VOTE411 Voter Guide

** 20 years of education advocacy in Oregon, including service with an Early Head Start preschool in Portland; Oregon’s only free school supplies store for teachers; the Preschool for All commission in Multnomah County; and the Bend-La Pine Education Foundation ** Board governance and leadership in the public and private sector, including 9 years chairing the human resources committee (and therefore, coordinating the annual review of the CEO and oversight of negotiations with represented employees) at Oregon Public Broadcasting; serving as the Governor-appointed chair of the Oregon Innovation Council; serving on the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board **Parent to three teenagers in Bend schools (all three at Summit High this fall)

The district must comply with federal and state education policies or risk the penalties of noncompliance, which could include a reduction in funding or resources for the district. Just 3% of Bend-La Pine Schools' budget is locally derived – the other 97% is determined in a formulaic method by the state (and indirectly, the federal government). Compliance is an important part of our job, but also, being advocates at all levels for change when we see inconsistencies or inefficiencies in policies and regulations that impact our students, teachers and staff.

Increasing academic achievement is my highest and most urgent priority for the district. I will propose refining the board aims with numeric targets for improving ELA, Math and Science proficiency rates in 3rd through 8th grade, and aligning budget resources in the manner best suited to hitting those targets. I will ensure Bend-La Pine Schools are making best use of the Oregon Dept. of Education's early literacy success initiative and continues to advocate strongly for those dollars. I will work to stabilize the relationship between the school board and represented employees, such that our district can spend more time on improving education and less time on bargaining.