VOTE411 Voter Guide

I have been to every board meeting in the last 2 1/2 years as well as a lot of the work sessions, and budget meetings. I am involved in my schools PTSO as well as involved in the districts Special Education Parent Collaboration meetings. I spent 2 years actively advocating for Structured Literacy to be adopted in the school district to make sure all children have access to literacy. I also have children supported through Special Education and have had to work within the system to get my children helped and now try to help other families navigate the challenges if the IEP (individualized Education Plan) Process. I know and understand the work of the board and am willing to listen to all stakeholders.

The district is required to follow and be compliant to all federal, state and division 22 requirements.

Currently, we need to work on rebalancing our budget to make sure that our district can maintain our general budget which is primarily our staffing levels to ensure a high level of academic support with our budget challenges. We also need to work on how we are addressing the needs of the children that are being serviced through special education and Tag to ensure that our practices are allowing equitable access and services to increase improved outcomes. We need to increase our communication and community feedback to allow authentic conversations with the community we serve and work on increasing trust to improve overall experiences and enrollment challenges.

As well as being a dad to two kids (one with learning disabilities) and a former teacher myself, my current career as a policy analyst has brought me a significant amount of experience dealing with government agencies and working to solve problems, with an emphasis on public finance policy. I have served in a number of related capacities, including as: Chief of Staff, Oregon Senate; Policy Director, State Treasury; County Services Planning Council; Clackamas County Economic Development Commission; Higher Education Coordinating Commission Student Aid Workgroup; West Linn Police Review Committee.

I understand that as a state-created program, our K-12 system is fully answerable to state education policies. I have worked very closely with the Legislature on a number of education-related policies and have a high comfort level collaborating with state leaders. With regard to federal policies, I understand that some federal assistance may be predicated on compliance with certain federal standards. However, there may be limits with regard to what I am willing to comply with in order to receive those funds. I will not play a role in shuttering DEI polices, alienating trans children in any manner, or allowing ICE on campuses.

I feel like the most pressing two issues will be the upcoming budget shortfall and also what I see as efforts to alienate children and families from marginalized communities (such as immigrant families, English learners, or trans and LGBTQ+ students). However, these two issues are actually related, as the District has made great strides in closing its "achievement gaps" among these groups of students through targeted efforts to emphasize safe, affirming spaces, bring more cultural competency into the classroom and curriculum, and place a focus on parents and community members being a part of a vibrant and diverse K-12 community. Students succeed when they are supported.