Editors note: Kortge's response has been edited to conform to word count guidelines expressed in the questionnaire.

1. What inspired you to run for a position on the school board?

Schools have long been the heart and soul of a community and Dufur is an exceptional community to be a part of. I once heard a saying years ago after a tragic accident at another school that “hearts grow bigger in the country” and our family discovered first hand how true that really was after the devastating wheat fires in 2018. I have long volunteered on various committees and projects in the community and through the school as my children grew up in Dufur, and after assisting with the Capital Improvement Bond Committee in 2017/2018, I decided it was time to serve in this capacity as well.

2. What do you hope to bring to the school board?

I believe that education is one of the most critical elements in maintaining a safe, healthy, and prosperous community. As a former student, parent of two Dufur graduates, and current board member, I have a unique perspective and understanding of the significant challenges facing our schools today and the work that is required to support the students, families, and staff of the Dufur School District.

I am once again seeking this board position as I would like to continue to build on the experience I have had in this role since 2019. Over the last four years the Dufur School district has made incredible strides in the education experience for our students despite facing some very significant challenges.

3. What do you believe are the biggest issues faced by our schools and how do you plan to tackle them?

While there are many issues that schools are facing that make educating students more difficult, three of the most critical are school safety, lack of funding, and teacher recruitment and retention.

Rather than continue to leave school funding completely in the hands of the state legislature, the district has been actively pursuing local, state, and national grant funding and other revenue streams to continue to improve and add on to the programs and services we can offer our students and families and continue with improvements to our facilities. Our most recent award was a $2.5 million grant for seismic and structural rehabilitation to improve our lower gym and hallways.

While facing a nationwide teacher shortage, our district has worked hard to increase compensation and look for additional ways that we can support current and future staff in unique ways.

4. Nationally, there are a lot of questions regarding the appropriateness of some curriculum. Do you have any concerns with the curriculum in our schools? If so, what are they?

Public education is an ever evolving entity as it is influenced by many factors including societal dynamics, technology, changing methodology, safety, funding and something that was highlighted in the extreme during the pandemic, health and wellness. Curriculum and teaching methods are and should be set by education experts and monitored by the Oregon Department of Education and implemented by administrators, teachers and districts in ways that best fits the districts, communities, and students in which they serve. Education is never stagnant, and should always reflect and adapt to the current society in which we live.

My only concern is the possibility that curriculum discussion and implementation would be taken out of the hands of the education experts.