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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 16, 2005 ASD board race hottest in Valley 9 candidates vie for 4 seats in May election By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Nine candidates will contend for four positions on the Ashland School Board in the May 17 district election. Two board members retire and two others must be reelected because their terms expire, leaving Heidi Parker as the only board member who will not be a candidate this spring. The Ashland School Board races, one of the few things local voters will weigh in on in this election, attracted more candidates than any other school board race in the county. In school board elections that will be held for nine other school districts in Jackson County, 30 candidates have filed for 25 positions, including two seats in the Pinehurst School District that will not be filled. Voters pamphlets will be mailed out April 20 and ballots arrive around April 29. The last day to register to vote in this election is April 26 and the votes will be tallied on May 17. The candidates Position 1 (4-year term) Ruth Alexander Three most important election issues: Alexander thinks school closures, funding and reinstating some of the programs that have been cut, such as the eight-period day at the high school and elective classes, will be topics during the campaign. Alexander Qualifications: Alexander, who has a masters in teaching, believes her “No. 1 qualification is that I love the Ashland School District.” An author and an educator, she has volunteered in Ashland schools at every level for 17 years and has been a member of several committees. School board goals for coming year: Alexander would like to see the school board reach out to the community “so everyone feels like their voice is being heard.” A long-range vision plan for the district is also a priority in her mind. Age: 61 Occupation: Author, elementary math tutor Marital status: married (David) Children: Zachary Bell (35), Poppy (22) Length of time in Ashland: 17 years Howard Miller Three most important election issues: Miller believes finding a way to adapt to change — vacating Lincoln School and the disruptions that will happen in the fall as a result — will be key in this election. He also cites open communication and how to best prepare all graduating students for their next step after high school, whatever that course may be. Miller Qualifications: Miller’s three children went through the Ashland school system. He was a member of the high school site council for four years and led the group two of those years. School board goals for coming year: Miller would like to see the school board resolve its financial situation and focus on education, student-teacher interactions and communicating with the community. Age: 62 Occupation: semi-retired veterinarian Marital status: married (Debbie) Children: three adult children (Amy, Peter, Ann) and one grandson (Nathan) Length of time in Ashland: since 1976 Position 3 (4-year term) Chuck Keil Three most important election issues: Keil would like to see candidates talk about what the long-term issues are for the school district and revenue stability. He also hopes the election conversation steers toward programs to discuss what works, what should be added and how to maintain and/or expand programs without additional funding. Keil Qualifications: Keil, a current board member, says “the primary qualification is that I share with the administration and the current board the ideal of free public education.” He has worked in the business world most of his life and feels his four years of experience on the board make him more qualified now than he was in 2001. School board goals for coming year: Keil would like to see the board create a long-term plan for facilities and how to deal with changing demographics. Working on the Ashland Quality Education Model is also a priority for him. Age: 58 Occupation: semi-retired, chair of the Jackson County Democrats Central Committee (volunteer) Marital status: married (Kate Jackson) Children: Marie (13) Length of time in Ashland: 11-plus years Mat Marr Three most important election issues: Marr thinks finding solutions to deal with the changing demographics of Ashland will be an election topic. He would like to see the school district build partnerships with the planning commission, the City of Ashland, Southern Oregon University and other community organizations to accomplish this. Open communication will also be an issue, Marr believes. Board policy KJA, which was passed in August 2004, banned flyers for afterschool activities to be handed out in classrooms and makes it more difficult for programs to draw in students. Restoring education cornerstones in Ashland schools should be discussed as well. Marr hopes the board will spend more time focusing on core education issues, such as reinstating foreign language in the elementary schools. Marr Qualifications: Marr, who went through the Ashland school system, has been a member of the Ashland Youth Activities Levy Committee for two years and chair of the organization for over a year. School board goals for coming year: Marr believes the board needs to act as vision-setters and role models for the school district. Focusing on vigorous academics and qualities activities for students, while working to recruit new families into the district should be on the board’s agenda. Age: 24 Occupation: SOU student Marital status: single Children: brother Isaac is an 8th-grader at AMS Length of time in Ashland: born here Position 4 (4-year term) Sue Graham Three most important election issues: Graham thinks communication between the school board and the community will be an election topic, in addition to discussions about keeping Lincoln Elementary School open because of increased class sizes at Walker Elementary School in the fall. A process to build better understanding of how the board works and how more community input can be involved in board decisions without increasing the workload of board members will also be important in the election. Graham Qualifications: Graham has volunteered in Ashland schools for 10 years and been a part of site councils at all levels of education in the district. She has interacted with students, staff and parents on a variety of issues. School board goals for coming year: Graham would like to see the school board better articulate the Ashland Quality Education Model. She thinks the board should work to facilitate discussions more than lead them and focus on communication and trust with the community. Age: 56 Occupation: Bookkeeper, volunteer Marital status: married (Denny) Children: son Rex Martin (27), daughter Ashley (19) Length of time in Ashland: 11 years Amy Sager Patton Three most important election issues: Patton believes communication will be an important election topic because “there’s some mistrust out there in the community and that needs to be discussed.” Addressing the different education opportunities offered to students in Ashland — including what’s already available, such as Willow Wind and the Wilderness Charter School, and what could be added — will be included in election discussions. Talking about the financial situation of the district will also be an election topic. Patton Qualifications: Patton has been a school volunteer at all levels for 10 years and now works with the SMART reading program at Lincoln Elementary School. She has a management background from working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, where she was on the Oregon Environmental Council board of directors for six years, and has been active at school board meetings the past few years. School board goals for coming year: Patton would like to see the school board start to work with the city and the rest of the community to determine how schools in Ashland will look in the future, then devise a plan to create that vision. This would include beginning a new facilities plan and exploring long-range planning for all of the district’s buildings. Age: 42 Occupation: SMART reading coordinator, volunteer, mom Marital status: married (Kent) Children: Jed (15), Katie (12) and Lilly (7) Length of time in Ashland: first moved here in 1973 for middle and high school, returned in 2000 with her family Jim Teece Three most important election issues: Teece thinks “there will be a lot of dialogue about Lincoln” during the election, but budget issues will be the number-one topic. Discussions about how the community process operates will also be an issue, he believes. Teece Qualifications: Teece sits on several boards including the Southern Oregon University Foundation board, the fundraising arm of the university, and says he has “five key passions in life.” One is education. School board goals for coming year: Teece would like to see the board and the entire community, not just parents, come together behind what the next 10 to 15 years of the Ashland School District will look like. He thinks it’s time to move forward Age: 41 Occupation: president and CEO of Project A Marital status: married (Dena Matthews) Children: daughter Teague (11), son Quinn (8) Length of time in Ashland: since 1992 Position 5 (2-year turn) Amy Amrhein Three most important election issues: Frustration about tight finances and how the community will deal with declining enrollment will be topics during the election, as will open communication, which “has already come up between the board and the community.” Amrhein would also like to see discussion about what quality education should look like in Ashland. Amrhein Qualifications: Amrhein, a current board member, got involved in school funding issues seven years ago. She ran the youth activities levy campaign in 2001 and has lobbied at the state legislature for school funding. Amrhein also has an MBA from Duke University and worked in the business world for 10 years before she had children. School board goals for coming year: Amrhein is looking forward to next year and the prospect of stabilized funding from the state legislature. She’d like to see the board extend the conversation started with the Ashland Quality Education Model and focus attention on reviewing facilities that will support the quality education and programs the community wants. Age: 48 Occupation: regional organizer, Jackson County Stand for Children Marital status: married (Mark) Children: Jamie (14) and Matt (12 1/2) Length of time in Ashland: 11 1/2 years Michael Hays Three most important election issues: Hays believes the decision to close Lincoln and restrictions on future tenants will be an election topic, as well as the distrust of the school board that has arisen after what he thinks was “inadequate public participation in major initiatives,” including the closure of Briscoe and Lincoln schools, the bond drive and the Ashland Quality Education Model. He also says “the disconnect between downgraded priority and quality of education, and the absence of effective leadership and management” will be discussed during the election process. Hays Qualifications: Hays, who has a Ph.D. and MA (English), a masters in education and a BA in philosophy and English, has been an Ashland School District appointee to the Merit Pay Review and Language Arts Curriculum committees and member of several other education-related committees and the PTA. School board goals for coming year: Restoring trust in the school board by listening to community members tops Hays’ list of school board goals for the coming year. This includes developing public participation polices and procedures to ensure informed and timely input from the community. He would also like to see the school board create strategic, facilities and budget-planning processes and develop strategic and facilities plans, as well as launch a review and reform of school board curriculum. Age: 65 Occupation: retired Marital status: partnered Children: he has two children: Kelly (32) and David (30); and his partner has three children: Geoffrey (25), Lauren (23), Claire (20) Length of time in Ashland: 1 1/2 years DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Free Musick Downloads Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress tcg student loan consolidation home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms cortisol weight loss Tatoos website design & marketing student loans African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Student Loans Tatoo Poker Games Homeschooling Click Here .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams