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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2017)
PAGE 4 | April 7, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Labor groups weigh in on May election for education boards, school bonds Labor unions and councils are weighing in on races in the May 16 elections. Most of the en- dorsements are for education boards and school bond meas- ures that will appear on ballots. Candidates seeking the endorse- ment of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council (NOLC) must complete a questionnaire, and most candidates interview with the Executive Board. Following is a breakdown of endorsements that have been announced by various labor councils and union locals: Portland Public School Three incumbents on the current school board are stepping down, and 10 candidates have filed to run. NOLC, the Portland Asso- ciation of Teachers, and the Portland Federation of School Professionals Local 111 are sup- porting Rita Moore in Zone 4 representing North Portland; Scott Bailey in Zone 5 covering Northeast Portland; and Trisha Parks in Zone 6 in Southeast Portland. The Columbia Pacific Build- ing and Construction Trades Council (CPBCTC) also sup- ports Bailey in Zone 5, but it en- dorsed Jamila Singleton Mun- son in Zone 4. Moore is a school activist and parent of a PPS student. She is co-chair of the Community Budget Review Committee. A former university professor, she works as a policy analyst in the Office of Health Analytics of the Oregon Health Authority. Munson is a former teacher and principal at a charter school in Houston, Texas. A graduate of Grant High School, she is a sen- ior managing director for Teach for America, a non-profit that re- cruits college students to teach in a public or public charter K– 12 school. Bailey is a school activist who has organized with parents against school closures and served on the district-wide Boundary Review Advisory Committee. An economics teacher at Clark College, he played a key role in passing the 2012 school bond. Parks is a teacher in Beaver- ton and a former union leader there. She wants to bring more teacher voices into the decision- making processes at PPS. She has children in the district, and has served as president of the Atkinson Elementary PTA. Candidates are elected dis- trict-wide, but they must live in the zone in which they are run- ning. Terms are four years. NOLC and CPBCTC both endorsed Portland Public School Bond 26-193. The meas- ure is a $790 million construc- tion bond. If passed, Benson and Madison high schools would be remodeled, Lincoln High and Kellogg Middle School would be demolished and rebuilt, and nearly every Portland school would get safety hazards fixed. (See NW Labor Press, March 17, 2017.) David Douglas SD Four of the seven seats on the School Board are up in May. Only registered voters of a par- ticular area may vote for a par- ticular seat in the “by-district” election. NOLC, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, and the Oregon School Employees Association have endorsed Ana del Rocio for Position 1. The former teacher and mother of two is employed as a public policy professional. del Rocio is chal- lenging incumbent board mem- ber Cheryl Ancheta. Gresham-Barlow SD NOLC, CPBCTC, UFCW Lo- cal 555, and IBEW Local 48 have endorsed Jason Dugan for School Board, at-large. Dugan is a member of IBEW 48 and has been an active parent in the school district for many years. He has volunteered as a coach, as well as on several committees for the school district. He worked on the successful bond measure, and was co-chair of the Political Action Committee. Two other candidates have filed to run. Lake Oswego SD CPBCTC endorsed Bond Meas- ure 3-515. LO School District is seeking $187 million to rebuild Lakeridge Junior High, perform maintenance repairs, and imple- ment safety and security up- grades on existing schools. NOLC, Portland Community College Local 2277-American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and PCC Local 3922-AFT have endorsed Rob Wagner for School Board, Position 2. Wag- ner, an associate vice president of college advancement at Port- land Community College, is a former employee of the Ameri- can Federation of Teachers. He is running unopposed. Portland Community College NOLC and CPBCTC have en- dorsed Moses Ross for the PCC Zone 5 Board seat. Ross is a small business owner and single dad. He is being challenged by Valdez Bravo, a Democratic Party activist and Army veteran. Bravo is endorsed by PCC Lo- cal 2277-AFT and PCC Local 3922-AFT. Bravo, who holds master’s degrees in health care administration and business ad- ministration from Baylor Uni- versity, works at the Veterans Health Administration. Multnomah Education Service District NOLC has endorsed Mary Botkin for re-election to MESD Position 3. Botkins is a retired lobbyist of Oregon AFSCME Council 75. City of Portland NOLC has endorsed Ballot Measure 26-189 put forth by the Portland City Council. The measure amends the City Char- ter by increasing the City Audi- tor’s independence from audited agencies, and adds other duties.
