[Libs-Or] IFC Tuesday Topics May 2023 - Special Districts Election Results

Tue May 30 07:38:35 PDT 2023

May 2023

Welcome to Tuesday Topics, a monthly series covering topics with
intellectual freedom implications for libraries of all types. Each message
is prepared by a member of OLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee or a guest
writer. Questions can be directed to the author of the topic or to the IFC
Committee.

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MAY 2023 SPECIAL DISTRICTS ELECTION RESULTS

May 16th, 2023 was election day for Special Districts across the State of
Oregon.  On the ballot for many counties were Board Member seats for both
public library districts and school boards.  In the current environment of
politically motivated challenges against books, displays, and programs, it
is increasingly important to be aware of the philosophical and political
beliefs of those holding roles of power within our library districts.  As
stated by the Philomath News
<https://philomathnews.com/may-2023-election-initial-returns-show-changes-coming-to-school-library-boards-across-oregon/>
“School board members govern the state’s 197 public school districts. They
are responsible for deciding each district’s priorities and goals; setting
educational policies; hiring, firing and reviewing the district’s
superintendent, and approving the district’s annual budget”.

Further, as explained by OPB [Oregon Public Broadcasting]
<https://www.opb.org/article/2023/05/17/oregon-school-board-election-results-may-2023/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=First%20Look%20May%2018%202023&utm_content=First%20Look%20May%2018%202023+CID_bb54994c7dab3d9f09c9995766ee0081&utm_source=firstlook&utm_term=Learn%20more>,
“School board races are technically nonpartisan. We are seeing increasing
instances of special library district board candidates also aligning with
specific political parties. It is by no means the norm, though, nor is it
as common as with school board elections. But in recent years, school board
candidates have increasingly sided with one major political party or the
other, with platforms going beyond typical school board issues like budgets
and superintendent performance. Instead, often under the umbrella of
parents rights,” conservative candidates have pushed national talking
points like access to books related to the LGBTQ+ experience, parental
input on public school curriculum, or other issues that parents deem
unsuitable for public schools.”

As stated by the Associated Press:
<https://apnews.com/article/school-boards-politics-parents-rights-2bed4680bdedd4c866e046136630a9e8>
“The parents’ rights movement demands transparency around teaching but also
includes a wide range of cultural stances, calling for schools to remove
certain books dealing with race or sexuality, for example, and an end to
history lessons that aren’t “patriotic.”

To offer more clarity on the outcomes of these board seats, the
Intellectual Freedom Committee is sharing the following recap of the
election results.  More information on each of these can be found using the
hyperlinks within this article and by going to the Oregon Secretary of
State website results found here:
https://results.oregonvotes.gov/Default.aspx

DISCLAIMER:  The Oregon Library Association (OLA) is a non-partisan
non-profit organization committed to promoting the values of intellectual
freedom and First Amendment rights that are core to our profession. This
information about election results is focused on candidates’ demonstrated
commitment to upholding and protecting the principles of the First
Amendment. OLA does not endorse nor oppose candidates for political office.
The primary focus of OLA's advocacy is to ensure that the rights of free
expression and access to information are safeguarded within the library
community and beyond.

Canby School District: In Canby, three candidates ran on the platform of
removing “sexually explicit and vulgar material” in libraries.  All three
lost their race including two incumbents, Stefani Carlson and Dawn Depner.
Their replacements on the Board are Kelly Oliver and Mark Bigej,
respectively.

Canby had recently removed
<https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/04/students-protest-36-books-pulled-from-canby-schools-after-two-parents-complain.html>
controversial books from their school library. The books were removed from
the shelves, pending review, rather than remaining until the
reconsideration committee makes a decision.

Chetco Community Public Library: Two of Chetco’s incumbents won, which
means that there is still a pro-intellectual freedom majority. Chetco
Community Public Library has experienced intellectual freedom challenges in
the past, and the board has supported intellectual freedom.

Crook County School District
<https://centraloregondaily.com/election-crook-county-school-board-mama-bears-edgerly-brumble-knight/?utm_source=second-street&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Central+Oregon+Daily+News+Morning+Headlines&emailmd5=89086EAC7A9458E4135EC4B2CA02E856&emailsha1=1055321302151911312024462584801251045263155191207&emailsha256=cb1de24c91fb6a9d2264e7b3d279426a1b7f73e0905752c3d839e55e3d2e5f91>:
Three new Board members were elected to the Crook County School District,
calling themselves the “Momma Bears
<https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/incoming-crook-county-school-board-members-vow-to-remove-politics-from-discussion/article_97425f0e-f669-11ed-94d8-df0bb33331b7.html#tncms-source=login>”
running on a controversial campaign
<https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/crook-county-school-board-race-offers-an-unexpected-campaign-spectacle/article_20a13402-e484-11ed-bdb3-0b190a3f681f.html>ad
stating the “current board has ‘invited the sexualization of our kids into
our schools’”. Cheyenne Edgerly, one of the “Momma Bears,” is also on the
Crook County Library Board and has been a main voice in the request to label
LGBTQ materials
<https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/demands-to-label-move-lgbtq-childrens-books-flood-crook-county-library-amid-warnings/article_93f8b900-75af-11ed-9243-8f35d022bd2c.html>
in the children’s section.

Deschutes Public Library: All incumbents retained seats, resulting in no
change to board make-up.

Eugene area school boards
<https://eugeneregisterguard-or.newsmemory.com/?token=750dbab9f82f1665193cfef4f71a5c01&cnum=c3c59488-fb3f-eb11-a0ad-90b11c3d639b&fod=1111111STD-0&selDate=20230522&licenseType=paid_subscriber&>
: From The Register Guard
<https://www.registerguard.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.registerguard.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2Flocal%2F2023%2F05%2F21%2Felection-2023-what-do-lane-county-voters-value-in-school-board-race-eugene-4j-springfield-bethel%2F70232952007%2F>,
Sunday, May 21, edition:
Eugene 4J: All four contested positions see a “significant” lead by
candidates who  have expressed support for “high-risk students such as
students of color, economically disadvantaged students, disabled students
and LGBTQ students.”
Bethel (Northwest Eugene): All three contested positions see sizable leads
for candidates supported by the Oregon Education Association.“...[A]ll
three mention boosting student belonging and inclusion…”
Springfield: Two contested positions. Leading candidate Ken Kohl is
“supported by labor unions including the Oregon Education Association and
the Springfield Education Association” as well as Stand for Children.
Nicole De Graff “was endorsed by Intisar Strategies, LLC, a political
consulting firm for center-right candidates in Oregon.”

Hillsboro School District: Also from The Oregonian
<https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/05/culture-wars-candidates-for-oregon-school-boards-mostly-lost.html>
“while in Hillsboro and North Clackamas, “candidates who […] called for
more parental control over curriculum choices appeared to be losing their
races, according to early returns.”

Hood River County Library District: The pro-intellectual freedom candidates
were successful in the election.

Josephine Community Library District: The pro-intellectual freedom
candidates were successful in election.

Oregon City School Board
<https://www.portlandtribune.com/youroregonnews-com-special-report-metro-area-school-boards-take-progressive-turn-in-tuesday-election/article_e6c82eb0-f5aa-11ed-a9ba-239dc9c0ccbc.html>:
Four Board positions resulted in a dramatic change in Board political
leanings.  All four replaced incumbents had held “parental rights”
ideologies, while the four new Board Members lean “pro-intellectual
freedom”.

McMinnville School Board
<https://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=updated-numbers-show-mcminnville-fire-district-measures-passing-school-board-races-being-decided--1684292636--46144--breaking-news>:
The pro-intellectual freedom candidates were successful in the election.

Newberg School District: From The Portland Tribune
<https://www.portlandtribune.com/youroregonnews-com-special-report-metro-area-school-boards-take-progressive-turn-in-tuesday-election/article_e6c82eb0-f5aa-11ed-a9ba-239dc9c0ccbc.html>,
the pro-intellectual freedom candidates were successful in the election,
significantly altering the make-up of the board. The school has recently
been in the regional and national news for attempting to ban political
symbols such as rainbow flags and Black Lives Matter on campus, among other
anti-intellectual freedom stances.

North Clackamas School Board
<https://www.clackamasreview.com/news/north-clackamas-voters-reject-book-bans-express-trust-in-educators/article_a256e79e-f41a-11ed-9bdb-2f4a2a1fbceb.html>:
As stated by The Clackamas Review, the pro-intellectual freedom candidates
were successful in the election.

Also from The Oregonian
<https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/05/culture-wars-candidates-for-oregon-school-boards-mostly-lost.html>
“candidates who […] called for more parental control over curriculum
choices appeared to be losing their races, according to early returns.”

Redmond School District: Successfully retained two pro-Intellectual Freedom
Board Members, though the overall make-up of the Board leans more towards
“parental control” ideologies.

Roseburg School District: Four “parental rights” candidates leading in
election results, resulting in a majority on that board.

South Wason County School District:  Two “parental rights” candidates
leading in election results, resulting in a majority on that board.

Salem-Keizer: election results unknown at this time.
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