By Henry Houston and Taylor Perse
The May 18 special election didn’t have the national or state policy stakes of the two 2020 elections, but the results did bring some diversity to local education boards. From contested races for seats on the Lane Community College Board of Education to Eugene School District 4J and Springfield School District, it was an education-based election.
In Eugene School District 4J, Laural O’Rourke, a Black woman, won Position 2 by a landslide with 81 percent of the vote, defeating Harry Sanger who received 17 percent. In Position 6, Maya Rabasa, a woman of color, is the clear winner with 85 percent of the votes. Although Dakota James Boulette dropped out of the race, he still ended up with some votes.
Letters to the editor for Friday, May 7: COVID-19, school boards and a lesson from Michigan Register-Guard
A matter of trust, confidence
At the core of the wellness of any public service agency is relational health. The foundation of relational health is trust and confidence. So, when they are placed under stress, wellness is compromised. But, when trust and confidence are exemplary, stakeholders’ morale boosts. When morale is high, collaboration flourishes. When collaboration flourishes, innovation perseveres. Innovation is always critical in the education arena, but now more than ever.
While I am dedicated to supporting the 4J School District as we return to in-person instruction, I am particularly committed to paying close attention to the relational health of our district and its stakeholders. I pledge to diligently serve as an ambassador between the institution that is 4J and the people that are our stakeholders. I will proudly represent the d
All three of Eugene School Board s seats up for election this year are contested, with seven candidates appearing on the ballot.
Most of the candidates are newcomers, with the exception of sole incumbent Judy Newman. Whoever wins each of the seats will hold it for a full four-year term.
The Register-Guard sent all the candidates a questionnaire that asked about relevant experience, reasons for running and plans to make schools more inclusive. Here s a bit more about each of the candidates, based on their responses.
Since filing, Dakota James Boulette, 22, decided to stop campaigning and instead is supporting Maya Rabasa for the seat. However, Boulette s name still will appear on the ballot. Candidate Bryan Costa did not return multiple calls for comment.
As they say, all politics is local, and in Lane County, local politics gets heated when it’s school board elections.
The issues are huge in K-12 education racism and diversity, COVID, standardized testing and more. We are impressed by all the people willing to take on this tough and important duty. Good board members are simultaneously independent thinkers, willing to question how the board is voting and why, and yet also able to function effectively with other board members they may not always agree with to get things done.
It’s great when voters and candidates get fired up about the school board especially if it means positive changes for the kids. So knowing that Eugene and surrounding communities take their school boards seriously, our small editorial board Zoomed with as many candidates as we could, and sent surveys out to the ones who we either couldn’t squeeze in or who didn’t respond. Some candidates didn’t respond in time or at all.
Please consider a vote for change. It’s time for a more diverse school board. We ask you to learn about and vote for Laural O’Rourke, Tom Di Liberto and Maya Rabasa. They are skilled folks who engage heavily in our schools, are parents, have life experience and have an unyielding commitment to better inclusion and equity for all our children. These are not simply words. These people walk the talk.
David and Kitty Piercy, Eugene
Burning desires
Last summer’s wildfires were a shocking and depressing time for any Oregonian. Seeing our beautiful state under a sky of soot was distressing and I can remember how powerless I felt to stop it.