Leaders of school district parent groups asked the seven candidates running for the Newberg School Board to respond to several questions prior to the May 19th special election. The following responses are taken directly from the candidate submissions and appear in the order they were received.

Why do you believe that you would be a good member of a School Board? 

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the school district today? In the near future? Long term? 

What has been your process to familiarize yourself with the current priorities of the school board? In what ways do your priorities align or differ? 

Tell us about your experience understanding and working with government budgets or do you have another skill that you feel is valuable to board? 

Why do you believe that you would be a good member of a School Board? And what called you to run for this position versus other opportunities to run for an elected office?

Melinda Van Bossuyt, Candidate for Board Zone 3
I have dedicated much of my volunteering to schools and board work for more than 25 years.  I believe I have contributed to continuous improvement in Newberg Schools and the success of hundreds of kids over my years on the school board.  I am running again to continue the work.  Now I am able to contribute an historic perspective in my board work which helps inform board decisions.  School boards are the basis of our democracy.  Not much is more important than local folks overseeing the work of educating our children.  How well we do this determines the future of our community, state and country.
 

Jennifer Fisher, Candidate for Board Zone 6
I was approached last year by a current board member.  She asked me if I would be interested in running for a board position.  She liked that I have kids in the district, I am involved volunteering in classrooms, on different PTO boards, on the District Budget Committee, and a member of the District Parent Leaders Group.

I am not interested in any political office.  I am not the kind of person who needs to be in the spotlight.  But I am a person who cares dearly about the education of our children.  I have been on several different PTA boards in Washington at the local, council, and regional level.  I have volunteered in classrooms since my kids were small.  In Washington, I worked as a school nurse, and I currently work as a school nurse in Hillsboro.

I am the kind of person who doesn’t mind working hard, asking questions, and getting to the bottom of things.  I can be the voice for the parents.  I can be the voice of newer community members.  I feel being on the school board is a logical step, and a way I can make a real impact and difference here in Newberg.

Walter Woodland, Candidate for Board Zone 2
What makes a “good member of a School Board" is rather subjective depending on individual perspective. I believe that the Boards duties are primarily fiducial - being stewards of the public’s financial investment for the purpose of educating the next generation (and that parent choice should be the primary driver regarding content of instruction). That being the case, my view is that the position of school board director is to represent the electorate/taxpayer to ensure the most efficient, responsible use of their provided resources. The publicly administered system has a role but parents should be allowed options for the education of their children using public resources outside of the publicly administered system with an open and welcoming policy on charters being just one of the alternatives available.

The fact that only the incumbent was likely to run for the position was the reason I chose to file my candidacy. The electorate should have alternatives to the status quo, even if they find that status quo desirable. Had another qualified candidate filed for this position I would have gladly supported them instead.

Polly Peterson, Candidate for Board Zone 2
A quality public education is vital to a healthy democracy. The school board is ground-floor, local politics and civic duty of the most important kind.

Why me? Well, I take the time to understand the connectedness and consequences of each of the important decisions I make -- a line item on a budget is not just a number; a paragraph in a policy is more than just words; a decision regarding curriculum is not just a choice between e-books or paperback copies.

I seek to make decisions that are dimensional; I consider more than one perspective.

I believe in the importance of the careful and significant work I have been doing on the Board of Directors and ask you to let me continue to work another four years for you, for our students, for our community, and for our future.

Debbie Hawblitzel, Candidate for Board Zone 7
I have been on the School Board since 2005 (before that I was on the Budget Committee) so I have experience in the position. As well, my interest is in education and my goal is to help all children to be productive, contributing citizens.

I have four children, all of whom have or are attending Newberg public schools. For some of my children, high academic achievement has been a hallmark of their educational experience (i.e., TAG, AP courses, Valedictorian, National Merit Scholar, etc.); for others, struggle and overcoming has been theirs (i.e., ELL-English language learners, learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, adoption issues, etc.).

I work in higher education at George Fox University

Being an advocate is my avocation.  My goal (as stated above) is to help all children be productive, contributing citizens and I feel that I can do this best by being on the School Board, advocating for education.

Mindy Allison, Candidate for Board Zone 6
I believe I would be a good member of the Newberg School Board because three of the things I am passionate about are children, education and our community.  I considered running for the board several years ago but the timing was not right for me.  When it was brought to my attention that my zone was up for election this year I began researching the possibility of running.  The school board and school district is where I feel I can meaningfully contribute to our community in an area that both interests and excites me.  I have spent more than a decade helping in classrooms, talking with teachers, parents and students.  I have seen, in both others and in my own family, successes and struggles throughout the years when it comes to educating our children.  I have a wealth of hands-on experience and am ready to continue to listen, learn and work to improve our school district to be the best it can be.  I’m not interested in other elected offices.
 

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the school district today? In the near future? Long term? 

Melinda Van Bossuyt, Candidate for Board Zone 3
TODAY:  Supporting struggling students toward successful school completion is one challenge.  Providing professional development for staff so they are better equipped to support all students is another current challenge.  NEAR FUTURE:  Adequate funding to bring our district and all of Oregon back up to the level of service we had before the recession and those drastic budget cuts.  LONG TERM:  Beyond that, Oregon has a great deal of catching up to do when compared to the majority of other states in our country.  We (Oregon) have the shortest school year and a poor graduation rate among other indicators.

Whenever I am doing board work, my thought is that a child is a fourth grade student only once.  Or a first grade student or a ninth grade student…  That is why there is always an urgency in my mind to do the right thing for our kids now.

The biggest challenge for the school board may be different than the biggest challenge for the district.  Hiring and keeping the right superintendent is probably the biggest challenge for any school board.  The superintendent sets the ethos for the whole school district.  So it is very important to have the right people on the school board to choose the right superintendent, and to support that superintendent so they want to stay and get the job done right.

Jennifer Fisher, Candidate for Board Zone 6

• Funding education in Oregon has been decreasing steadily the last few years.
• The population of Oregon in the next 10 years will only be growing a little bit, and about half of that growth will be for people over 65 years old, NOT school aged children and families.
• Budgets were slashed about 8 years ago, and we are still not back to where we they were before. 
• Students in Oregon graduate with approximately one year less of actual instruction time as does much of the rest of the country.
• Our teachers, and other staff members have not had the training and professional development they need.
• The education here in Newberg has not kept up with the technology, needs, or basics of the 21st century.
• Our graduation rate is much too low.
• Students in the district do not have the same experiences.  If a student is at CV vs MV or Silver School vs Yellow School, it is not the same.

Every student deserves a high quality, diverse, personalized, full educational experience.  If we are not preparing our children for college or careers or life after high school, we are failing.

Walter Woodland, Candidate for Board Zone 2
The primary, looming challenge facing the Newberg School District-like many that are similarly structured - is the model, based on bureaucratic priorities, that create expanding operating costs coupled with the history of pushing labor liabilities forward through actuarially unsound retirement promises and - as those liabilities come due - the crunch this will place on the ability to provide current services...without mentioning the possibility of diminishing state and federal resources.

A secondary challenge, but no less serious in its impact on the primary mission of education organizations is the tendency of the publicly administered systems to seek to retain and control every dollar of public funding while expanding mandates as well as limiting direct responsibility to the parents of the students they are charged with instructing and to the taxpayer providing the funding.

Also, the desire to create and implement impose new and interesting" methods of education tends to short change the educational opportunities of the students who are subject to the experimentation as well as the taxpayer whose investment under write much of the structural cost of the experimentation - especially where third parties offers “seed money" enticements for the implementation imposition of their "freshly minted educational" model.

Polly Peterson, Candidate for Board Zone 2
I think the biggest challenge for the school board is to educate an increasingly diverse population for an unseen and rapidly changing future. With this comes a paradox. Our students need to be good decision makers, information evaluators, problem solvers, critical thinkers, and excellent communicators. The world is demanding these skills. And, yet, at the same time, the government is asking us to measure those skills using standardized tests. How do we teach a broad and diverse population the knowledge and skills that are rapidly evolving AND measure that progress using a standardized test?  

The answer? It lies in the paradox. It is both/and. We need to teach the students how to be creative thinkers, and we need tests to measure growth and look for areas of improvement. I don't know if Smarter Balanced is the best tool for this. I have heard there is a lot of frustration with the test and its length. But the school board needs data. It also needs administrators who know how to walk the fine line of fostering critical thinkers and making sure students have basic knowledge and competencies. The leadership team is doing just that.

Debbie Hawblitzel, Candidate for Board Zone 7
Graduation rate and budget. These two things go “hand-in hand”. In January, a report released by the U.S. Department of Education shows Oregon at the bottom of the list when it come to the percentage of children who graduate from high school in four years.

The graduation rate in Newberg is not what it should be, nor what it can be, and it is a priority.  As I wrote in my statement for the voter’s pamphlet: I believe that quality public education is essential to our community and our society; that all students can learn and become productive, contributing citizens, and that none should be allowed to simply “fall through the cracks” because today’s students are the future of our community and tomorrow’s leaders.  I strongly support and am committed to achieving success for every student specifically through data-driven decisions, policy development, and resource allocation (think budget).

If you have been reading or listening to the news, you know that the budget for education is a concern. As a state, we are spending an increasingly smaller percentage of the state’s budget on our most important resource, our children and their education. This is a trend that needs to be reversed. 

Mindy Allison, Candidate for Board Zone 6
I think there are several challenges facing our school district.  Things like the graduation rate, excessive assessments, reaching out to parents and the community, helping all students feel like they belong and can be successful are issues that I would like to work on while serving the school board.  Funding is always an issue.  I have watched budgets decline while each of my children have entered the school system.  We need to be creative in the way we fund education for our children and continue to carefully implement programs that will help students thrive and be ready for life after high school. 

What has been your process to familiarize yourself with the current priorities of the school board? In what ways do your priorities align or differ? 

Melinda Van Bossuyt, Candidate for Board Zone 3
I helped determine the priorities with input from staff, community members, and parents.  I support our goals and keep them in mind as we make decisions. 

Jennifer Fisher, Candidate for Board Zone 6
I have been a member of the School District Budget Committee for 3 years.  I have served on the AC and CV parent groups.  I have been a member of the District Parent Leader Group for 3 years.  I have volunteered in classrooms at AC and CV.  I have talked to teachers, principals, students, parents, administration, and parent groups.  I have read through student handbooks.  I have attended forums that the Superintendent has led.  I have been a part of the discussion around the new District Vision, Mission, and Goals.  I have attended school board meetings.

I like that the District is trying to equalize the educational experience for all students.  The middle schools are now on the same schedule.  The High School is breaking down barriers that the Small Schools Model caused.  For instance, AP classes are now available to every student regardless of which school they belong to.  The District is trying to find creative ways to bring unique experiences to Newberg.  For example, next year, they will be offering Chinese.  The new schedule at the high school will provide more instructional time.  Money is being appropriated to fund staff development and technological resources in different ways.

Walter Woodland, Candidate for Board Zone 2
I suspect I have a reasonable grasp of current Newberg School Board priorities garnered by attending a number of school board meetings as well as following district events via their distributed e-letters and other informational dispatches.

I see the current board priorities being supportive of and driven by the bureaucracy of the publicly administered system rather than to the priorities of parents, taxpayers and the community generally. My priority would be to advocate for inverting this relationship.

Polly Peterson, Candidate for Board Zone 2
I am running again to continue the important work we have started district-wide. The district is already seeing increases in graduation rates, better attendance in elementary schools, and innovative, new programs like AVID at both the middle school and high school levels. Frankly, I want to keep the ball rolling. We are already seeing short-term results from the good work this district is doing; I expect the next four years will create a long-term lasting impact on NSD and the community.

Debbie Hawblitzel, Candidate for Board Zone 7
I go to all of the meetings, read information available online and that I have been sent, visit the schools when I can, etc. My priorities align completely with the goals as I was on the school board and involved when the priorities and goals were set.

Mindy Allison, Candidate for Board Zone 6
Since deciding to run for the school board I have met with Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza, attended a school board meeting, met with a current school board member and read old minutes from previous school board meetings.  I stay current on what is happening in our school district and enjoy talking with teachers, parents and students to learn what their experience has been.

I really enjoyed attending the board meeting and meeting with Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza.  Our Superintendent has great goals for our school district.  I believe she has really identified many vital issues and is working with the board toward achieving higher graduation rates, improved technology and becoming a welcoming school district that meets the needs of our students and their families. 

Tell us about your experience understanding and working with government budgets or do you have another skill that you feel is valuable to board? 

Melinda Van Bossuyt, Candidate for Board Zone 3

I have learned a great deal over the years about budgeting.  I am always learning something new in every budget cycle.  Unfortunately, I have had the experience of making draconian cuts.  I try hard to make sure we are aligning our budget with our established goals. 

I now have about 20 years of experience on the board.  I believe it puts me in a unique position of being able to provide an historic perspective for the other board members and the staff. 

One last thought:  The work of the school board can be boiled down to three main things.

• Hiring the right person as superintendent and providing oversight so they can do the job successfully.
• Building sound policies to guide the work of the district.
• Establishing budgets so that tax dollars are spent responsibly.

Jennifer Fisher, Candidate for Board Zone 6
I have been on the District Budget Committee for 3 years now.  Every year I have served, I have reached out to staff and parents asking them what their opinions and perceptions of the budget, the process, and the outcome are.  I have used that information when discussing the budget with the committee, and it has helped me make decisions in the budget process.

I have skills I can bring to the table.  I am passionate.  I am open to discussion and learning.  I am a newer community member.  I have kids in the District.  I have worked and currently work in the educational system.  I have some training via PTA in regards to budgets, policies and procedures, being a part of a team, and advocating for education.  I want to know with is working, what is not working, and how to be a part of the solution and progress.

Walter Woodland, Candidate for Board Zone 2
Government budgets tend to be similar to private sector budgets excepting their maddening scale (being compared to the caliber and quantity of their output) and general capriciousness. I’m confident I can work within those parameters. Whether those parameters can be changed is entirely subject to the will of the electorate.

Polly Peterson, Candidate for Board Zone 2
Over the past four years I have gathered with the budget committee -- other board members, parents, business owners, community members -- to listen to listen to the people of Newberg and Dundee, helping the school district weather the challenging economic and educational climate.

While other districts around us cut days in order to balance budgets, we made adjustments to the budget without slicing into the school year. Balancing a district budget is important, collaborative work, and it is not easy.

Now, as there is a possibility of money being restored to public education, I will have a four-year perspective to help with decisions about where to use the funds.

Debbie Hawblitzel, Candidate for Board Zone 7
My experience is that I have been on the School District’s Budget Committee for the last eleven years, first as an appointed member for my zone, and then as an elected School Board member for my zone.

After I graduated from college I worked in middle management in banking for many years before raising a family. There I worked with accounting. Also, in my current position at George Fox University I work with budgets. Both of these have helped me in being able to read and understand the School district’s budget.

Mindy Allison, Candidate for Board Zone 6
I have a B.S. degree in Accounting and Financial Management.  I have worked with other boards on non-profit budgets and am currently employed in the accounting field.  I feel having an understanding of financial statements and budgets is an essential skill for being a member of the school board.  Other skills I possess are having an open mind, being solution-focused versus problem-focused and enjoy working in a team environment.