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InterMountain ESD Board Vice Chair Kelly Bissinger is the 2025 Oregon School Board Member of the Year
September 18, 2025Kelly Bissinger of the InterMountain Education Service District was surprised Wednesday, Sept. 17, to learn he had been named the 2025 Oregon School Board Member of the Year. “I’m humbled,”... Read More
U.S. Department of Education Seeks Assurances of FERPA Compliance (April 2025)
April 11, 2025U.S. Department of Education Seeks Assurances of FERPA Compliance The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) issued on Friday, March 28, a letter that served as the... Read More
Oregon is resisting certification request
April 10, 2025Our nation is struggling to define what it means to serve all students. Oregon has joined the states standing up for the rule of law so that schools can serve all their... Read More
Response to federal certification request
April 4, 2025We understand school leaders are concerned about the federal government’s latest communication, but we don’t want anyone to take any rash actions before we know more. The U.S. Department... Read More
The law has not changed
March 5, 2025Recent communications from the U.S. Department of Education and the Trump administration have created confusion across the country. The laws have not changed, though. We know school leaders fear a... Read More
OSBA monitoring federal actions
January 31, 2025The federal government recently issued a series of executive orders and memorandums. The topics include federal funding, DEI programs, immigration, and gender-based facilities and athletics. The administration’s moves have been concerning and... Read More
Immigration enforcement developments
January 22, 2025On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a policy in place since 2011 that discouraged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from taking actions in so-called “sensitive locations,”... Read More
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Amazing, innovative and heroic stories take place in Oregon’s schools every day. OSBA wants to share some of the work that shows public education is #OregonStrong. ![]()
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Today we have a story from Malheur Education Service District:![]()
A Malheur ESD-sponsored educational tour takes 21 eighth graders to Washington, D.C., and New York City (Facebook)![]()
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Read more: tinyurl.com/4vyjtjdr ![]()
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#oregonstrong #Oregon #publiceducation #studentsuccess #EducationMatters #malheuresdEighth-Graders Explore the Big Apple and D.C.: A Journey Beyond Malheur County![]()
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VALE – There is a big world outside of Malheur County and a group of local eighth-grade students gained an opportunity to see it recently as part of an educational tour sponsored by the Malheur Education Service District.![]()
Twenty-one students journeyed to the east coast over spring break to tour Washington, D.C. and New York City. The tour included seven adults and four days in the nation’s capital and two days in New York City. ![]()
“We had really great weather and were able to do everything that was on our itinerary,” said Jason Echeverria, Regional ELL specialist for the education service district who led the effort. ![]()
During the first leg of the trip to Washington, D.C., students and adults visited a host of historic sites such as the Washington National Cathedral, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the White House, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, Ford’s Theater, Mount Vernon, Old Town Alexandria and Arlington National Cemetery. ![]()
In New York, the group visited Times Square, jumped on a New York harbor cruise, completed a walking tour of the financial district, saw the 9/11 Memorial and went on a subway ride. The group also watched the Lion King play on Broadway and visited Central Park and Rockefeller Center.![]()
Echeverria said the trip is an excellent way to enlarge the outlook of young students. ![]()
“I think it is a huge learning experience. A lot of kids have hardly left the state or the Northwest or rarely traveled to a big city,” he said. ![]()
Preparations for the trip begins with seventh-grade students, said Echeverria. ![]()
“So, the kids have 14 months to raise money for the trip. Some years we are able to get a big number. Last year we took a group of 38 and for 2027 we actually have 40 signed up,” he said.![]()
Once they reach Washington, D.C., they meet with a tour guide, said Echeverria. ![]()
“They take us around to all of the sites and explain the history. So, students learn a lot about American history,” he said.![]()
Echeverria said the “big takeaway is getting them to learn what it is like to travel.”![]()
“Malheur County is not the whole world. For them to get to see big east coast cities opens them up to an expanded world view,” said Echeverria.![]()
The trip, he said, also includes a lot of walking.![]()
“We walk anywhere from seven to ten miles a day even with the tour bus,” he said.![]()
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Below: More than 20 local eighth-grade students journeyed to Washington, D.C. and New York City over spring break as part of a program sponsored by the Malheur Education Service District.
Do you know an outstanding school board member who makes a difference in your school district, community college or education service district? If so, nominate them for the Oregon School Board Member of the Year award. #sbmoty #Oregon #education #schoolboard #SchoolBoardMember #publicschools #EducationMatters![]()
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Nominations form: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DF6NB8D
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The OSBA Bonds, Ballots and Buildings Conference in Salem on Friday brought school leaders together with industry experts to discuss the best ways to persuade voters to pass money measures for much-needed facilities.
Read more: #osba26bbb
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