Published: December 28, 2023

Now that school board members say they want an OSBA caucus to represent rural interests, they need board members to voice those needs.

In the election period that ended Dec. 15, OSBA members approved a resolution creating the Oregon Rural School Board Members Caucus. It will hold its first meeting via Zoom at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, to adopt bylaws and pick the caucus leadership. Email [email protected] for a link, and all school board members are welcome to attend.

Nominations are open for the nine-member Rural Leadership Assembly from which the caucus president, vice president and secretary-treasurer will be chosen.

“This leadership will help lay the foundation for the caucus’s work,” said Helix board member Emily Smith. She led the committee behind the caucus’s formation.

A leadership nomination form is available online. Board members can nominate themselves or others anonymously. Smith, who will become OSBA Board vice president Jan. 1, said she will follow up with any candidates to answer questions and assure their interest. Caucus meetings will all be virtual, she said, making it easier for potential leadership.

The caucus will have a voting seat on the OSBA Board and Legislative Policy Committee. Smith said the caucus would like to have its leadership in place in time to have a representative at the in-person OSBA Board meeting Jan. 19-20 in Salem.

School board members can join the caucus if their district has a population density of less than 200 people per square mile and/or a total district population of less than 20,000 people. All education service district board members are eligible. Boards from districts that do not meet the qualifications can appeal for membership.

– Jake Arnold, OSBA
[email protected]