Woodburn School Board’s first student representatives in years, Edwin Estevez Ramos (standing) and Abigail Trapala Vera (center), work with board members during an exercise at the OSBA Summer School Session on Thursday in Eugene. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)
The Woodburn School District sent a contingent to the OSBA Summer School Session on Thursday in Eugene: the superintendent, board secretary, four school board members and two student representatives.
It is important for everyone in leadership to be learning the same things and be on the same page, Board Chair Debbie Ballweber said.
That spirit of building a common language infused the conference at Lane Community College, OSBA’s second Summer School Session. OSBA launched Summer School Sessions this year to offer regional one-day conferences. The format creates a more cost-effective opportunity for districts while still presenting deep dives on governance, legislative developments and legal responsibilities.
OSBA held its first session July 10 in Redmond with the same agenda. OSBA leadership will be looking at other locations for 2027 to give more districts a chance to have a conference closer to home.
“OSBA believes in being in the communities we serve,” OSBA Executive Director Emielle Nischik said. “We adopted Summer School Sessions this year to make training accessible to more people, and we were gratified to see so many new faces learning to be stronger leaders.”
The summer sessions also feature workshops designed specifically for administrative professionals serving as board secretaries and executive assistants.
Lisa Follis, the Santiam Canyon School District board secretary and executive assistant, came because she has been in her job less than a year. Her district is small so she has nobody to learn from, and much of the leadership team and school board are also new.
“I hope to learn how to be more effective,” she said. “Everybody is just trying to learn their role. OSBA is helping.”
South Coast Education Service District Superintendent Bart Hawkins is also new to his position.
“This is a good opportunity to learn about board governance and the topics I need to be familiar with,” he said.
A show of hands in the opening session revealed a significant portion of the roughly 100 attendees are relative beginners, including Woodburn School Board member Anabel Hernandez-Mejia.
She said her board values learning and training and she wanted an opportunity to network with peers and receive training from OSBA’s governance experts.
“I want to do good by my community who voted for me,” Hernandez-Mejia said.
– Jake Arnold, OSBA
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