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Hillsboro School District Director Position 3 Choose 1

There are 197 public school districts in Oregon, each governed by a board of education. School boards set goals, establish policies, oversee the performance of district schools, and negotiate contracts. The state Board of Education sets broader educational policies and standards that local schools are required to follow.Qualifications: Candidate must be a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least 1 year. Employees of the district are not eligible unless employed as a substitute driver. ORS 332.016 and 332.018(2)Term: 4 years

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Nancy Thomas (N)

Biographical Information

Web Site (leave blank if not applicable) http://www.nancy-thomas-for-hsb.com
Town Where You Live Hillsboro, OR
Your Experience/Qualifications This will be my second board term. I am not only an active member of the HSD school board, I am a board member on the Oregon School Board Association as well as an active member of the Legislative Policy Committee. I am looking forward to contining this work on a local and state level.
Facebook http://nt4hsd
County Washington
Term 4 years
Term Expires June 2025

What skills and experience do you bring to school board service?

I am thrilled to bring multiple skills and experiences to school board service. I have been the board participant and partner in the development of the current HSD strategic plan and goals. I am also a board member of the Oregon School Board Association (OSBA) and active member of the Legislative Policy Committee. Both critical positions have provided opportunities to learn about what the board does and does not control, what the budget includes and does not include, and where the decisions are made that impact our school districts the most. I want to continue this work in a second term.

What is your understanding of the District’s obligations to comply with federal and state education policies?

The district has an obligation to comply with both federal and state education policies to insure an equitable education opportunity for all students. Compliance also means collaborating to meet the diverse needs of our student population and community and advocating for accountability and continuous improvement relating to the district's strategic plan and community and staff concerns.

How would you address the issues facing the District’s schools that you consider the most urgent?

First concern on my list is the impending budget deficit that Hillsboro (as well as all public-school districts in Oregon) will face in the upcoming school year. We continue to be under funded and expected to do more with less. It is imperative that we (school board) plan strategically for the benefit of our children and the district. As a board member, we address this by leaning into the budget and the details and understanding the totality of all consequences for each potential budget scenario. Then we take those decisions and consequences back to our strategic plan/goals and reconcile them accordingly. We do the hard work of making decisions - getting comfortable with the discomfort of not getting or keeping everything we need and want.