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Author Topic: Cless Woodward's Resignation Opens a spot on the school board - August 2020  (Read 3634 times)
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« on: August 22, 2020, 08:58:19 AM »

Official board meeting information can be found here: https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicHome.aspx?ak=1001104

1. 4. Interviews and Appointment of Board Member to Position No. 6 Action Item
https://policy.osba.org/corbett/AB/BBBA%20G1.PDF
https://policy.osba.org/corbett/AB/BBBB%20D1.PDF
https://policy.osba.org/corbett/AB/BBE%20D1.PDF

RESOLUTION NO. 8.39-20 - RESOLVED that the Board appoint _____ as
board member, Position No. 6., to serve until June 30, 2021. Position No. 6
shall be up for election in the March 9, 2021 election, at which time the person
so elected will serve out the remainder of the term for Position No. 6, expiring
June 30, 2023.

a. Hope Beraka
b. Rebecca Bratton
c. Quanneisha Brooks-Hooker
d. David Granberg
e. Angela Kimpo
f. Vanessa Lyon
g. Stephanie Nystrom

Presenter: Michelle Vo - Board Chair



Board Members
Board Chairman: Michelle Vo / mvo@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Vice Chair: David Gorman / dgorman@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Bob Buttke / bbuttke@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Katey Kinnear / kkinnear@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Todd Mickalson / tmickalson@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Todd Redfern / tredfern@corbett.k12.or.us

Interim Superintendent: Dan Wold / dwold@corbett.k12.or.us
Deputy Clerk: Robin Lindeen-Blakeley / rlindeen@corbett.k12.or.us


LINK TO THE VIDEO OF THIS MEETING:
https://youtu.be/wTVsxITH1tk
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« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2020, 09:57:48 AM »

Letter posted on Corbett Area Facebook page:



David B. Shannon
***
August 19, 2020

Board Chairman: Michelle Vo / mvo@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Vice Chair: David Gorman / dgorman@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Bob Buttke / bbuttke@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Katey Kinnear / kkinnear@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Todd Mickalson / tmickalson@corbett.k12.or.us
Board Member: Todd Redfern / tredfern@corbett.k12.or.us
Interim Superintendent: Dan Wold / dwold@corbett.k12.or.us
Deputy Clerk: Robin Lindeen-Blakeley / rlindeen@corbett.k12.or.us
Via Email, only

Gentlepeople:

I write to express my concern, prior to the Board’s vote, about several of the candidates for the open School Board position (6); to endorse David Granberg and; to urge the Board to take a different, consensus-based approach to its leadership of this district.  I write as an in-district parent of three school-age children and on my behalf, only.  

I observed the circumstances which led to Cless Woodward’s vacating his position.  As many in this community are aware, Mr. Woodward is a local, thoughtful man, a parent and a decent human being.  He was elected on the strength of this decency, his long-standing ties to this community and his commitment to this District’s ongoing success.

Mr. Woodward left his position not because that commitment waned or because he no longer felt called to contribute his time.  Instead, he was a target of concentrated hatred and scorn from a narrow portion of this community who disagreed – often narrowly –with the votes he cast. Ultimatel, this drove him from office.

The same individuals who engaged with Mr. Woodward in this fashion have now targeted the remaining democratically-elected school board members with whom they disagree.  This has involved nakedly political maneuvers like false allegations of racial bias; the use of racial slurs over innocuous, non-racially intended imagery and the exploitative and sanctimonious use of those racial slurs, by white people, for their own narrow political goals; the politically-motivated filing of false ethics complaints; the calling of one board member’s workplace in an attempt to get him fired and actual calls for violence against “Corbett kids” –thinly veiled threats against Board Members’ children (really, take a look at Candidate Brooks-Hooker’s July 17 Facebook posting which features a bloody, graphically violent video and her hopes that “racist Corbett kids” are subjected to similar violence).

Each individual –except for David Granberg –who is now seeking elevation to Mr. Woodward’s vacant position engaged in, abetted or endorsed this unethical, divisive and destructive conduct.  Each candidate –again, except for David Granberg -is unsuitable for a leadership position in this district by virtue of the foregoing conduct.

My hope is that this Board can stop listening to the community.  The community has talked enough –and, frankly, has had its opportunity to cast its vote for leadership.  Now is the time for this Board to roll up its sleeves and make compromises toward a consensus, long-term plan.  That plan should include a target school size.  That plan should incorporate difficult decisions about fiscal sustainability.  

It is not sacrilege to cut positions in the name of reducing the size of the District when the community and third-party evaluations have recommended the same.  It is, however, arguably a form of institutional racism to continue to aggressively poach children from outlying districts in order to alleviate a budget crisis.  It is clear budget issues are present for adjacent districts as well.  Frankly, those districts -in contrast to Corbett -have significant populations of students of color.  My hope is that as the Board contemplates the ethical resolution to its fiscal problems it understands that neighboring districts –especially Barlow and Reynolds -provide the students Corbett poaches and their budgets are accordingly reduced; of course they are already struggling with the same budget-reducing forces which affect this community.  I suspect the leadership of those districts is likely unenthused about the irony of Corbett operators –school teachers’ -use of false allegations of racism in this District in the name of securing Board votes to loot theirs.  

In any case, my hope is that the Board can act as a board.  I urge the Board to reject the vicious, dishonest, partisan pressure that has been levelled against some of its members and to do so unanimously and without respect to political agreement.  Process matters.   Hopefully the Board as a whole can reject the kind of ad hominem tactics being used by candidates for the open position; –again except for David Granberg, I endorse Mr. Granberg because he is a calm, reasonable voice standing outside of the conduct in which the balance of the candidates have engaged or endorsed.  These tactics are not in our kids’ interest and they further divide this community.  

I urge Board members to meet in sub-quorum groups of opposed views and come to compromise positions to which you can agree.  I urge this board to be collegial; support each other and recognize each other’s decency and the quality of your motivation; perhaps this community can follow your lead.  Act as a group to protect each other.  Each of you has something to contribute to a process that yields the collective will of this community.  Stop being constituency-based; start being the adults in the room (apparently you aren’t going to find them in the audience).  You can get there by listening to each other and working together.

Sincerely,
/s/ David
David Shannon
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« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2020, 09:59:07 AM »

Audio clip link of Jeff Aho's statement to the board about this seat and candidates:

http://www.corbettoregon.com/CSD/Aho8_22.m4a
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