Oregon School Board elections are coming up on May 16th, 2023. (Click here to check or update your voter registration.) School Boards set local education priorities that impact every students, and Stand for Children is committed to electing candidates who will fight for an equitable public education system that gives all students a chance to succeed.
We’re proud to endorse the following candidates in the upcoming School Board elections:
Benton County
Chris Hawkins, Corvallis
Sarah Finger McDonald, Corvallis
Clackamas County
Kirsten Aird, Lake Oswego
John Wallin, Lake Oswego
Paul Kemp, No. Clackamas
Jena Benologa, No. Clackamas
Glenn Wachter, No. Clackamas
April Dobson, No. Clackamas
Heidi Blackwell, Oregon City
Alex Halpern, Oregon City
Katie Wilson, Oregon City
Pamela White, Oregon City
Maegan Vidal, West Linn-Wilsonville
Dan Schumaker, West Linn-Wilsonville
Deschutes County
Cameron Fischer, Bend La-Pine
Melissa Barnes Dholakia, Bend La-Pine
Kina Chadwick, Bend La-Pine
Jackson County
Lilia Caballero, Medford
Michelle Atkinson, Medford
Lane County
Drae Charles, Bethel
Morgan Munro , Eugene 4J
Rick Hamilton, Eugene 4J
Jenny Jonak, Eugene 4J
Ken Kohl, Springfield
Anthony Reed, Springfield
Marion County
Cynthia Richardson, Salem-Keizer
Kelley Strawn, Salem-Keizer
Anabel Hernandez-Mejia, Woodburn
Bill Graupp, No. Marion
Multnomah County
Kate Sherman, David Douglas
Heather Franklin, David Douglas
Gabriela Saldana-Lopez, David Douglas
Aaron Barrow, David Douglas
Kris Howatt, Gresham-Barlow
Dr. Charice Roth, Gresham-Barlow
Stefanie Craft, Gresham-Barlow
Dr. Samuel Henry, MESD
Renee Anderson, MESD
Katrina Doughty, MESD
Michelle DePass, PPS
Eddie Wang, PPS
Andrew Scott, PPS
Ana Gonzalez Munoz, Reynolds
Washington County
Justice Rajee, Beaverton
Maham Ahmed, Beaverton
Tammy Carpenter, Beaverton
See Eun Kim, Hillsboro
Patrick Maguire, Hillsboro
Ivette Pantoja, Hillsboro
Kristen Miles, Tigard-Tualatin
Jill Zurchmeide, Tigard-Tualatin
Crystal Weston, Tigard-Tualatin
Matt Thornton, Sherwood
Hans Moller, Sherwood
Yamhill County
Deb Bridges, Newberg
Jeremy Hayden, Newberg
Nancy Woodward, Newberg
James Wolfer, Newberg
Sol Allen, Newberg
Lu Ann Anderson, McMinnville
Gerardo Partida, McMinnville
Doris Towery, McMinnville
Larry Vollmer, McMinnville
Endorsement Process
Here’s how our endorsement process works: we invite candidates to participate in our endorsement process and complete a questionnaire based on our mission. Based on a candidate’s questionnaire responses and their voting record (this only applies to incumbents), some candidates may be invited in for a virtual interview with our Endorsement Committee. Our Endorsement Committee is made up of students, parents, educators, and community leaders. Candidates are evaluated based on their:
- Responses to our questionnaire
- Voting record on our key issues (if applicable)
- Interview responses (if applicable)
- Overall alignment with our priorities.
After considering all the relevant information, our Endorsement Committee makes an endorsement decision.
Here’s the criteria we consider for each candidate:
- Issue Alignment: The candidate shows a commitment equity and racial justice, to raising achievement for all students, increasing family and community involvement, improving school funding, and ensuring our schools have effective leaders and educators. If they are an incumbent, they have a strong track record on behalf of our issues and bills.
- Strong Personal Character: The candidate is strong on making systemic improvements to our education system, has a vision and makes clear commitments. The candidate values citizen engagement and welcomes meaningful participation by Stand for Children in the policy-making process. The candidate shows leadership, strives for consensus, but supports potentially unpopular policy changes if necessary to get results for children.
- Viability: The candidate has a clear and viable strategy for winning their race.
