Portland Public Schools -- News - Five apply to serve on Portland School Board

August 06, 2008
Five apply to serve on Portland School Board from North/Northeast Portland; Community forum set for Tuesday, Aug. 26

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the public will have a chance to hear from the five applicants who have expressed interest in representing a swath of North/Northeast Portland on the Portland Public Schools Board of Education.

The seven-member School Board will appoint a new director from Zone 4, replacing Dan Ryan, who resigned July 1 to lead the Portland Schools Foundation.

The five applicants are:

Stephen Blanton, a civil engineer with Entrix specializing in water resources issues, and a parent and volunteer at Astor K-8 School.
Stephen Buel, a teacher (now in Vancouver, formerly for PPS), member of the Portland School Board from 1979 to 1983, and candidate for the board in 2005.
Martín González, former executive director of the Portland Schools Alliance and long-time community activist, now working as an outreach coordinator for TriMet.
Rita Moore, who works for CASA for Children, a non-profit that advocates on behalf of abused and neglected children, and parent activist on PPS issues.
Mark Stephan, an associate professor of political science at Washington State University in Vancouver, who lives in Kenton and volunteers at Peninsula K-8 School.

All applicants have been invited to participate in a candidate forum conducted by the League of Women Voters on Tuesday, Aug. 26, in the board room at the Blanchard Education Service Center, 501 N. Dixon St.

The forum will be an opportunity for the league members and board directors to ask the applicants about their interest in the position. Members of the community are invited to attend, and the forum will be televised live on Channel 28.

Each of the seven volunteer directors on the Portland School Board represents a geographical zone, but is elected district-wide. The appointee will serve the remainder of Ryan’s term, ending in June 2009. If the appointee wishes to run for a full four-year term, he or she would have to file by March 2009 to be on the May ballot.
.
Application materials for the candidates are posted on the School Board’s Web page, www.board.pps.k12.or.us

###

At Portland Public Schools, this is our goal: By the end of elementary, middle, and high school, every student by name will meet or exceed academic standards and will be fully prepared to make productive life decisions. For more information on Portland Public Schools, call 503-916-3304, e-mail us at pubinfo@pps.k12.or.us, or visit www.pps.k12.or.us. Portland Public Schools is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Print this page