flying colors. Owner Win Henken of Coquille glowed with pride. Now, she could put on the dog See the related video at at their favorite beau- theworldlink.com ty shop. “I’ve wanted to do Furry Friends since I retired,” Henken said. “I had to get a new dog and train it. This is going to be great.” Some owners just wanted to challenge their pets. “I wanted to see if she could pass,” said Kristina Yori, owner of 1-year, 7-monthold Lucy, a pug. “I’m not sure if we’re doing therapy.” Reporter Emily Thornton can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 249 or at emily.thornton@theworldlink.com or on Twitter: @EmilyK_Thornton.
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Bridge, guns return when Legislature convenes Native American mascots may also be up for debate ■
BY JONATHAN J. COOPER The Associated Press
SALEM — A plan to replace the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River has only grown more contentious since Oregon lawmakers backed it last year, then watched it fall apart when the Legislature in Washington state pointedly decided it wasn’t interested. Now it’s back, just one of several highprofile issues that will be rehashed for a second consecutive year when Oregon lawmakers return to Salem on Feb. 3 for a five-week legislative session. Gun control, clean fuels, Native American mascots and genetically modified crops also may be getting an additional round of debate. There will be new issues too, such as
State of the Union kicks off election cycle
INSIDE
WASHINGTON — There’s only so much that President Barack Obama can do to help his party this year. Six years in, he’s less popular than before, and aside from fundraising, his value on the campaign trail is limited, especially in the places that matter most for Democrats. But the president can set the tone — and in his State of the
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Union address Tuesday, Obama will deliver the opening salvo in a yearlong fight for control of Congress. Although not explicitly political, the speech before millions will frame an economic argument that Democrats hope will resonate with voters in races across the country. “It will be interpreted as the Democratic agenda,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster. “He can frame up the 2014 choice.”
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That choice, as Obama portrays it, is between an America where all segments of the population have opportunities to improve their lot and one where prosperity is disproportionately enjoyed by a select few. In the run-up to the State of the Union, Obama has persistently sought to focus the nation’s attention on trends of inequality and lower social mobility that he’s pledging to address in his final years in office.
To be sure, not every Democrat will echo Obama’s themes in their own campaigns. Many may focus on niche, regional issues or their personal characteristics. But with the economy still a top issue for most voters, Democrats see issues of economic fairness and expanding access to the middle class as their best chance to reach a SEE OBAMA | A8
Fire anniversary Activists say not much has change in Brazil law since the nightclub fire of Jan. 27, 2013, claimed the life of 242 people.
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