Dufur School Board, position 1

Why should residents consider you for Dufur School District position 1?

I have served for several years on the Wasco County Library Board and have learned many of the skills needed to be a present, active, valuable board member. I also have a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in education. I have worked as a preschool teacher and a substitute teacher at Dufur School and have been a Dufur School parent for the last 10 years and plan to be present and involved with Dufur School for many years to come.

What do you see as the school district’s greatest challenge going forward?

Finding qualified, in-person teachers to fully staff our middle and high school classrooms. I believe that we need to prioritize our teachers, especially in core-curriculum areas such as language arts, science, and math. We need to do more than just ask around to see who is available when we have positions to fill. We need to institute a policy of rigorously recruiting and hiring the best qualified teachers and not just adding more classes to the teachers and aids we already have in place.

What changes do you think the district needs to make to any of its policies, and why?

Our district needs to change policies around parent/guardian involvement in the school district, classrooms, and students ... We need to let families and the community know the school is willing to hear and address the concerns that are brought to the attention of the administration and board. This will require some changes in current policies regarding how the school and the board respond to parents’ and community members’ concerns. One way this can be improved is by putting into place a policy that requires the school to inform a parent/guardian before a student is allowed to utilize our school-based health center during school hours.

How will you support the district’s mission of “In partnership, we are dedicated to educational excellence and lifelong learning, emphasizing communication, trust, and respect”?

I graduated from Dufur School District in 2000. I am now back with my children and family and want to be involved and help make this school the best that it can be. I want to be sure our district is not only meeting all state standards, but ideally, exceeding them. We need to set high standards of excellence for our students and put more policy safeguards in place to improve communication with families and the community. I love living in the small town of Dufur, and I want to be sure our school board represents our small, home-town values.

Anne Kelly

Why should residents consider you for Dufur School District position 1?

I have had the privilege of serving as a Dufur School Board member since 2008.  During that time, I watched my children move through Dufur School and see how the policies the board established affected their educational journey. My experience as a long-term Dufur School board member, parent, K-12 educator and as the Director of the GED and ESOL programs at CGCC have helped me gain a broad perspective of the students and the community we serve in Dufur School. I strongly believe in the public school system and its duty to serve and educate the children of our community.

What do you see as the school district’s greatest challenge going forward?

The growing needs of students and families put immense pressure on our amazing teachers and staff. Nationwide trends of teachers leaving the profession makes retention all the more important. Retaining a staff that feels supported by each other, the administration and the school board is critical.  We are committed to keeping our pay and benefits competitive, but we also need to listen to their concerns and suggestions beyond financial issues and support them as best we can. Supporting teachers requires that students, especially those with the highest needs, have the supports they need in and out of class.

What changes do you think the district needs to make to any of its policies, and why?

Dufur has been growing in student enrollment. There are various challenges with space and staffing that occur with these needs. One of our larger classes is reaching middle school next year, adding complications to scheduling and staffing. Our strategic planning keeps these challenges at the forefront of decisions about staff and space in anticipation of continued growth. Part of this process involves reviewing policies that address out of district students to attend Dufur School to fill smaller classes. We need to find the balance of having enough students to fund programs without straining our staff and other resources.  

How will you support the district’s mission of “In partnership, we are dedicated to educational excellence and lifelong learning, emphasizing communication, trust, and respect”?

Education has always been the center of my professional and personal priorities.  When the board makes a decision, my role as a board member is to  focus on how those decisions will affect our students, staff and community. Which of the choices presented will align with our mission? After considering the information provided by staff and community, I strive to return to the ideal of always making choices that support our students’ educational journey and support them on their path to be successful citizens after leaving Dufur school.