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60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, May 1, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 1, 2005 Robin Stroh is one of 27 candidates running unopposed in Jackson County�s education board races in the May 17 election. Stroh said she realizes school board work is hard, but she�s enthusiastic at the chance to serve. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Why we don’t run for office Local elections highlight a statewide problem: uncontested races By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune It’s a job with long hours, lots of responsibility and no pay. Serving on a school board demands a time commitment members say can cut into family activities and even work schedules. It requires an understanding of budgets, educational policy, employment issues and other minutiae of operating a large organization with a multi-million budget, numerous employees and a task vital to the future of its community. It means serving as a lightning rod for discontent when problems arise, but fading from the public eye when controversy doesn’t burn bright. Maybe it’s no wonder few people have signed on for a chance at such a job. Advertisement In Jackson County, 27 of 35 board races for schools, an education service district and Rogue Community College in the May 17 election are uncontested. For two positions, both on the Pinehurst school board, no candidates have filed. A survey by the Oregon School Boards Association found that 486, or 64 percent, of 765 school board races statewide have only one candidate. That’s down from 67.5 percent of races in 2003. Medford school board member Peggy Penland understands why people might not want a seat on the school board. "It’s hard work to cut budgets," she said, noting that the past three years of financial insecurity statewide have been particularly difficult. "It’s emotionally draining," she said. "When we’re just fighting to keep what we have, people don’t say, ‘Wow, I want to be part of that.’ " In general, people run for office — including school board positions — either because they want to get involved for altruistic reasons or because events trigger their interest, said Ashland political consultant and former mayor Cathy Shaw. "When you have an issue of great controversy you see more people seeking office," she said. By looking at the ballot in Jackson County, an astute political observer could tell which districts face the most heated debates, Shaw said. In Ashland, where emotions run high over neighborhood school closures because of tight budgets and shrinking enrollment, nine candidates are vying for four seats. Eagle Point, which features one of just nine races statewide with four candidates, recently has weathered bitter labor relations, steep budget cuts and a fire that gutted a middle school. Most districts with uncontested races have managed to avoid controversy. "We have not had hot-button issues," Phoenix-Talent school board Chairman Craig Prewitt said. After 13 years on the board, he is running unopposed, as are the candidates for the other three open positions on the board. "The last time we had 200 people at a board meeting was before my time, back in the ’80s when we cut football." Penland, who is president of the Oregon School Boards Association and a regional officer in a national school board group, said she got involved in Medford school board decisions in 1994 because she was concerned about how boundary adjustments might affect her kids. "From that, I got interested in how the district ran," she said. During the last school board election in 2003, Medford attracted plenty of candidates. Nine people vied for four seats and only one position was uncontested. "I was really motivated two years ago," said John Glaser, who challenged Penland and lost. "It was a crossroads for the district with the superintendent retiring. I saw an opportunity to go in a new direction." Former Superintendent Steve Wisely had retired in 2002, then made an unpublicized deal to return as a contract employee, prompting concerns as the district struggled with tight budgets. Glaser was affiliated with Medford School Watch, a group that offered pointed criticism of district administration in the wake of the deal. Worries about what some of those critics might bring to the board pushed Bob Sergi to run in 2003, when he faced off with three other candidates for a seat vacated by a retiring member. "I didn’t like where I thought the board would go if certain people made it on," he said. Sergi was glad to see the district’s sharpest critics weren’t elected, but he was also glad he didn’t win, either. "I felt lucky for not winning. It takes a lot of time," he said, noting that his job as a Medford police sergeant doesn’t leave him enough time to dedicate to a school board post, even though he stays interested in school activities. Glaser said he would like to serve on the school board and still is concerned about steering the district in a new direction. However, he said he needed to put family matters first this time around. Balancing the time commitments of board service with family, work and other interests is a challenge that probably turns candidates away, members said. Penland estimates that most board members average 10 to 15 hours a week on board duties. With her work in state and national organizations, she spends 25 to 30 hours a week. Sometimes those hours come at inconvenient times. When there’s a hot issue before the board, Penland knows that an after-work stop to pick up a few items at the grocery store can stretch to an hour, as district patrons stop her to ask questions and share opinions. An office manager at Minuteman Press, Penland said she is fortunate to have a supportive employer who lets her miss work for school board functions, including lobbying in Salem. Missed work can create a financial burden that turns some people away from board service, she said. Eagle Point board Chairman Doug McKinley said his duties feel like a full-time job some weeks, while other weeks the work only takes five or six hours. "I think it averages 15 to 20 hours a week if you do a good job," he said. "It’s more than one meeting a month. I didn’t do this much reading when I was in school." McKinley said he reviews information district officials gather for board members, reads materials residents send him and does his own research, work he thinks pays off in good long-term decisions that give students what they need. "I’m scared to make a bad decision that affects 4,000 kids," he said. "With budgets the way they are, it’s sad because we are not doing what’s best for kids; we’re just doing the best we can." Those tough decisions are bound to be unpopular with someone, adding another layer of challenge for board members and perhaps discouraging some people from running. "It’s not a real glorified position," McKinley said. "We’re always in trouble with someone." Many people aren’t willing to challenge incumbents, however, unless they really have issues with them, Penland said. With two longtime board members, Joe Frodsham and Pat Knudson, retiring from board service, she was surprised more people didn’t sign up for a chance to serve. Concerns about facing incumbents appeared to discourage potential candidates for Rogue Community College’s board, said Denise Swafford, assistant to the college president. "People called to get information, but when they found the incumbent was running again, they didn’t want to," she said. "Didn’t want the competition, I guess." Only one of four RCC races is contested. Board member David Trump, who didn’t file until near the deadline, faces two opponents, Tim Johnson and Wallace Kaufman. Swafford said the board tried to attract candidates by running ads, seeking referrals, writing letters and even hosting an informational reception — that no one attended. Pinehurst, on Highway 66 outside Ashland, has a perennial problem finding board members, said Wendy Fullerton, district clerk and business manager. With fewer than 30 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the tiny mountain community just doesn’t have many residents to draw from. "We did a tally and every family had served the school, except for the new families who haven’t lived here long enough to run for the board yet," she said. Robin Stroh, who finished a tight second in a four-way race for a Medford board position in 2003 and is running unopposed this time, knows the work is hard, but she’s enthusiastic. "So many board members say it takes a lot of time and work and it’s all unpaid and you’re under fire," she said. "I just feel so passionately about working with kids." Her previous campaign only deepened her drive as she visited schools and met principals, teachers, parents and students. "I saw things I want to do, to get involved," she said. "I decided to give it another shot. I’ve got more knowledge about and time volunteering in the schools now." Stroh has served on the district’s budget committee since 2003, volunteers in schools, and this year started a job as a youth alcohol and drug counselor with OnTrack Inc. Her twin sons are juniors at North Medford High School. Even though Penland’s kids have finished school, she said she’s more passionate than ever about schools. "School board is the hardest work I’ve done, but it’s also the most beneficial," she said, noting that it’s a pleasure to work with educators who have "the biggest hearts I’ve seen," and want to help others grow, even in tough times. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Advertisement s