Centennial School District
Position 1, Zone 1
Occupation: Executive Assistant at the Oregon Board of Examiners for Speech-language Pathology & Audiology
Occupational Background: Assistant for Board of Naturopathic Medicine; Ballot Measure Outreach Defend Oregon
Educational Background: Masters of Public Administration, Local Government Specialist– Portland State University 2015; Bachelors of Arts in Politics & History – Portland State University 2005; Madison High School 2000.
Prior Governmental Experience: Centennial Neighborhood Emergency Team 2021; Montavilla Neighborhood Association 2005-2018 - Chair 2008-09, 2017-18; Multnomah County Democrats District Leader 2019-20 Assistant District Leader 2017-18; SEIU 503 Union Steward and Sub-Local President 2010-12; Oregon Memorial Association Board Director 2015- 2018.
Message:
I am a father of a Centennial 6th grader, a dedicated husband, and a committed community activist. I have spent my life serving the community of East Portland. I am running for the Centennial School Board because I have seen first-hand the problems facing the Centennial schools, students, and teachers as we recover from the pandemic. We must come back stronger and more resilient than before. Some families in this community will need far more help than others to recover, and Centennial Schools must be at the forefront of those efforts.
The school board directors are stewards of the public trust and tax dollar. Administering contracts of public property and personnel requires an approach that the best deal is not always the cheapest or quickest easiest options. Accountability and the responsibility of creating a positive culture begins at the top. I want to continue and expand on the work the previous board has done to emphasize equity, diversity, and inclusion.
We need people on the school board who can make hard decisions in these hard times.
Endorsements:
Centennial Educational Association
Oregon Education Association
East County Rising
Stand For Children
Amanda Schroeder Centennial Board Director Position 7
Andrea Valderrama Chair, David Douglas School Board
Rickie Ruiz, Oregon House Representative District 50
Eddie Morales, Gresham City Council
(This information furnished by David Linn)
Position 5, Zone 3
Occupation: Director, Centennial School Board; Member Centennial School District Bond Oversight Committee
Occupational Background: Retired Chief Operating Officer, Bonneville Power Administration. Throughout my 26 years at Bonneville, I held various executive, managerial, and staff positions including Chief Operating Officer; Chief Financial Officer; Chief Risk Officer; and Treasurer.
Educational Background: Willamette University, Finance MBA; St. Olaf College, Biology/French BA; Gresham High School diploma.
Prior Governmental Experience: Director, Centennial School Board; Member, Centennial School District Budget Committee; 30-year federal government career with Bonneville Power Administration, US Department of State, and US Forest Service.
Pandemic recovery must be the focus of every elected official, including school board members. Students and staff are suffering. I intend to intensify the focus on education recovery over the course of my tenure. Aligning the existing strategy, called Centennial Destination 2023, with pandemic recovery goals and objectives will provide a roadmap to student success. The elements of the strategy, 1) student-focused teaching and learning, 2) healthy culture and environment, 3) effective systems and programs, and 4) community and partnerships, should be used to establish specific goals to address student and staff needs. Aligning the budget with these goals will ensure that the money is most directly used to students’ benefit.
Centennial’s equity goal - that each and every learner receives the resources they need individually to thrive in our schools no matter what - should guide the board and staff in remedying the inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I am dedicated to once more making school a constant in kids’ lives.
Centennial voters generously passed a bond levy last year. I intend to ensure that bond proceeds are spent prudently and effectively. Centennial school facilities are a big part of our community. The investments will provide improved educational opportunities to our students and better facilities for our staff. I intend to demonstrate that the Centennial School District is worthy of voters’ trust.
(This information furnished by Claudia Andrews)
Position 6, At-Large
Occupation: Retired
Occupational Background: Director of Financial Aid, MHCC; Financial Aid and Academic Counselor, MHCC.
Educational Background: BS, Psychology and grad work in educational counseling, PSU; BS Science Education, OSU; AS, MHCC; HS, Centennial.
Prior Governmental Experience: 29-year incumbent, School Board Director, Centennial School District.
Hard work. Experience. Dedication. Always interdependent, but each individually important. This is what I have modeled and will continue to bring to the position.
In my 29 years on this board, I will have attended (about) 522 board meetings, 120 executive meetings, more than 75 extra work sessions, 20 all-day professional trainings, 100 budget meetings, hundreds of hours of bond election canvassing … and other ad hoc activities too numerous to mention.
That hard work has gained me experience in a wide range of educational methods in the decision-making process to move initiatives from good ideas to board policies. Knowing the behind-the-scenes workings frees a director to concentrate on decisions for the bigger picture issues, such as our diversity agenda in our Destination 2023 goals.
Dedication to see Centennial succeed evolved from knowing that my diverse experiences have continued to shape district policies that are good for kids and economical for the taxpayers. Being good stewards of tax revenues is a hallmark of responsible board work.
This will be my last term. I have two projects that I need to complete before I finish my contributions to my alma mater school district.
One is as Chair of the Bond Oversight Committee. The $65M bond and $7.5M state match needs citizen oversight to ensure transparency. Knowledgeable leadership is critical to navigate the last 18 months of spending taxpayer funds as promised to create an excellent learning environment for the kids and teachers.
The other is to continue to grow and support the equity work in which the district is engaged. We have been working on the building blocks to create an equity model that helps all our districts’ kids succeed.
I ask for your vote.
(This information furnished by Rod Boettcher).
Position 6, At-Large
Occupation: Community Organizer and Small Business Owner
Occupational Background: Community Organizer, Consultant
Educational Background: Centennial High School, Mt. Hood Community College, Oregon State University
Prior Governmental Experience: Precinct Committee Person, Program Director - College Democrats of America
Community Leader with Community in Mind
Dear Community,
I have lived in Rockwood my entire life and earned my K-12 education in the Centennial School District. I have grown, lived, and learned with all of you and I am now ready to serve your families and future generations as a member of the Centennial School Board.
Together, we can make Centennial School leadership reflective of the families it serves and improve educational outcomes for all. I’m passionate about leadership and I know that our community is stronger when our students and families succeed.
Erica’s Priorities:
- Recognizing that student success is tied to more than the classroom experience.
- Addressing the Mental Health Crisis among our students.
- Advocating for School Based Health Clinics to provide critical services like mental health and dental care to all students.
- Creating Food Security: COVID has proven that we can feed breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost to them. It’s time to make this policy.
- Advocating for Services for Students Experiencing Homelessness. Houselessness is an epidemic and as your next school board director I will work hard to make sure resources are available to students and families.
Community Leaders support Erica:
State Representative Ricki Ruiz
Former State Representative, Carla Piluso
Gresham City Councilors Eddy Morales, Mario Palmero, and Vince Jones-Dixon
Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick
Metro Councilor, Christine Lewis
Andrea Valderrama, David Douglas School Board Chair
Katrina Daughty, MESD
Jessica Arzate, MESD
Sonja McKenzie, Parkrose School Board Chair
Mayra Gomez, Gresham Barlow School Board
Stand for Children
Oregon Education Association
Centennial Education Association
NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC
East County Rising PAC
(This information furnished by Erica Fuller)
Position 7, At-Large
Occupation: Paralegal, Parent.
Occupational Background: Juvenile Justice Defense, Civil Litigation.
Educational Background: Reynolds High School, class of 1992; Portland Community College AAS Paralegal; Pennsylvania State University BS Political Science.
Prior Governmental Experience: Elected precinct committee person, precinct 5001, House District 50; delegate for SEIU Local 503 General Counsel; Committeeperson for SEIU Steward Committee; Member, SEIU LatinX Caucus.
I am running for the Centennial school board to bring a parent’s voice, and a juvenile advocate’s experience to the board, as well work with other board members, parents, and faculty as we move to in person learning during these tough times with Covid-19 in our community. As well, having worked with adolescents in both the delinquency and dependency areas of law, I know the importance of school and helping kids and their parents engage with districts to improve, attendance, graduation rates, and help students and parents succeed in a challenging time such as this.
We know from countless studies, that keeping kids in school is paramount to their further success in life. We also know that the greater engagement from parents with their children’s schools, results in their kid’s greater success in school. I would like to work with the board, faculty, students, and parents to ensure that we are doing everything we can for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to succeed not just in school, or to go on to college, but also take advantage of opportunities in the trades, with mentorships and apprenticeships and other community mentorship opportunities that will bolster a student’s success in life.
Endorsed by:
Oregon State Representative Ricki Ruiz, HD 50.
Oregon Education Association.
Centennial Education Association.
Stand For Children
(This information furnished by Heath Curry)