What’s so special about this election? The May 2023 election is all about “special districts” – school boards, transportation district, recreation district, fire boards, health districts and more. And for Tillamook County this is a historic election. Never before have there been so many candidates on the ballot. Usually the ballot for this election has one name (or a blank) for the position. The May 2023 ballot will have eight races with multiple candidates for each position. So Tillamook County, it’s time to do your homework, and get to know who these people are that will be in charge of our schools, transportation, health, fire departments, water systems and more. It’s election time – and in Tillamook County there has been an increase in participation in our government process with many races having multiple choices. The Pioneer is proud to provide this opportunity for our community to make informed voting choices and learn about the candidates. We will post the candidate’s answers (that we received) in the contested races with multiple candidates. These questions were gathered from a diverse array of Tillamook County citizens, and provides an opportunity for constituents to compare candidates answers directly. Again, if there is no response from the candidate, we did not receive their answers.
TILLAMOOK SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
DIRECTOR, POSITION 1, 4 YR TERM
Matthew Petty
1. Why are you running for this position? For the past two years, I have enjoyed serving as a School Board Director for Tillamook School District #9. I have always had a passion for public education and have supported our schools and their programs. With two boys, ages 11 and 14, I am vested in TSD9’s educational path. I firmly believe the school board should be made up of people who are in it for our children and the next generation of kids. I am extremely optimistic about the school district’s future. With our incredible staff and a returned focus on education, we can offer our children the best education possible.
2. If elected, what will be your priorities?
New District Leadership – Capitalizing on our interim superintendent’s exceptional work and help the new superintendent continue to cultivate and develop our strong administrative leadership team.
Budget – With the impending budget shortfall from the state and federal funds. We must work hard to retain our highly qualified staff and ensure our classified staff receives a livable wage. At the same time, prioritizing the educational needs of our children.
Security, Safety, and Wellbeing – Keeping our students and staff safe are of the utmost priority. What has happened around our nation is appalling, and we need to be prepared. We are still seeing the effects of the pandemic and trauma in our students, and I think we have to work on providing more social and emotional services.
3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? My work history and board service have given me the experience, knowledge, business, and financial awareness needed to continue to be a productive school board member. You must be passionate about public education, our children’s future, and equality for all of TSD9’s students to be successful. As a Human Resource Leader, I also care about supporting hard-working employees– understanding that they are the backbone to the education our children receive.
4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas:
Learning & Curriculum: We must continue to approve rigorous curriculum that is going to provide our children with best path forward once they finish their educational journey with us. As budgets and grants allow, we should work to provide additional educational resources and opportunities to our students that research shows increase academic understanding. And we must find ways to meet all students where they are academically; we need to prioritize additional resources for this area as it is crucial to close the learning loss and education gap. I will work with district leadership to prioritize these in the upcoming and subsequent budgets.
Security and Buildings: As I stated early, what is happing around the nation is appalling, and we need to be prepared. Earlier this year, we were able to have our Police Chief do a security assessment. We must implement his suggestions and continue preparing our students on what to do. In addition, we need to continue to invest in our buildings and ensure our educational spaces adequately meet the needs of our students.
People: We must continue investing in our staff and retaining our talent. The Federal monies have helped, but with those funds coming to an end next year, we need to exercise more traditional means to increase our investment. In the next 4-years, we will have the opportunity to negotiate successor agreements with our classified and certified teams. This will provide the Board and Leadership a time to invest additionally into our children’s education while keeping the district financially sound.
5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? More opportunities for community input and contact. A lot of times, you only hear from the community and taxpayers when something is wrong. But a lot of work is done that most need to see or hear about. I want to find a way for more Board communications to our staff, students, parents, and community members. I believe this can be done through town halls, written Q & A, and with today’s technology, via social media
6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have? School Board members must be transparent, have a high moral charter, a passion for public education, the ability to collaborate and work alongside those with opposing points of view, ability to research and ask questions about issues before the board or leadership. Supportive of staff and board decisions. Lastly, being able to make tough decisions when it might not be popular but is in the best interest of students or staff. Has students at the forefront of every decision they make.
7. What is your vision for our community? My vision for our community is one of transparency, focused on providing an exceptional education to our kids, supporting parents in decision-making, giving grace and learning from each other, and understanding and maximizing the taxpayers’ dollars.
Danell M Boggs
- Why are you running for this position? My name is Dr. Danell Boggs, DBH, LCSW, and I am running for Tillamook School Board, Position 1. I was born in Tillamook and spent most of young years attending Tillamook schools. I attended Tillamook school district and graduated from Tillamook High School in 1985. I have several family members who attended Tillamook schools, including my younger brother, my mother, aunts, and an uncle. I hold an associate of general studies degree from TBCC, a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Oregon University, a Master of Social Work from Portland State University, and most recently, I earned a Doctor of Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and I am certified in treating substance use disorder. I have three amazing adult children who I raised in Tillamook County, two of whom have their own college degrees. The decision to run for Tillamook School board was one I took seriously, and took time to consider, as the position deserves a dedicated and committed individual; I decided I could be the individual this position deserves. As a behavioral health professional and social worker, I decided to run for school board because I believe our children, our teachers, and our community need and deserve positive and supportive voices representing them. I am running because I believe our children and youth deserve board members who are willing to Remove Barriers to their Futures. I also believe our children, youth, and teachers deserve to be educated in safe and trusting environments.
2. If elected, what will be your priorities? The health and wellbeing (social, physical, mental, and educational) of our students, teachers, and school environment by…
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- assuring the resources are available to address the specific needs that children and youth have, so they can grow into healthy adults; healthy adults, means healthy communities,
- fostering a safe and trusting environment for our students,
- creating and implementing evidence-based/proven effective, crisis assessment and prevention programs that are trauma-informed,
- assuring that ALL board members receive education on the effects of trauma on child development; this includes how current policies and practices such as active shooter drills can cause harm.
3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? I believe I bring the skills and experience Tillamook School district is looking for as I value community involvement and believe in the value of lifelong education. I hold a master’s degree in social work, as well as a Doctorate in behavioral health, both of which have provided me with the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective manager, leader, and board member. I have served as the Mayor of Rockaway Beach, I served on the Tillamook Bay Community College School Board, I was an active member of the Board for Tillamook ARC, I served as the Treasurer for the American Association of University Women, and I ran Tillamook Special Olympics for several years.
4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas
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- Prioritizing the health and wellbeing of our children and youth; I believe we, as a board, need to increase resources for physical, emotional, social, and educational health and wellbeing, and this includes safety.
- Creating supportive classrooms for all students; I believe we, as a board, need to support our schools and teachers in creating classrooms that are inclusive, respectful, diverse, and allows for children to learn and grow.
- Increasing the number of qualified teachers; I believe we, as a board, need to prioritize hiring qualified, and diverse teachers. Prioritizing hiring teachers, ultimately prioritizes students.
5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? I would want to see the board be more analytical before making decisions, be more transparent with their decision making, and be more thoughtful about the impacts of their decisions.
6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have?
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- Value education for everyone.
- Be a life-long learner, willing to learn new ideas, new ways of doing, new ways of thinking.
- Value community service and involvement.
- Communicate effectively; ability to listen, reflect back, take other perspectives.
- Non-judgmental, leave personal beliefs at home.
- Ethical, transparent, analytical, and thoughtful.
- Be dedicated and committed.
- The ability to be caring, compassionate, and empathetic.
7. What is your vision for our community? My vision for Tillamook School District is that we are place that grows and educates a diverse population of individuals who are healthy (physically, socially, mentally, educationally), who have the skills and knowledge to graduate from our schools, and have the choice to go to college, go into a technical career, or move directly into the workforce. I believe I can be a positive voice for students, teachers, and the community in Tillamook School District. I believe I can Remove Barriers and Build Futures as a member of Tillamook School Board. In order for me to accomplish my goals and priorities, I am asking you to vote for me, Danell Boggs, for Tillamook School Board, Position 1. Thank You.
DIRECTOR, POSITION 2, 2 YR UNEXPIRED TERM
Justin Aufdermauer
1. Why are you running for this position? The Students of Tillamook are the future of our community – our future families, workforce, and leaders – and I am passionate about supporting students to be well educated, responsible, and socially compassionate.
2. If elected, what will be your priorities? A non-negotiable truth to me is that academics are to always be the “North Star” of the district, everything we do should point to providing students with a quality education. As a member of the TSD9 Board my top priorities to support our students achieve their academic goals are:
Student Safety & Wellbeing
Students are facing the threats of physical harm such as unwelcome touching, bullying, and at times across the nation lethal gun violence, while our teachers and staff are put in helpless positions due to increasing public scrutiny and liability concerns around crisis intervention. As a TSD9 board member I will actively advocate for greater crisis intervention training and an addition School Resource Officer to ensure that all students and staff show up with an expectation that they will be protected and safe from physical harm.
We must provide an environment where students feel welcome and socially safe to grow and learn. Our society is broken, and our teachers and staff are struggling to keep up with how to support our student’s wellbeing. Anger, depression, and bullying are prevalent, with inadequate processes and resources to address them. This may be the most significant, mostly unseen, epidemic hitting our schools right now. I wish you all could see it, this isn’t about politics, values, or beliefs it simply about compassion and caring for children. My heart hurts for where we are at and as a TSD9 board member I will strive to look after our children’s wellbeing to ensure they have the best opportunity to achieve a quality education.
District Governance
TSD9 has high quality administrators, teachers, and staff. As far back as October 2021 (when I first applied for the board) principals and teachers from schools communicated to me that they felt as if they were operating in a silo and that there was little to no collaborative effort to education in our district. As a TSD9 board member I am committed to supporting the work started by our interim-superintendent and working with the board and new superintendent to ensure that our schools and administration are strategically aligned with one another. I believe student outcomes and opportunities will thrive when we focus on district alignment and school improvement plans.
Trust & Accountability
I do not believe perception is reality. Perception simply becomes someone’s truth when we fail to provide adequate information and accountability for decisions or actions made. School board members are elected as a representative form of government to represent the interests of the people. What I can promise is the simple reality that I will not make everyone happy, every time. What I want as a TSD9 board member is your trust and for you to assume the best of intentions for every decision I make. I am looking forward to remaining accessible and accountable for those decisions to earn that trust.
Let’s bring Tillamook together for the greatest benefit to our students. I am asking for your support and vote this May for Tillamook School District #9 Board Position 2.
3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? My involvement in the district began with the assisting on the 2017 school bond committee where voters passed a $4 million bond that leveraged a match of just under $2 million. My recent appointment was my second attempt to join the school board (I also applied to be appointed in October 2021), I point this out in an effort to display that I am committed to our students and this position, not to an ideal, and do not take the influence it holds to build our communities’ future lightly.
As a member of several boards and committees, local and regional, I have over a decade of experience in organizational governance, finance, and planning that positions me well to work with the board and superintendent to drive further positive change in a healthy and responsible way.
4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas.
Please refer to my priorities presented. My priorities are my priorities because I believe there is room for improvement and need to be better addressed.
5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? I appreciate the way the board interacts with each other. For many years the board members have taken turns having informal meetings with the superintendent and board chair that help foster stronger relationships. The district also provides the board with liaison roles which are great ways to engage and better understand the district operations. I would like to take these approaches and identify ways that we might be able to make them more purpose driven to get the best outcomes from the time given.
6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have? A school board member needs the attributes of empathy, integrity, and resiliency. As school board members must stay engaged in our schools, think critically about decisions and how they affect ALL students, and have a heart for preparing children for the world they live in.
7. What is your vision for our community? I have a lot of various visions and have committed the past 12 years to building a stronger community each and every day as Executive Director of the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce. For the youth of the community my vision is that we are a safe, supportive, and provide them with opportunities to become positive contributors in the community.
Heidi Rieger
Why are you running for this position? I am running for this position because I believe that a strong education system is crucial for the success and prosperity of our community. I am a concerned mother who wants the best education for my children and all children in our community. I would like to be a new voice for parents, students and teachers. I want to use my experience, and knowledge to help our schools provide the best possible education for our children.
If elected, what will be your priorities? My top priorities will be promoting academic excellence, protecting parental rights, and promoting fiscal responsibility. I will work to ensure that our schools provide high-quality education that prepares students for success in life, that parents have a say in their children’s education, and that our schools use taxpayer resources effectively and efficiently.
What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? As a mother, I have a deep understanding of the importance of education and the challenges that parents and students face. While I may not have prior experience serving on a school board, I am committed to learning and to bringing a different perspective to the board. My personal experience as a student in TSD9 and as a parent, having a total of 6 children attend, 3 of which that are still in attendance, I have seen firsthand the significant changes in not only our district but statewide. I am not a politician or public speaker. I am your average working mother, a Veterans’ Service Officer, who thrives in helping others, while being vested and driven and wanting the best for our children. This all begins with early education.
What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas.
a. Curriculum – I believe in promoting a rigorous academic curriculum that prepares students for success in life with what they will encounter in the real world. This includes excelling in traditional values, emphasizing basic skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic, history and providing a well-rounded education.
b. School safety – I believe in prioritizing the safety of our students, teachers, and staff. This includes supporting law enforcement officers in our schools, promoting responsible gun ownership, and implementing measures to prevent and respond to school violence.
c. Parental involvement – I believe that parents should have a say in their children’s education and that the school board should promote policies that encourage parental involvement. This includes providing opportunities for parents to engage with the school board, supporting school choice programs, and promoting transparency in school decision-making. I understand there are statewide policies that need followed, however we should also have input as to what is being taught or the ages things are taught.
If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? I would advocate for more transparency and accountability in the school board’s decision-making processes. This includes regular public meetings, clear communication with parents and constituents, and a commitment to upholding the principles of good governance.
In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have? A good school board member must have transparency, integrity, a strong work ethic, a commitment to serving the community, and the ability to work collaboratively with others. They must also have a deep understanding of the issues facing their schools and a clear transparent mindset to make informed, effective decisions.
What is your vision for our community? My vision for our community is one that values education, promotes academic excellence, and supports parental rights. I want to see our schools provide high-quality education that prepares students for success in life, and that parents have a say in their children’s education. I also want to see our schools use taxpayer resources effectively and efficiently to provide the best possible education for our children.
DIRECTOR, POSITION 4, 4 YR TERM
Valaree Bentham
1. Why are you running for this position? I am running for position #4 because I have the determination to contribute to the changes happening in the future within TSD9. My husband and I are raising a young family in the community that we ourselves grew up in. I care about the continued health and success of the district, which produces successful members of society locally and in other communities. I am a positive team player who will advocate for the well-being of families, teachers and staff.
Kris Lachenmeier
1. Why are you running for this position? After serving as a Tillamook School Board member for the past 12 years, I thought long and hard about running for reelection. I discovered I still have a passion for public education and I think I bring a solid history of trusted relationships, positive contributions, and knowledge about the important role of the School Board member. Our District is in a time of transition in many key leadership positions and stability is important.
2. If elected, what will be your priorities? I have three priorities. Support kids and staff as we recover from the learning losses experienced in the pandemic. Assure that students and staff are safe not only physically while in our buildings but also feel safe to be who they are. Third, support our new Superintendent in their transition.
3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? I have been a partner in operating our small business in Tillamook where I’ve worn many hats including finance and HR.
4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas. As Board members our primary responsibility is to hire and support our Superintendent. Building trust with that leader and helping the next leader to be successful will be my number one focus. Our other primary role is in policy work and I will continue to advocate for all students and listen to student voices. I am a member of the District policy committee and that helps me get a broad perspective from staff and more recently community around policy. Finally, I will continue to listen to our District employees as they share their experiences in classrooms. As the Certified Liaison, I meet monthly with leadership to problem solve and understand what concerns they have.
5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? I would like to hear from more diverse community voices particularly as it relates to policies whether that be on the policy committee or in the Board room.
6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have? An open mind and heart for students. Confidentiality and commitment to public education.
7. What is your vision for our community? I’d like to see some of the bridges damaged in our community during the pandemic repaired. Our schools and kids need us to be united in support for them.
DIRECTOR, POSITION 5, 2 YR UNEXPIRED TERM
Samantha Spratt
1. Why are you running for this position? As an alumni of TSD9 schools, and a mother of four children currently attending TSD9 schools, the quality and accessibility of education is extremely important to me. I have worked in public service almost all of my adult life, and being a school board director would allow me to serve our community in a capacity that will have a lasting and meaningful impact.
2. If elected, what will be your priorities? My priorities upon being elected would be to advocate for the best interests of all of the children in our district, advocate for the educators to be able to effectively do their jobs, and to create an atmosphere of respect, trust, transparency, and understanding.
3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? I have a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis on children, adolescents, and their families, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and an associate’s degree in criminal justice. During my studies I’ve become adept at understanding and interpreting research and data, as well as reviewing laws, regulations, and policies and implementing them appropriately. I was a police officer for about 6 1/2 years before going back to school, and I was also an Advocate Coordinator for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Alabama, and in the past, I also did quality assurance for our local Developmental Disabilities program.
4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas. I believe the board should address student’s ability to access mental/behavioral health resources, as well as in-classroom support for teachers and staff to aid in the success of students who may be behind the curve socio-emotionally. Increasing feelings of safety, security, and stability will allow children to be able to learn effectively. When our nation is struggling economically and socially, families struggle, and children struggle. Basic needs must be met for learning to occur. We have to support our students at home as well as in school. Addressing any barriers some families may face in our community will go a long way in helping our students be successful. It takes a village.
5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? TSD9 school board has allowed for partisan and political ideologies to leak into the development and consideration of policies that affect our children and school staff/educators. A school board is no place for politics and the best interest of all of the children in our community should be the focus of all members of the board.
6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have? A good board member should be open and understanding to differing ideas and ways of thinking, so as to reflect the community and what is in the best interest of the children and schools they serve. They should be honest, transparent, and humble, as well as properly educated and experienced so as to make sound and well-informed decisions.
7. What is your vision for our community? I have a vision of bringing together our community, of unity, understanding, and respect. As a community, we should be working to help all our children have the best chance of success in life. Our community should rise above any entities trying to separate and divide, and refocus on what’s important. Our children, our future.
Thank you for reading!
Kurt Mizee
1. Why are you running for this position? After spending the last two years filling the position left vacant by the passing of Mike Gardner, I have come to enjoy my time spent on the board. It is not easy work but it is rewarding. I feel that I have a lot to offer the community, our staff and our students in this role.
2. If elected, what will be your priorities? The focus of a board is narrower than most people realize. We are to supervise the Superintendent, approve the budget and rule on policy decisions. This is significant with our transition into a new Superintendent, a recession looming and the large volume of new policies being sent our way by the state. Making these three areas successful for our entire community will be my priority.
3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve? I have had 4 children in the District with the last one almost ready to graduate. I am an alumni of this district and lifelong resident of Tillamook (other than my 4 years at college). As a business owner I have experience in financial oversight, problem solving on a budget and working with people to meet a goal. I have served on several boards at the local, state and national level including working through a manager transition that allowed for a profitability increase afterwards. Last, my family founded the Act in Kindness Project in 2011 and I have been working to make our kids better people for more than 12 years.
4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas. This summer we will transition in a new Superintendent, Financial Director and Curriculum Director at the District office. All of these positions are held currently by extremely talented individuals. We are working on hiring some great people, but the challenge for the board is to make sure they get off on the right foot and from a District wide perspective it is business as usual. With recession on the horizon this may be easier said than done. As a board member this will be a large time commitment to allow for meetings and check-ins. It will also require clear expectations and goals set by the board so that they know the targets. This is an area where consistency of our board is important. Our district was able to keep kids in school during covid at a level matched by only 4 other districts in the state. In spite of that we are still falling behind academically. We need to sort through the distractions and politicizing of our school system to focus on academic rigor. Interim Superintendent Mabbot has done a great job of bringing tools to our administrators and teachers to allow us to unlock the potential of our staff. It is critical that our new Superintendent be able to do the same and focus on this task. As a board we must keep the Superintendent headed in that direction through support, goal setting and reviews.
Last fall we did an audit of our school’s safety relating to outside threats. We have an excellent resource in our community with Chief Rau. The results of that walk through showed some things that were being done well, but also some weak points. With the departure of Superintendent Shelly this project fell through the cracks. I asked at the February Board Meeting that this be brought back to the agenda for consideration. Given the recent events, we need to make sure we are doing all we can to protect our students. There is some very low hanging fruit that can be accomplished at relatively little cost.
5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be? I would like to see board-wide goal setting that is more measurable so that we can quantify our success and see when we are falling short. Likewise, our expectations for the Superintendent should be the same.
6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have? The ability to listen and hear all points of view, be patient, strong financial literacy, a willingness to work with others, knowing when to speak and when not to speak, a strong community network and a commitment to do the right thing in the face of opposition.
7. What is your vision for our community? As it relates to the school board, I would like to see a community where our students are willing and able to live here and raise a family. This means good family wage jobs, along with skill sets and education that allow them to perform in those jobs. We export less of our kids by giving them a good foundation at the elementary level, exposure to opportunities through mentorship/internships at the Jr High and High School levels and advanced training through our dual language, CTE and TBCC tie in programs. This is a wonderful community with a huge heart. We have our share of issues but we can start overcoming them by building and retaining talented future generations.