SchoolBoardCandidates WrittenResponses

West Linn-Wilsonville School Board
Candidates’ Forum
May 3, 2011, 7-9 p.m.
Wilsonville Forum, Wilsonville High School
Sponsored by
West Linn-Wilsonville Parents’ Association
www.wlwvparentsassociation.blogspot.com
&
West Linn-Wilsonville Chapter of Stand for Children
www.stand.org/or
Rob Fernandez: Board Position 3
Why do you want to serve on the School Board? (For Incumbents) What did you do in your last term(s) that
you are particularly proud of and how specifically did it (or will it) improve outcomes for children?
I sought the vacant school board position for two important reasons. First and foremost, I wanted to participate
in and contribute to the selection process for the new superintendent. I believed that this was the most
important decision that the board would make for many, many years, and I wanted to contribute to that effort.
Because the position of superintendent sets the tone for establishing the ethos of a school district, he or she must
possess impeccable credentials as well as the charisma to appeal to the patrons, teachers, and children in the
district. I thought it was critically important that we not only match professional qualifications, but ensure “the
fit” was right. I am proud of my contribution to the process and am confident that we hired an outstanding
superintendent. Dr. Rhoades’ leadership will set the tone for our children’s education experience for many years
to come. The other reason that I applied to serve on the board was to participate in the 2012-13 budgeting
process. Having served on the budget committee for many years, I wanted to move beyond an advisory role
and participate both in the budget analysis and contract negotiations as a full board member. Again, given the
results, I am proud of the role that I have played in the process.
What is your understanding and view of the role, areas of responsibilities and influence of a school board
member? How will you educate yourself on issues that come before the Board, and what time commitment
do you expect?
I believe that a school board member has three key roles to fulfill. The first role is to assure statutory compliance
and conduct legal oversight subject to ORS. As a fiduciary in this context, it is the role of a board member to
ensure that a balanced budget is constructed that offers the best educational opportunity for all of the district’s
students. The second role is one of an unbiased deliberator. As the numerous requests for funding, resources, or
resolution come before the board, it is critical that a board member can step out of his or her biases and opinions
and engage in the process of critically reviewing each decision in the context of what is best for the district as
a whole. The third role, and the one that I think is most important, is to be an ambassador for our schools in
the community. As taxpayers, we make an enormous investment in the education of our children. A board
member must be visible in the community and willing to engage and listen to the advice, criticism, and opinion
of those whose hard earned money pays for our kids’ education. Having served on the board, I understand the
commitment of time for both due diligence and actual board work.
What personal and professional skills as well as experience and background (particularly related to children)
do you have that will support you in the responsibilities of a school board member? What can you point to in
your career or life experiences as an example of your willingness to stand up for an important change?
As a father of three children who attend our schools, I see the results of our efforts daily. I have coached
and mentored many children/teens over the years and feel that I am adept at engaging them in meaningful
communication. I feel this experience is pivotal to functioning as an effective board member. In the absence of
some grave injustice, I see the most important characteristic of positive change agent as a willingness to accept
new ideas… even when they challenge those ideas that one feels to be correct. My failures and successes as a
business person can be traced to either a willingness to embrace or, in some cases, a resistance to a new ideas.
As I have matured, I have gained an appreciation for the fact that so many times our most significant successes
stem from the listening to others and considering their ideas and perspectives. School board members, like good
business leaders, must learn to identify and embrace positive change.
In your view, what are the main issues or areas pertaining to education at the state level requiring the most
attention?
The main issues are building a linkage between K-12 and higher education, development of meaningful
vocational curricula, and developing a stable funding mechanism for the system.
How can the district support teachers doing their best work? How can staff development and the evaluation
process for principals and teachers be improved?
The district can provide the best support to the teachers by managing an efficient and responsive organization.
Removing impediments to innovation, providing clear and precise direction as it relates to policy, delivering
resources in a timely manner, and eliminating as many unnecessary out of classroom demands as possible are
the priorities that I see to be crucial to supporting direct classroom instruction.
The last few years have been difficult with teacher and staff lay-offs due to budget constraints across the
state. Do you believe the morale of District employees – especially teachers – has an effect on the quality of
education and if so, do you believe the school board has a responsibility to evaluate and if need be, work to
improve morale in the district?
This is a topic near and dear to my heart. A board cannot manage an organization; morale is a management
responsibility. There can be no argument with the observation that the morale of any organization affects the
quality of its work. As a director of a large organization, clearly there is a responsibility to monitor and appraise
the morale of the organization as a whole. Having said that, I believe that morale can only be improved by the
actions and behaviors of the leadership team. It is the board’s responsibility to provide oversight, guidance, and
feedback to senior management, and to set the expectations and standards for their behavior. The leadership
team must then be held accountable to those standards. The expectations that I use for the managers in my
company reflect my philosophy for maintaining high morale; they are:
● Demand open and transparent communication between leadership and staff;
● Quickly admit errors and collaborate to improve the subsequent outcomes;
● Analyze successes and look for opportunities to replicate the process;
● Never forget respect for the individual;
● Never forget the importance of mutuality.
As a board member, you will be required to evaluate the performance of the superintendent. What are the
top three areas you would like to see Dr. Rhoades focus on in the 2011-2012 school year?
My directions for Bill are as follows:

1. Use your education, experience, and knowledge to help craft a “best of class curriculum” for the West
Linn Wilsonville School District;
2. Retain and enhance the successful vision themes that have served our district so well, and translate them
into plans and initiatives that can be measured and improved;
3. Embrace, model, and demand principled and collaborative leadership for your administrators.
Mary Furrow – Board Position 2
First, throughout the budget turmoil, I have taken the calm, deliberate path to preserve our valued programs in
music, arts, activities, as well as strengthening core subjects. Classroom teachers have been preserved as a top
priority, even during revenue declines.
With patience, and deep investigation, I've encouraged the district leadership to look at new ways to deliver
their education. The board passed the policy about proficiency credits, and this is a beginning step in reforming
secondary education.
Second, I've promoted and encouraged the wellness initiative, to change from program to student centered
curriculum. This means that by the time a student has been our district for a number of years, they will have
a personal wellness plan that they can modify and carry forward their entire life. This alone could have huge
consequences when considering the impact of a generation of healthy practices carried forward to the next
generation. This project has been accomplished using current PE/Wellness teachers and collaboration with other
professionals, such as OSHU.
Third, I’ve prodded and supported the administration to develop a teacher mentoring program for new teachers
beyond their first 2 years, and to move this program into the classrooms of experienced teachers as well. While
the district had a "new teacher program", it was generally not based in the classroom. The current model
includes mentors observing, and teachers observing highly skilled educators within their own classroom. In 2011-
2012, the model will be classroom centered with emphasis on teaching practices and content enrichment. This
is probably the most central aspect of helping teachers impact the largest number of students to develop and
retain new teachers at a very high performance level. Not only do the students benefit that are in the current
classrooms, but every time a teacher is gaining skills in their craft, the education of future students is benefiting
as well.
This year, the hiring of the new superintendent and leading the board and community through this process, by
insisting on having a process agreed to and then followed through to the end. During this time, I communicated
to key people in the community, administrators and teachers to assure them all that the process was working
and that the outcome would help our district move forward for many years to come. It was not my intent to hire
a clone of Roger, but to look for skills and attributes that would benefit the students as well as communicate to
the community in a thoughtful and systematic way. Bil Rhoades has great potential to guide our schools in ways
that will prepare students effectively to graduate with many skills beyond academics. His leadership style will
help everyone to look at what is working and what needs to be improved. It's a very exciting time.
Lastly, I’ve personally worked on the last two local option campaigns that passed. I know that this additional
revenue has helped keep our classroom sizes reasonable, even when state revenue has fluctuated. It has
permitted us to maintain and grow the arts, and other programs as well, when other districts have elected to
cut many of the programs that may be considered non-core. It helps to keep our communities strong by having
strong, stable schools. Children benefit in so many ways by having a way to keep our schools from “reacting” to
every change that comes through.
do you expect?
A: Hire and evaluate the superintendent
B. Oversee and adopt a balanced budget every year.
C. the influence of the individual board member is only as much as other board members arrive at consensus;
therefore, team building is an important role.
D. Understanding the entire district’s needs over an individual school or special interest.
E. Educating oneself goes on every year, especially with new administrative leadership.
F. Looking forward to personnel changes that may be forthcoming.
G. Responding to community questions and concerns and making sure that the superintendent is informed of
any of these concerns as they are made known to an individual board member.
H. Review and pass policies.
A. Started and run a multi-million dollar business for 32 years. This required not only managing a budget, but
developing a budget and vision to keep this business viable.
B. Professional education in a people related career, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, which helped me
understand family, community and social systems.
C. 9 years on the school board.
D. Parent of 2 children in the district, with specific knowledge of primary, middle and high school experiences.
E. Specific knowledge of each school and program in our district.
attention?
A. Funding mandated education requirements.
B. Funding Early Childhood education such as grants for pre-school and full day kindergarten programs.
C. Requiring programs that assist in improving education required by industries in Oregon.

A. Providing a strong professional development program, including money for this as well as mentorship for all
teachers and principals.
B. Continue to expand and hone the programs that are already in place in our district.
Our particular teacher morale is very high compared to many districts. This is due to open communication
between the district administration and the professionals. The board can assist this process by keeping a calm
and professional message to all employees so that they understand that they are valued and respected.
This is an important part of the board’s responsibility. The Vice Chair is specifically responsible to lead this
process, and we have already had some preliminary conversations with our new superintendent to have some
mid-term discussion about his performance. This also includes the hiring of an assistant superintendent.
Areas to focus on: Getting to know the district is first and foremost. This includes what is working well, what
needs to be improved and key areas for next year’s study sessions. Managing the current budget and developing
a budget for year 2012-2013.
Getting to know the board individually and as a group.
Getting to know the community. This includes the businesses, the chambers, the service clubs, etc.
I would summarize that the job of the superintendent is largest during their first 3 years. During that time they
will see many of the key issues that will be in front of them. I appreciated that having some wisdom on the board
will help to make that transition smooth.
Kristen Keswick – Board Position 2
One of the main reasons we moved to Wilsonville is because of the excellent reputation of the
District. Since my children have started school, I have been disappointed by the furlough days, lack of
transparency of the Board and District Administration, and question some of the spending that has
occurred. I believe that our district can do better and I have skills such as budget experience, leadership,
and negotiations that can help lead the district to a new era. It is important to me that all the children in
our district has the tools for success. To do this I want to foster a district environment that attracts the
best teachers to support and uphold academic success. I also want to work to find creative budget
solutions that allow us to maintain teaching positions and not increase class sizes as well as finding
means to allow each child to excel by supporting a variety of extracurricular activities, including clubs,
sports, art, and music.
do you expect?
The School Board is responsible for developing, evaluating, and implementing the policies of the
district. It employs and supervises the responsibilities of the superintendent as well as adopts and
approves the annual budget for the district. The Board is responsible for keeping the district citizens
informed about the schools and for keeping the district informed about public needs and wants. The
School Board also establishes the goals which lead the district in working with the staff to continuously
improve the school programs.
In terms of educating myself, I have already undertaken a significant amount of research to learn about
the current district challenges. I have also been talking with community members to understand their
concerns. As a Board member, I will continue to conduct research by talking to the those involved with
the issues (teachers, principals, parents, students, community, etc.) to fully understand each situation. I
will also do research at a district level (has the district faced a similar issue in the past and the decision
that was made) as well as at a national level to see if there is an opportunity to improve upon what has
been done in the past. As far as a time commitment, I expect to spend 10-20 hours a week on School
Board related work. During critical times, such as budgeting, I would expect this to be higher.
I have two young school age children so I have been active in the classroom by volunteering every
week. I am a member of the Site Council at Boones Ferry and also coach youth sports. I have held
positions in Project Management, Management, Supply Chain, and Purchasing at my current employer
(12+ years). In these positions I have gained critical transferable skills such as budget experience,
negotiations, team building, and leadership, and have been recognized in my company for making smart
budget choices. In my current position as a Program Manager for a global corporation, I take multiple
inputs from teams and make informed decisions for the programs. I also have experience managing
multi-million dollar budgets and know how to leverage resources for the biggest possible impact. This
experience will serve me well when considering district issues.
In terms of standing up for an important change, this experience of running for school board resonates
the most to me. I see that there is a need to set the expectations for our district to a higher level. This is
a time to expect more and to push for greater accountability, creative problem solving, and more
transparency. I am stepping forward to help drive this change, not only for the benefit of my children, but
for all the children in our district, because I have the skills necessary to find creative and smart solutions
to the problems we face as a district.
attention?
There are so many issues at the state education level, but I see three primary areas: 1) The state
needs to stabilize school funding so the districts can plan and manage budgets accordingly. 2) There
needs to be a method to increase school accountability so that schools meet performance requirements.
3) I also think it’s important to make the State Superintendent an appointed official so this person can
solely focus on the schools and not be distracted with concerns of being reelected.
The district needs to establish a means to recognize and reward teachers for the outstanding work
that is being done. It also needs to encourage having the teachers share knowledge and expertise with
other teachers. I am intrigued with the CLASS Project from Chalkboard wherein select districts like
Sherwood have found a means to offer the district teachers development opportunities, as well as explore
unique compensation to reward the teachers for outstanding work. Starting a project such as this is a
great opportunity to support our teachers.
In terms of evaluations, there needs to be more to the evaluations than only the results of the state
standardized test scores. For instance, an evaluation should be relevant to the work that is being done
and the rate of improvement of children throughout the year.
I believe that we have wonderful teachers in this district that despite the issues they have faced, are
continuing to do their best to educate our children. At some point, morale can directly impact one’s work.
If teachers are frustrated about managing larger class sizes, having to take days off unpaid, not receiving
raises, etc., over time it will become difficult for this not to show in the classroom. Therefore, it is
important that the district be in touch with the teachers and principals to assess morale and find ways to
improve if it appears to be waning.
In his first year, it is important for Dr. Rhoades to establish open lines of communication with the
community and parents, closely evaluate the budget to see if there are additional areas to save costs to
return teaching positions, and examine ways to improve the graduation rate of this district.
Patricia Muller – Board Position 1
I believe in public education and I’m willing to work to protect it. My extensive background in education and
issues surrounding education give me a broad perspective to help make informed decisions that will benefit the
students and the community.
do you expect?
The official role of the board is to set policy and priorities for the district and to direct plans for students, staff,
buildings and spending. These decisions must be closely tied to the mission and vision outlined by the district.
The board serves as a vital link between the community and schools. It is in this area that influence can and
should be used for the greatest benefit to students.
The board has a responsibility to make informed decisions free of personal bias or agenda. Spirited debate
should be welcomed. Board members need to think outside of the box to come up with creative solutions to
current challenges. These solutions must be transparent to members of the community.
One of the issues brought to my attention by constituents is the Spanish Immersion Program. I have worked
in schools with such programs, both successful and unsuccessful. I worked on the planning committee for the
start up of bilingual programs, done multiple school visitations of successful programs and attended conferences
on bilingual education. I recently attended a conference, where Superintendent-elect Rhoades was also in
attendance, describing a successful magnet bilingual program in the Corvallis School District. Given that we are
in the process of constructing two new schools, we could have the opportunity to consider such a program.
Another issue brought up at the state and local level is service given to special needs students from talented and
gifted, English language learners, and special education. We have the opportunity to advocate for state funding
for TAG students and to make sure the money appropriated for ELL students and special education students are
spent for the benefit of those students.
I have participated in committees at the state level that advise the Oregon Department of Education. These
have addressed identifying successful schools, proficiency-based learning, high school graduation requirements,
and assessment. I have also served the department as a test item writer and writing scorer. I don’t hesitate to
contact the department directly when I see decisions made that have a negative impact on students.
The type of work needed to study the issues before the board ties in with the work I currently do to advocate
for my students and students throughout the state. I look forward to collaborating to discuss options that will
best meet the needs of the students in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. Throughout my many years
in education, I have seen programs and initiatives come and go, and we need to look at what we are already
doing to see if it is working and to see if we have truly implemented the program before we move on to trying
something else. These decisions need to be data driven.
I commit to having public office hours where I will post my location in the newspaper and other media to be
available for informal face-to-face meetings with interested parties. I would especially like to invite students to
speak to me directly about how decisions made are affecting their education.
I hold a masters degree in International School Administration/ESL. My bachelor’s degree is in Environmental

Studies. I hold an elementary teaching license and an ESL endorsement at the state and national board levels.
My teaching experience extends to elementary, middle, and high school levels in addition to university. I have
taught self-contained classroom, language arts and social studies, ESL, talented and gifted, and technology. I am
currently teaching ESL at the elementary level.
People find me approachable and informed. I take the time to research about an issue before making a decision.
I am compassionate and empathetic and a champion for those with no voice or little influence.
An example I’d like to give about my willingness to stand up is my experience in a school improvement
committee. I educated myself on federal policy and chaired the committee with other members committed to
the vision. We wrote the school improvement plan emphasizing effective use of scheduling and personnel, and
targeted interventions for students. As a result of the hard work done by the committee and the other staff at
the school, the school met federal benchmarks for the first time despite a high level of poverty, minority students,
and English language learners.
attention?
The legislature recently passed a bill requiring free, full-day kindergarten starting in the 2015 school year. I am
concerned that there currently is no financing attached to this bill.
I listened to the testimony of the Florida reformers that came to the State Education Committee. They propose
giving schools letter grades. While exploring options for my nephew, who will be moving to Florida next year,
there wasn’t a single high school in his district that had met federal adequate yearly progress guidelines, yet
some of those school had received high letter grades from the state! They also outlined other elements of their
program, but the difference between Oregon and Florida is that they sunk a large sum of money into those
reforms before the economic crash. Most bills that have a Ways and Means referral attached will die either
before getting to that committee or in that committee itself despite their merit or lack thereof.
It makes no sense to keep changing the standards by which schools are considered successful and then to make
comparisons. This year the passing score on the math test was raised so math “achievement” will go down. If
we weren’t comparing apples to oranges all the time, we could take a closer look at what really works.
Talented and gifted funding was being considered and the result was yet another task force being created.
Virtual classes to accelerate talented and gifted students should be made available at no cost at the very least.
Community members could also come in to provide additional enrichment opportunities.
Various accountability initiatives have been discussed. There seems to be some federal money but with “strings
attached”. The district where I work received a $6 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant. This money will be used
to hire instructional coaches and provide up to a $2500 yearly bonus for some teachers. It makes no sense to
give bonuses and hire instructional coaches when class sizes and workload are exploding and teachers are being
laid off. This will put even more emphasis on high stakes testing.
The climate we find ourselves in has resulted in a less rounded education for students. Subjects that aren’t tested
such as arts, music, and physical education are being cut. These are precisely the subjects that keep students in
school. Once a program is cut, it rarely returns.
There was also some talk in the legislature about how the current state tests are being used. With three rounds
of testing, students that don’t pass in the first round are targeted. This results in constant remediation for some
students and lack of enrichment for others. It also results in loss of instruction for time spent proctoring the
tests.
Working conditions and learning environment are closely intertwined. Any transfers of staff should be done to
have as little “ripple effect” as possible. It takes years to develop meaningful relationships with families and
communities. Schools are like families in themselves.
Professional development opportunities should be differentiated and tied to the job being performed by the
educator. We need to look closely to see if the current district evaluation process is working and if it has been
fully implemented before making plans to change it. Principals need to be given time to provide meaningful
feedback in a consistent manner.
In all my years of teaching, I only once had the opportunity to evaluate my principal. I filled out a survey and on
the back could make comments. This was done anonymously. The issues that people commented on were long-
standing issues, that didn’t change as a result of the evaluation.
A friend of mine who is a principal in a nearby district shocked her staff by giving them a survey in her first
year that she initiated. They gave her concrete suggestions on how to improve her communication and ideas
to increase efficiency. It also served to make the staff more comfortable about approaching her with their
concerns. She then put into practice many of the suggestions offered to her.
I don’t know whether or not teachers have received their layoff notices, transfer notices, or teaching assignments
for next year. But I do know the effect that this has on a staff from my direct experiences from layoffs in my
current workplace.
Quality of education does suffer from increased class sizes, lack of instructional support, increased workload, and
uncertainty. These issues are not unique to the WLWV school district. This does not mean that teachers are not
working their hardest.
To support teachers, the board can encourage volunteers, address workload issues in contract language, and
take every opportunity to show genuine appreciation for the work teachers do every day. We can also address
policies that will minimize movement in times of layoffs, minimize or delay new initiatives, and ensure that
teachers have the tools and quality professional development that they need to do their jobs effectively.
The most important part of the first year in any position is to develop relationships. After reviewing the
standards for superintendent evaluation on the Oregon School Board Association’s website, I would like for
Dr. Rhoades to focus on the following goals: Leadership and District Culture, Communications and Community
Relations, and Instructional Relationships.
I would also like to see an additional evaluative process where the opinion of students, staff, and community
members is included.
Betty Reynolds – Board Position 3
Children are our future, and statistics show that we have an outstanding school district. Over the past three
years, we’ve seen unprecedented budget cuts, teacher layoffs and furlough days, which mean bigger classes
and fewer instructional days for students. I have the experience, education, and commitment to help keep our
schools outstanding.
do you expect?
There are many statutory responsibilities of school boards, including budgets and contracts, employment of a
superintendent, use of facilities; buildings and lands, bonds and construction, transportation, and acquisition of
intellectual property. Of those, I consider budget oversight to be the most significant.
As an elected representative, I would seek input from the many constituencies represented and would faithfully
carry out my responsibilities.
I will draw upon many skills and resources. My career as a state executive, PhD in Public Administration
and Policy, and service on educational boards have provided a broad subject matter knowledge of public
administration, public finance, and education. I’ve reviewed many sources including the District website, Oregon
Revised Statutes and Oregon Administrative rules, organization websites including Stand for Children, Oregon
School Boards Association, Oregon Education Association, and the multitude associated resources and links.
I would thoroughly review the background, findings, and alternatives for specific issues that come before the
board, draw upon the resources identified above, ask questions of District staff, and seek input from those
affected.
I have engaged in extensive outreach to parents, teachers, classified staff, businesses, seniors, public officials,
representative groups, every Principal of the District’s 13 schools, and have visited several schools. I plan to
continue that outreach to develop a sense of our community’s position on matters before the Board.
My service on the Board would be a top priority, and I have the time and commitment to invest whatever is
needed to serve as an outstanding Board member. I have the time to serve on related Committees, task forces,
studies, to prepare thoroughly for all meetings, and to engage in community outreach.
Pertinent skills and experience include:
I've lived in both West Linn and Wilsonville for 17 years, and know the value both communities place on
our schools.
I’m an experienced manager, and have directed three state agencies.
My PhD and MS coursework gave me a strong foundation in management principles, including public
finance and budgeting.
I’ve served as an officer/Board member of many national, state, and local organizations, including the
national Council on Governmental Ethics Laws.
I’ve held leadership positions with educational entities, including membership on the Oregon Educational
Coordinating Council, the West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation Board; and the President’s
Steering Committee of the OHSU Global Health Center to improve health care in underserved populations
and children locally and abroad.
I have a solid background in public budgeting and finance, and was a Budget/Management Analyst with
the Oregon Executive Department.
As Director of professional licensing boards I gained skills in setting educational standards and in
psychometrics/testing, and served on an expert advisory panel of PSI, a national testing service.
As former Deputy Real Estate Commissioner of Oregon, I know that strong schools make a strong
community.
Best of all, I’ve had three wonderful years of “hands-on” experience at Willamette primary as a
volunteer: reading group leader, room parent, events volunteer, etc. I’ve seen first-hand the dedication
of teachers, administrators, and parents to keeping our schools outstanding!
As Executive Director of regulatory agencies, my commitment was to serving the public. I faithfully executed the
laws for which the agencies were responsible, even when faced with taking administrative actions or proposing
and lobbying for legislation that weren’t necessarily easy or popular.
attention?
Stable, adequate funding for school districts is the primary issue that the Governor and Legislature can address.
The Governor’s 2011-2013 Balance Budget proposes major changes regarding a seamless 0-20 education process
and unification across agencies, including funding for pre-school education through the Oregon Education
Investment Fund and Board, creation of an Early Childhood Council, changing the Superintendent of Public
Instruction from and elected to an appointed position, and changes to Education Service Districts. Also, many
education-related bills have been introduced by Legislators this Session. Although the Legislature is still in
Session, challenges at the District level will be to assure that changes don’t include unfunded mandates, and that
implementation of change occurs with adequate planning, communication and coordination with the State, with
other Districts, and within the District.
There are many ways the District can support teachers; a few examples follow.
● One of the most important responsibilities of a school board is being a good steward of the District
budget, so that administrators and teachers have the necessary resources for peak performance.
● I have engaged in outreach to the principals of every school in the district, and one of my questions
was, how can the school board support schools to maintain excellence? One principal replied that the
District’s support of professional development is very helpful.
● In other conversations with the new Superintendent, principals, and teachers, I asked about distributive
leadership. What emerged was the concept that the District’s empowerment of principals and principals’
empowerment of teachers facilitates creative problem solving to achieve results.
The District’s Educators’ Handbook for Professional Growth is based on a continuous improvement ethic, in a
culture of learning. It provides professional development standards, integrates evaluation and development, and
includes a tuition reimbursement policy. As indicated above, a Principal identified professional development as
something the District does well.
I would support efforts to assure that the District’s professional development standards are fully implemented
and adequately funded.
I’ve talked to teachers and administrators and as a classroom volunteer, have seen first-hand the impact of
revenue shortfalls. I’m amazed at how well our District’s professionals have stepped up to the plate -- these
difficult economic times seem to have brought out the best in everyone. The District actively engaged the
principals and the community in the 2011-2013 budget development process, and teachers provided input to
Principals. Teacher made many concessions during contract negotiations, and agreed to furlough days when
revenues fell short. They have been incredibly creative in making adjustments, while keeping the quality of
children’s education as their priority.
The 2011-2013 proposed budget is presented with a message of hope, and teaching and classified staff positions
were kept intact to the maximum extent possible. The greatest contribution the Board can make is to be
careful stewards of the budget; so that teachers and staff are assured that their dedication to education of our
community’s children is respected and rewarded.
I reviewed Dr. Rhoades’ contract, which refers to established evaluation standards. I would assure that those
standards are communicated in advance, and evaluation is based on those standards.
The areas I would like to see Dr. Rhoades focus upon are high quality teaching and learning; rich, broad based
curriculum in reading, writing, math, arts and sciences; and education of the whole child, including character
education and critical thinking skills to be contributing members of society.
Kasey Saito – Board Position 1
I want to be on the School Board to do my part to ensure the West Linn/Wilsonville School District continues
to improve and move forward. To make sure that the district is doing everything it can to prepare our children
to become responsible, productive members of our ever-changing global community. I want to bring a new
perspective to the Board, an objective, un-biased point of view. I have no agendas, no special interest. My one
and only motivation is the kids.
do you expect?
As far as I can tell, the board – and its members - set the policy for the district. They have a responsibility to each
and every child, family and employee to do everything possible to make sure each child is cared for, each family is
represented and each employee is treated fairly.
I will gather all information made available to the Board, I will ask for more information when I feel it is needed
and I will ask questions until I understand the issues. I will seek out information from all the parties involved. I will
study all of this and formulate my own opinion. This may or may not be in accordance to anyone else’s opinion.
I anticipate the time required for this is much more than anyone can or will tell me. I am sure that there will be
times when I am “doing school board stuff” more than I am doing my own professional work or more than I get
to spend with my family.
I have known for a long time how important it is to prepare children to become well rounded, educated, critical
thinkers and open minded adults. I have believed for quite some time that if you nurture your children, they
will grow into adults you can be proud of. I have always been able to relate to kids, I have always been able to
connect with children from babies to teenagers. My professional life has taught me that you have to be prepared
and open-minded. As and adult, you never know what opportunities may present themselves and if you are not
ready, willing and able to take advantage of them they will pass you by. I have learned that I am a very quick
study, I am confident in my ability to learn new jobs quickly and become very proficient in a very short amount of
time. I have learned how to read and negotiate retail leases, I have taught myself computer programs to design
signs for a multi-million dollar sign company, I have the self reliance to start my own sign design company, get
my real estate license and obtain a national coaching license.
When I was in high school, Martin Luther King Jr. day became a national holiday. At that time the schools didn’t
do much, if anything, to acknowledge this new holiday. I was part of a group of students who staged a “sit in”
to protest the schools’ lack of acknowledgement. We all understood and accepted that there would be personal
consequences to our actions, but we all believed that this was something that needed to be recognized.
attention?
I believe that the single largest issue that the state (and the federal government as well) needs to do is come up
with a different way to fund schools. It is apparent that this current structure is not working. It doesn’t matter
where you live, it seems like every district in the state is having budget issues. It seems fairly simple to me, put a
higher priority on the kids in this state. Schools should not be closing due to budget issues, class sizes should not
be increasing, teachers should be paid what they are worth and programs should not be cut. We cannot continue
to strip away at our schools and expect our children to compete in the global community.
The district should make available every resource to its teachers and staff. The district should make it a priority
to support the teachers, as they are the ones who have the most contact with our children. It just makes so much
sense to me that these are the people we need to support; they do all the “heavy lifting” each and every day. As
parents we ask so much of our kids’ teachers, we, as a district, owe it to them to ensure they are supported and
encouraged.
I do not know enough about how we evaluate our staff, principals and teachers to offer any opinion on how to
improve the process.
In a word, yes. I do believe that morale has an effect on the quality of education. How can it not be? I know that
in all of my professional endeavors, morale of the employees has always been paramount to the productivity of
those employees. Translate that to a school district and the moral of those who spend 8 hours a day with our kids
makes a huge difference on the quality of education or interactions with our children.
Since this whole election process has started, different members of the community have contacted me. One of
my conversations was with the mother of a current 3rd grader. She told me that it was quite obvious that this
particular teacher was retiring at the end of the year. She told me that she could tell by the way the teacher
acted and interacted with the students that the teacher didn’t seem to care much.
First of all I would like Dr. Rhoades to focus on the budget. Is there anything that the former “administration” (for
lack of a better term) has overlooked or not thought of – in terms of savings or efficiencies?
Second, I would like Dr. Rhoades to immerse himself in this district; I would like to see him get to know each
and every principal, assistant principal, teacher and staff member. I would like him to be a familiar face to all
students and staff. I think it is very important for him to get to know the people that he will be leading.
Third, I would like Dr. Rhoades to evaluate the current programs and make his recommendations as to how to
improve them or what changes he thinks could be made to make the schools better.
There are more, but if he does these in his first year, I would feel it was a successful first year for him.
Cheri Zimmerman – Board Position 1
My husband and I have been involved in community service for many years with Boy Scouts, sports, church and
community outreach programs. Recently, we both decided to move into public service and this school board
opportunity fit well with that goal.
do you expect?
My understanding of the role of the school board is that it sets policy for the school district, which then the
superintendent carries out.
As in other areas of my life, I will be resourceful and creative in educating myself on each school board issue.
The most effective way I have found to gather information during the campaign is to talk to people who have
concerns, ask advice on how I can learn more and make new connections resulting from each conversation.
I also have several friends who have experience as members of other school boards. They are a wealth of
knowledge in terms of what has worked well in other districts and also lessons learned.
Experience with children: In addition to raising 3 kids who are now in Wilsonville High School, I’ve been involved
in Cub Scouts (Den Leader), Boy Scouts, soccer (assistant coach for 6/7 yr olds), Lego robotics (mentor), and am
now a Sunday School teacher for 3 yr olds.
Skills: I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science. In my professional career I have extensive experience in
process improvement including impacts on budgets in multiple functional areas. I also have experience leading
large, multi-site teams of executives. As Treasurer for a Cub Scout Pack, I developed accounting tools that are
still in use today.
attention?
Given these tough economic times, we need to get creative in the ways that we provide the best possible
education for our children. To that end, we need to look at ways to open up the possibilities and reduce the
bureaucracy that gets in the way of the best ideas being implemented.
Obviously, the morale of teachers and staff affects the children every day. Adults set the aura of the whole
building, and children feel it and follow it. I think the School Board has a responsibility to pay attention to this
and respond as necessary to make sure that the experience of the children is positive.
Student engagement
Teacher effectiveness
Parent / Teacher partnership (tools and interaction)

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West Linn-Wilsonville School Board

My directions for Bill are as follows:

A: Hire and evaluate the superintendent

B. Oversee and adopt a balanced budget every year.

F. Looking forward to personnel changes that may be forthcoming.

H. Review and pass policies.

C. 9 years on the school board.

E. Specific knowledge of each school and program in our district.

A. Funding mandated education requirements.

C. Requiring programs that assist in improving education required by industries in Oregon.

Getting to know the board individually and as a group.

I hold a masters degree in International School Administration/ESL. My bachelor’s degree is in Environmental

Pertinent skills and experience include:

Parent / Teacher partnership (tools and interaction)

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