Board Canidates Needed, Jan. 27

The May 2015 election saw the lowest number of candidates for Oregon school board seats in a decade, and nearly three-quarters of all candidates ran unopposed (data: http://bit.ly/2ktz0LU). To combat that trend, today marks the official launch of the Get on Board campaign (www.getonboardoregon.org), designed to ensure that Oregonians from all walks of life consider investing their time and energy by serving on local school boards. We hope to see sitting board members offer their expertise for another term, and motivate community members — including persons of color — to take up the challenge of volunteer board work. This new effort by the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) comes ahead of the Feb. 4 date when the filing period opens for seats on the boards of local school districts, education service districts (ESDs) and community colleges. Candidates must file by March 16 to be eligible for the May 2017 ballot. To help prospective candidates answer questions about the process and prepare them to become school board members if they are elected, OSBA Board Development staff will offer two free webinars in February. Dates and registration information are: ??(R) Feb 9: http://bit.ly/2iOYI8m  ??(R) Feb 15: http://bit.ly/2jQLuJY  Other campaign resources can be found on a new website at www.getonboardoregon.org. “We hope that this campaign will encourage Oregonians to become a voice for students and make a difference in the lives of Oregon’s young people,” said Jim Green, OSBA’s executive director. OSBA is a member services agency for more than 200 locally elected boards serving school districts, ESDs and community colleges. It also provides services to charter schools and their boards.