Vote affirms OSBA re-organization, elects new board members
OSBA will be re-organized as a nonprofit after members overwhelmingly approved a resolution in the election period that ended Dec. 15.
Member school boards also elected 11 candidates to the OSBA Board of Directors and 16 to the Legislative Policy Committee.
OSBA will become a nonprofit on July 1. The change will protect OSBA’s tax-exempt status while allowing it to continue its lobbying and advocacy work. Most members will not see any differences in services. Charter schools, however, will no longer be admitted as associate members and will have to contract services through their sponsoring districts.
“Nonprofit status allows us to protect the assets that fuel our mission of improving public education in Oregon,” said OSBA Deputy Executive Director Mary Paulson. She said she was grateful to membership for recognizing the need for a change.
Board and committee members will take office Jan. 1. The new OSBA Board of Directors will have its first meeting on Jan. 19-20, and the new Legislative Policy Committee will have its first meeting Jan. 20-21. Both meetings will be in Salem.
The board of directors will include four newcomers:
- Position 3 (Central): Patti Norris, Crook County SD
- Position 7 (Clackamas): Liz Hartman, Lake Oswego SD
- Position 10 (Linn/Benton/Lincoln): Terry Deacon, Linn Benton Lincoln ESD
- Position 12 (Marion): Melissa LaCrosse, Jefferson SD
The Legislative Policy Committee, which develops OSBA’s legislative policies and priorities, will include at least six newcomers. John Hartsock, Gresham-Barlow SD, and Rita Moore, Portland Public Schools, tied in the race for Position 19 (Multnomah). OSBA will be sending out new ballots Jan. 2 to the Multnomah region only for a run-off election. Ballots will be due Jan. 31.
Three positions did not have a candidate (Position 2, Gorge; Position 12, Marion; and Position 14, North Coast) and will be appointed by the board at a meeting in early January. That meeting has not been set yet.
- Jake Arnold, OSBA
jarnold@osba.org