Why am I running for re-election?The Newberg School Board has the potential to be great, if it can embrace a broad range of perspectives and attune itself to ALL the voices in the district. I can help it do that.
My two youngest sons graduated in 2020, amid the coronovirus shutdown. They were in 4th grade when I was appointed to fill a vacancy from Zone 1 (Dundee and its environs). Most of their experience in our schools was great. We thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the skill, dedication, and care teachers and staff showed to them at Joan Austin, Dundee, Chehalem Valley Middle School, and the high school. At each step along the way, our sons met good teachers who challenged them and cared about them. |
But there is room to improve. During my time on the Board, our grade schools have generally performed better than average in Oregon. We need to build on that success, make sure it's available in every elementary school in the district.
Transitions to middle schools and high school have not gone very well, particularly to the high school. Before COVID, too many of our high school students were falling behind their peers state-wide. Good data is scarce amid COVID's disruptions, but while we reached a new high in graduation rate last year, there is no evidence our high school student achievement has improved. Ninth grade readiness to graduate has been declining lately.
The Board can't teach the classes. Nor can we hire or fire the teachers. What we can do is support our superintendent as he works with principals and teachers. The Board can set clearer goals for improvements in student achievement, insist on better ways to measure progress, and back the superintendent as he makes needed changes.
When it became clear that the district needed to change how it managed its budget, I was one of the vocal Board members insisting on a strict policy requiring that we carry over from year to year a reserve fund for emergencies. We adopted that policy in 2018. This was a crucial reform that has helped us weather the COVID crisis, and gave us a better credit rating to get a lower interest rate on our new bond and make it more cost-efficient.
I will take a similar approach to our biggest issue going forward: helping our secondary schools improve in student achievement.
Part of that improvement is making sure it reaches every student, which is why I support the district's equity work and volunteered for the Board's Equity Committee. For more about this -- including to make sure you understand my motives and underlying values -- please see the following pages: About Me, How my faith influences my Board work, and Vision.
Transitions to middle schools and high school have not gone very well, particularly to the high school. Before COVID, too many of our high school students were falling behind their peers state-wide. Good data is scarce amid COVID's disruptions, but while we reached a new high in graduation rate last year, there is no evidence our high school student achievement has improved. Ninth grade readiness to graduate has been declining lately.
The Board can't teach the classes. Nor can we hire or fire the teachers. What we can do is support our superintendent as he works with principals and teachers. The Board can set clearer goals for improvements in student achievement, insist on better ways to measure progress, and back the superintendent as he makes needed changes.
When it became clear that the district needed to change how it managed its budget, I was one of the vocal Board members insisting on a strict policy requiring that we carry over from year to year a reserve fund for emergencies. We adopted that policy in 2018. This was a crucial reform that has helped us weather the COVID crisis, and gave us a better credit rating to get a lower interest rate on our new bond and make it more cost-efficient.
I will take a similar approach to our biggest issue going forward: helping our secondary schools improve in student achievement.
Part of that improvement is making sure it reaches every student, which is why I support the district's equity work and volunteered for the Board's Equity Committee. For more about this -- including to make sure you understand my motives and underlying values -- please see the following pages: About Me, How my faith influences my Board work, and Vision.