Published: December 20, 2023

OSBA member boards have passed a resolution to create the Oregon Rural School Board Members Caucus.

The annual OSBA election period closed Friday. Members also passed a resolution to update OSBA’s bylaws and elected 11 members to regional positions. The OSBA Election Center has the resolutions and information on all the candidates.

The rural caucus, modeled after the Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus, is expected to elevate the voices of board members in rural areas as well as help OSBA better support those communities’ unique needs. The caucus will have one voting seat on the OSBA Board and the Legislative Policy Committee.

“I’m excited for the future of rural school board members and for the opportunities this caucus within OSBA will provide for advocacy and board development,” said OSBA Board Secretary-Treasurer Emily Smith. She led the advisory committee that provided the foundation for forming the caucus.

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, and board members from districts that do not meet the qualifications can appeal for membership.

Smith said the caucus would have its first official meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 2 to vote on leadership and adopt bylaws and a budget. Email [email protected] for a link, and all board members are welcome to attend.

The caucus’s Rural Leadership Assembly will consist of nine representatives, with six from designated regions and three at large. The president, vice president and secretary-treasurer will be chosen from the assembly. A nomination form for leadership positions is available online.

OSBA Board President Sonja McKenzie said she is looking forward to seeing rural schools’ needs made more visible with the new Board seat.

“This vote confirms the need to have those concerns and unique challenges elevated to the legislative and policy level,” she said.

McKenzie, a Parkrose School Board member, said the work in Oregon aligns with increased rural visibility with the National School Boards Association.

Almost 1 in 5 students attends a rural school, according to NSBA. Its Center for Public Education has created a five-part series examining “Educational Equity for Rural Students.” According to the reports, rural students increasingly face disadvantages of poverty, isolation from services and lack of digital access. At the same time, rural schools face greater challenges to provide the staff who can support students.

Smith, a Helix School Board member, will become the OSBA Board vice president on Jan. 1, when OSBA’s new board officers take their seats. Corvallis board member Sami Al-Abdrabbuh will become president, Grant Education Service District board member Chris Cronin will become president-elect and Phoenix-Talent board member Dawn Watson will be secretary-treasurer. McKenzie will move into the role of past president.

In contested Board races, Smith won position 2 (Gorge) and Jeffrey Crapper of Willamette ESD won position 11 (Marion).

In a new addition to the Board, Tristan Irvin of Tigard-Tualatin won position 16 (Washington).

In races without a competitor, eight candidates were re-elected:

  • Laurie Danzuka of Jefferson County to position 3 (Central).
  • Steve Lowell of Klamath County to position 4 (Southeast).
  • Linda Hamilton of Lane ESD to position 6 (Lane).
  • Chrissy Reitz of Hood River County to position 8 (Clackamas).
  • Alonso Oliveros of Willamette ESD to position 12 (Marion).
  • Kraig Albright of Dayton to position 13 (Yamhill/Polk).
  • Greg Kintz of Vernonia to position 14 (North Coast).
  • Kris Howatt of Gresham-Barlow to position 18 (Multnomah).

Position 7 (Clackamas), position 10 (Linn/Benton/Lincoln) and positions 15 and 20 (both Washington) did not have candidates. Those positions will be filled by Board appointments.

All 20 positions of the Legislative Policy Committee were also up for election. The committee helps create OSBA’s legislative agenda and provides regional voices on education issues.

In the only contested races, Osvaldo Avila of Salem-Keizer won position 12 (Marion), and Abbie Warmbier of McMinnville won position 13 (Yamhill/Polk). Positions 7 and 8 (Clackamas) and 15 and 20 (Washington) did not have candidates and will be filled by appointment.

– Jake Arnold, OSBA
[email protected]