Corvallis School District, Position 1

Candidate: Blake Rodman

Age: 55

Occupation: Teacher, journalist, free-lance writer.

Education: Cubberley High School, Palo Alto, CA.; bachelor's, University of California at Davis; teaching certification, fifth year program, UCD; master's, journalism, Northwestern University.

Family: Married with four children, three in Corvallis schools.

Community service: Corvallis School Board member and related work.

Memberships: Sierra Club and OPB.

Q. Why are you seeking this position and why are you the best candidate?

A. I had not intended to seek a second term on the school board. It's hard, consuming work, and I thought it was time to give someone else a turn. But when the economy tanked, and it was clear that our school system was on the brink of some very difficult fiscal times, I reconsidered. I concluded that the district might benefit from continuity and experience on the school board, and I thought voters should have that option. While it might sound corny, I was also influenced by President-elect Obama's call on election night for Americans to step forward and serve their communities. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Board work has its rewards. When I first ran for election, many people told me that I was crazy, that school board service was a "thankless job." That hasn't been my experience. Everywhere I go in this community, people thank me for my willingness to serve, even those who disagree with my opinions or the way I've voted. That appreciation is gratifying and is also one of the reasons I'm now seeking a second term.

Q. The Corvallis School District is building its 2009-10 budget. What should be the district's funding priorities? What programs could be cut? What should be added and how would you fund it?

A. This district should do everything possible to protect the high quality education it offers kids and the programs it provides. Part of what makes board work difficult is the inevitable need to choose between undesirable options. During difficult times like these, for example, we must decide whether to cut programs or to allow class sizes to drift upward - or some balance of the two. While I know this community supports smaller class sizes, I also know that it expects and demands a wide range of educational programs and offerings. We have an outstanding group of administrators managing our district. It is their job to know our schools and district well and to present a balanced budget each year for scrutiny by the budget committee and approval by the school board. We are currently looking at a budget shortfall next year of somewhere between 10 and 15 percent less than our current level. They are recommending that we make up that shortfall by reducing the number of teaching, classified and administrative positions in the district (largely through attrition and not rehiring temporary employees) and beginning a gradual drawdown of district reserves. They are also recommending that the board assess the full voter-approved rate on our local option levy. I support these recommendations. But I will be listening closely over the next month to budget-related feedback from the community, schools, and budget committee members. This is not the right time, in my mind, to introduce new initiatives or programs that come with additional costs.

Q. Like many school districts in the state, the Corvallis School District is welcoming an influx of students from diverse cultures and educational needs. How can the district create change to meet their needs, show adequately yearly progress among its students and still stay within budget?

A. This is the principal question educators and policymakers in districts across the country have been struggling to answer for decades now. Meeting the educational needs of all our students, no matter what their backgrounds or socio-economic status, is a high priority for our board. Indeed, a major goal of our board-approved district improvement plan is closing the achievement gap between various groups of our students. But it is our professional educators, not lay board members, who have the knowledge and expertise to develop and implement educational strategies for achieving this goal. It is the job of elected board members to keep this goal on top of our district agenda. Still, I have some ideas.

Certainly a place to start is making sure that we are providing safe, welcoming school environments for all students, regardless of their race, ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, etc. Over the past year, a Corvallis school district committee has been studying our schools through this lens and will report its findings and recommendations in the fall. Undoubtedly, this group will offer a number of suggestions for ways the schools can better embrace and support our increasingly diverse student population.

Another way to boost student achievement is to create time during the school day for teachers to focus their collective wisdom on specific student needs. This would require drafting school schedules with common release time once or twice a week for teachers of the same grade level or subject area to meet, study assessment data, and work together on strategies for improvement. Districts across the country, including our own, have begun to do this with some success.

Still another approach that might make sense is assigning our most experienced and successful veteran educators at the elementary level to students and schools with the greatest learning needs. In many districts, including ours, the opposite tends to occur; the newest teachers get assigned to the lowest-performing schools. New teachers often bring energy and fresh ideas to the classroom, but they can lack important instructional skills needed to be successful with demanding kids.

Finally, we have to ensure that all our students acquire in the earliest grades the skills they'll need to succeed later on. When students slip behind in elementary school, they have a difficult time ever catching up with their peers. It is essential, then, that the district continue to provide a full-day program for all kindergartners at our two Title I elementary schools, which enroll high percentages of low-income kids. It's a relatively small investment for big potential benefits down the road.