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The Mid-county Memo is your newspaper. We want to hear from you. Discuss an important issue or address a concern you want to call to the attention of the community. We prefer e-mailed letters to the editor sent to Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Please put “Letter to the editor” in the subject line. You may also mail your letter to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230 or fax it to 503-249-7672. Deadline for the December issue is Thursday, Nov. 15.

Resident challenges veracity of PSD superintendent and board

To the Editor:

The lies and deception regarding the Parkrose School District bond measure and the Rossi land seem to continue at PSD board meetings. It truly appears that the board and administration are having real trouble telling the truth.

At the August meeting, the superintendent gave a report on the bond measure. She showed in a myriad of legal talk and description, where in between two paragraphs in small print were the words “purchase property.” It was her contention that those who voted for the bond knew this. It is amazing that no mention of this was made during the campaign.

I have talked with probably a dozen people who would not have voted for the bond had they known that Rossi land was going to be stolen. I also have talked to people who would not have voted for this bond had they known it was for 30 years: another item not mentioned, but once, probably by accident. For a bond that only passed by 6 votes, it appears we know why: the deception and lies. Had the people known the truth, the bond never would have passed.

The superintendent went on at that meeting and listed six dates, starting in 2011, that she inferred they had met with the Rossis about their land. My sources told me that the Rossis had not been contacted until June of 2012 and the Rossis had asked for numbers showing why. At the July meeting the numbers were a wash, cost was the same with or without the property, so the Rossis said no. The numbers in the August issue of the Memo, provided by the superintendent, were numbers the Rossis had apparently never seen. At the August meeting the district said they were going with condemnation. Now I know sources can be wrong, so I was going to say nothing. Yet in a letter to the editor in the September issue of the Memo (PSD board member explains need for Rossi parcel), PSD board member David Horton stated, “In May of 2012 the need for the land was clear so the current landowners, the Rossi family, were contacted.” It appears he sat through the August meeting knowing the audience was being lied to and said nothing. I have decided my sources are more right and honest than the administration and school board appear to be at this time. So it appears we all have good reason to doubt the numbers used, by the district in the August Memo and at the August board meeting.

I attended the September board meeting, and explained what I had found out to the board. I told them, that never in the history of Parkrose had the Rossis not been involved from the very beginning of a bond measure for a school if there was even a slight possibility any of their land would be needed. What this administration and board have done is unconscionable. To treat one of the oldest and most generous families in the district this way boarders [sic] on criminal.

The saving grace that the people of Parkrose have is that all five board members are up for election this next March. We can take our board back from these out-of-touch members. It appears they feel no remorse about the lies, deceit and what they are doing.

Our children deserve better role models. If we do take our board back, not only can we return honesty to Parkrose, we can return the Rossi property.

Mark Gardner
Parkrose resident
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